§ 14.201. DEFINITIONS RELATED TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Addition means new construction added to an existing building or structure.

Alteration means any material construction or change to the exterior of a building, object, site or structure, including, but not limited to, the changing to a different type, style or size of roofing or siding materials; changing, eliminating or adding doors, door frames, windows, window frames, shutters, fences, railings, columns, beams, walls, steps, porte cocheres, porches, balconies, signs or other ornamentation; the changing of paint color; dismantling, removing or moving of any exterior features or demolition. Alterations shall not include ordinary repair and maintenance.

Appropriate means suitable or compatible.

Building means a structure created to shelter people or things, such as a house, barn, church, hotel, warehouse or similar structure.

Character means the qualities and attributes of any structure, site, street or district.

Compatible means existing or performing in harmonious, agreeable combination with its surroundings.

Compatible Property means a resource in a historic district distinguished by its scale, material, and composition so that it contributes to or is "compatible" with the character of the neighborhood.

Construction means the act of adding an addition to an existing building or structure, or the erection of a new principal or accessory building or structure on a lot or property.

Contributing Property means a resource in a historic district that contributes to the district's historical significance through location, design setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and which shall be afforded the same consideration as historic structures or buildings.

Demolition means any act or process that destroys or razes in whole, or in part, a building, object, site or structure, including the permanent impairment of structural integrity. This includes " demolition by neglect ," which is defined as inaction or a series of inactions that result in the destruction or irredeemable deterioration of a landmark building.

Design Standards means the City of Galveston Design Standards for Historic Properties, which are intended to provide criteria that assist the Historic Preservation Officer and the Landmark Commission in determining the appropriateness of proposed actions involving locally-designated historic landmarks and districts. When the alternative term "design guidelines" is used in the context of these regulations, it shall also mean the City's enforceable "design standards."

District means a designated section of the City of Galveston for which the City may regulate the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, or use of buildings, other structures, or land.

Effect, Adverse. A negative change in the quality of the historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance of a resource, or in the characteristics that qualify the resource as historically important.

Element means a material part or detail of a site, structure, street, or district.

Form means the shape and structure of a building.

Galveston Landmark means (i) any individual building, structure or object, or site that the Landmark Commission designates, upon the owner's request, as a Galveston Landmark; or, (ii) any individual building, structure or object, or site that is located within a designated historic zoning overlay district.

Harmonious means having a pleasing or congruent arrangement.

Historic District means an area designated as a "historic district" by ordinance of the City Council and which may contain, within definable geographic boundaries, one or more landmarks, and which may have within its boundaries other proportions or structures that, while not of such historic or architectural significance to be designated as landmarks, nevertheless contribute to the overall historic or architectural characteristics of the historic district.

Historic Property means a district, site, building, structure, or object significant in local, state or national history, architecture, engineering, archaeology, or culture.

Integrity means the ability of a property to convey its historic significance. To retain historic integrity, a property must possess a sufficient historic identity evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics.

Maintain means to keep in an existing state of preservation or repair.

Materials means the physical elements that were combined or deposited in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.

New Construction means construction that is characterized by the introduction of new elements, sites, buildings or structures or additions to existing buildings and structures in historic areas and districts.

Object means a material thing of functional, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value that may be, by nature or design, moveable, yet related to a specific setting or environment.

Ordinary Repair and Maintenance means any work, the purpose and effect of which is to correct any deterioration or decay of, or damage to a building, object or structure, or any part thereof, and to restore the same, as nearly as may be practicable, to its condition prior to such deterioration, decay or damage, using the same materials, or those materials available which are as close as possible to the original. In-kind replacement, or repair, is included in this definition. " In-kind replacement " means the replacement of an element with a new element of the same material, color, texture, shape and form as the original.

Overlay Zone means a set of zoning requirements that is described in ordinance text, is mapped and is imposed in addition to those of the underlying district. Development within the overlay zone must conform to the requirements of both zones, or the more restrictive of the two.

Preservation means the act or process of applying measures to sustain the existing form, integrity and material of a building or a structure, including, but not limited to, initial stabilization work and ongoing maintenance of historic building materials and the existing form and vegetative cover of a site.

Reconstruction means the act or process of reassembling, reproducing or replacing by new construction, the form, detail and appearance of the property and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of later work, or by the replacement of missing earlier work, or by reuse of the original materials.

Rehabilitation means the act or process of returning a building, object, site or structure to a state of utility through repair, remodeling, or alteration, that makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions or features of the building, object, site or structure, that are significant to its historical, architectural and cultural value.

Relocation means any change of the location of a building, object or structure in its present setting or to another setting.

Resource means a source or collection of buildings, objects, sites, structures, or areas that exemplify the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history of the nation, state or city.

Restoration means the act or process of accurately recovering the form and details of a building, object, site or structure, and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of later work, or by the replacements of missing earlier work.

Retain means to keep secure and intact. The terms "retain" and "maintain" both describe the act of keeping an element, detail or structure, and continuing the same level of repair to aid in the preservation of elements, sites and structures.

Scale means proportional elements that demonstrate the size, materials and style of buildings. The proportions of the elements of a building to one another and the whole, and to adjacent buildings.

Setting means the sum of attributes of a locality, neighborhood or property that defines its character.

Significant means having particularly important associations within the context of architecture, history and culture.

Site means the location of a significant event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or a building or structure, whether standing, ruined or vanished, where the location itself maintains historical or architectural value regardless of the value of any existing structure.

Stabilization means the act or process of applying measures essential to the maintenance of a deteriorated building to establish structural stability and a weather resistant enclosure.

Streetscape means the distinguishing character of a particular street as created by its width, degree of curvature, paving materials, design of the street furniture, and forms of surrounding buildings.

Structure means a non-moveable work made up of interdependent and interrelated parts and a definite pattern of organization.

Style means a type of architecture distinguished by special characteristics of structure and ornament and often related in time. Also, a general quality of a distinctive manner.

Unique and Compelling Circumstances means those uncommon and extremely rare instances, factually detailed, which would warrant the Landmark Commission's review, due to the evidence presented.

( Ord. No. 18-037, § 2, 6-21-18 )