Historic district would preserve architecture
The Charleston City Council could approve a historic district on Sixth and Seventh streets between Eastern and the square as early as next week.
At the last council meeting, the members voted to place the ordinance on file for public inspection.
The historic district would require any property owner to receive a certificate of appropriateness if they were to undergo any major structural changes.
Kit Morice, chair of the Charleston Historic Preservation Commission, said if a property owner was looking to add to a building, a porch, or enclosing a porch, he or she would have to get the certificate.
Interior work, paint color, siding, landscaping and fencing does not need a certificate, she added.
At a Jan. 30 public meeting, some property owners were concerned the ordinance would tell them what to do with their property.
Morice said the commission tried to educate all property owners regarding the district, saying it had nothing to do with zoning.
“(Some people) think it is more strict than it is,” she said.
The commission would work together to find a way for both sides to reach goals if an owner had a problem with obtaining a certificate.
Gale Poteete, who owns rental property in the proposed district, did not immediately return phone calls. She spoke at the Jan. 30 public hearing against the proposal.
The majority of the district has historic single-family residences built in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Besides homes, the district encompasses one commercial building, two churches and the former hospital, which is now an apartment building.
Annette Reichart has lived on Seventh Street for 16 years, and the area has changed a lot since then, she said.
“It was all families,” Reichart said.
Sixth and Seventh streets are both main thoroughfares between the square and Eastern and, when people visit, it is one of the first areas they see.
She said the historic district would help beautify the area and help preserve the history.
Reichart said plenty of hard work goes into maintaining her home, and she has to paint it frequently.
“While painting, I discover rotten wood,” she said.
Her husband then has to replace the wood.
While the outside of the houses appear older, the interiors are modern, she said
District boundaries were altered at the Jan. 30 public hearing on the district.
A few properties were removed from the district, as they were not of historic significance, she added.
NOTE: The two lines represent the areas along Sixth and Seventh street where the proposed historical district will go.
On Sixth Street, the northern boundaries extend to 760 Sixth St., on the east side of the street and to 615 Harrison Ave. on the west side. The southern boundaries extend to 1139 Sixth St. on the east, and 1148 Sixth St. on the west.
On Seventh Street the northern boundaries are 760 Seventh St. on the west side, and 775 Seventh St. on the east side. The southern boundaries are 1075 Seventh St. on the west side, and 1419 Seventh St on the east.
Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7945 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.
Historic district would preserve architecture
The Dudley House, a historic landmark in the Charleston area, sits on Seventh street amongst both residences and businesses in what may become Charleston’s historic district. (Bryce Peake
