The Berlin Historic District Commission voted last week to let a commercial property owner to replace a rotten wooden door at a downtown property.
The existing door is pictured at 3 S. Main Street in Berlin.
Courtesy photo
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Berlin Historic District Commission voted last week to have a commercial property owner replace a rotten wooden door at a downtown property.
Applicant Deborah Everett went before the commission to request permission to replace the current unsightly entrance door at 3 S. Main Street with a Therma-Tru Smooth-Star fiberglass door. The property owner said she intended to paint it dark green to match Dolle’s Candyland’s door.
While the group agreed that the entryway must be replaced for aesthetic purposes, vice chair Laura Stearns argued that the door Everett and her husband purchased did not match the style of Berlin.
“It seems like an insignificant door because it is not to a storefront, but the problem is it’s right on the front of the building,” Stearns said. “The door chosen is a craftsman style, and it’s a Victorian town … it is the wrong style for the front of that building, and it is one of the most historic buildings.”
According to Stearns, the craftsman design, which is plain and simple, is the “antithesis” of the detail-orientated Victorian look.
“This is smack dab on the front of the building, and it is not the right style,” she continued. “To me, it is the wrong style for a very historic property.”
Everett said that she will be unable likely to return the door, which cost $3,000, as it was specially ordered to fit the precise measurements of the current opening. Still, the commission voted against the fiberglass entrance and will instead allow the applicant to refurbish the rotten passageway with new wood and paint it dark green in the meantime. She will continue to look for an appropriate replacement.
If Everett finds a door that matches the Victorian fashion of Berlin, the historic advisory group advised her to receive approval from the commission before she purchases it.
“I understand the historical part of Main Street,” the applicant said. “Let’s patch this one up and revisit.”
Everett said the entrance opens into a staircase that leads up to a loft. The owners hope to convert the area into an apartment eventually, but that project would be in the distant future. For now, they are focused on removing the unattractive structure from the public’s view.
The Historic District Commission gathers again on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 5:30 p.m.