One of Norcross’ longest-serving council members wants the city to cover the cost of restoring historic windows, about $30,000, at a publicly owned residence in the city’s famously well-preserved downtown district.
Because the city’s downtown development authority had previously voted to replace the windows with modern, more energy-efficient ones, there was some tension during the Norcross City Council’s Aug. 24 policy work session.
Council Member Josh Bare, who introduced the item to sponsor the window restoration, said he wants to see if the DDA will let the city cover preservation costs. He also cited the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s recent Norcross Home Tour.
“We had 537 attendees from 51 cities across Georgia and five neighboring states, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee,” Bare said. “It was just a great day for Norcross. The blue house on North Peachtree was open, which was so cool … It was exciting to talk to the new owners and here their passion about redoing that house.”
Historic preservation tension
The Norcross Downtown Development Authority owns two residential properties, 80 and 94 Wingo Street. The historic downtown roadway runs parallel to the Norfolk Southern Piedmont Division Main Line (or R-Line) from Jones Street to Born Street.
Bare said there may be nothing the city council can do to preserve 94 Wingo Street’s unique, pre-war feature, which uses a historic weight-and-pulley system to open and close a single-pane, wavy window. He said he brought the resolution after last week’s DDA vote, which included him as the board’s sole elected official.
“There certainly were other concerns brought up that this was going to be a commercial space and the insulation value of single-pane windows,” Bare said. “And I know I’m too emotionally invested … this is something that can’t be reversed; once the windows are replaced, it would be very difficult to go back and change that.”
Norcross Downtown Development Authority Chair Jim Eyre said the seven-member board has already voted to replace the windows. He spoke during public comment about Bare’s agenda item on historic preservation.
“The agenda insert … kind of taken us by surprise,” Eyre said. “It has not been discussed at all with the downtown development authority … This is something that is probably skating on some thin ice, and I’m going to leave it at that.”
During the conversation surrounding window preservation, council members also discussed the moratorium on demolishing pre-1950 structures, which Eyre opposed as head of the downtown development authority.
Context of preservation debate
Elected officials said the cost of window preservation was not an issue, but supported ensuring that the Norcross DDA signs off on it. A version of the resolution may be voted on at the Sept. 8 regular meeting.
Council Member Andrew Hixson said if the city is going to trade on being a historic destination, then officials need to do what they can to preserve “that look and feel.”
“That being said, sometimes the market works its way in,” Hixson said. “New owners, or it’s causing us not to be able to lease space because it’s … look, I’d love to sell more power too.”
Mayor Craig Newton said he didn’t want to get into a combative relationship with Norcross DDA and supported removing the windows from the historic preservation resolution. Newton cited a need for a working relationship with the separate authority.
As part of the $2.5 million expansion of the city’s downtown parking lot, sections of the residential properties abutting Norcross City Hall will become publicly available spaces. Most of the additional parking, totaling 68 spots, will go behind Savage Pizza and Iron Horse Tavern at the intersection of Jones and Wingo Streets.
Council Member Matt Myers said elected officials can’t coerce the downtown development authority, echoing earlier comments from Bare. He said he supports spending the money to preserve the windows.
“Even if we recommend this … it’s just a recommendation,” Myers said. “This further reiterates and reinforces the need for a scoring mechanism of historic homes and our inventory of those. And what is allowed to be demo’d and what’s not.”
