Historic Preservation Board approves projects
Two projects, including a signature house at 181 Gilchrist Ave., were unanimously approved by the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
The proposed house on Gilchrist is a two-story design. A site plan submitted by Daily Janssen Architects of Palm Beach showed the proposed two-story cottage on Gilchrist to be situated next to the site’s existing banyan tree, which has been nicknamed by the community as the Octopus Tree. It has been preserved.
At the meeting presentation, the tree was mentioned in the presentation over a dozen times,
Neighbor Tom Bowers spoke on behalf of the design. Bowers and his wife Susan Bowers, are neighbors. They were concerned about drainage, and the type of foundation.
The board took that into consideration. They approved the Gilchrist project, with the caveats that all runoff will be handled with drainage plan, that there would be a significant boundary between the neighbors, and if they had to go to pilings it would go to augered cast so that there would be no heavy digging.
The board also approved changes to 1874 18th Street East, the Marilla Residence.
“Its kind of a refreshing of the building,” said architect Tim Krebs in his presentation.
