New Construction Guidelines

This material is presented for informational purposes only. Herron-Morton Place holds no liability for inaccuracies that may be contained herein. Individuals are urged to contact the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission for complete guidelines as may apply to your project.

The purpose of these guidelines is to present concepts, alternatives, and approaches which will produce design solutions that recognize the characteristics of, and bring harmony between, new and existing building in Herron-Morton Place. The guidelines are not meant to restrict creativity, but rather to set up a framework within which sympathetic design will occur. It should be noted that within an appropriate framework there can be many different design solutions which may be appropriate. While guidelines can create an acceptable framework, they cannot insure any particular result and consequently people may hold a wide range of opinions about the resultant designs since they are largely a factor of the designer's ability.

New construction should reflect the design trends and concepts of the period in which it is created. New structures should be in harmony with the old and at the same time be distinguishable from the old so the evolution of Herron-Morton Place can be interpreted properly.

Building Heights

The actual heights of buildings and their various components as measured from the ground.

Generally, the height of a new building should fall within a range set by the highest and lowest contiguous buildings if the block has relatively uniform heights. Uncharacteristically high or low buildings should not be considered when determining the appropriate range. If the block is characterized by a variety of heights in no pattern, then the height of new construction can vary from the lowest to highest on the block.
On expansive sites where greater heights might be appropriate, consider a stepping up of heights where the street context suggests lower buildings.
Cornice height can be as important as overall building height and where there is uniformity, should conform with contiguous buildings in a similar manner.
New construction at the end of a block should take into account building heights on adjacent blocks.
If the area immediately contiguous to new construction does not offer adequate context to establish an appropriate new building height, the larger historic area context should be assessed.
Porch height can have an impact on the height relationships between buildings and should align with contiguous porch foundation and roof heights in a similar manner to building heights.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid any building height that appears either diminutive or over-scale in relation to its context.

Context

Guidelines serve as an aid in designing new construction which responds sensitively to the existing context and in a manner generally believed to be appropriate. Therefore, the most important first step in designing new construction in any historic district is to determine just what the context is to which the designer is expected to be sensitive.

Every site will possess a unique context. This will be comprised of the buildings immediately adjacent, the nearby area (often the surrounding block), a unique subarea within the district and the district as a whole.

Generally, new construction will occur on sites which fall into the following categories. For each one described below, there is an indication of the context to which new construction must be primarily related.

Developed Site - This is usually a site upon which there already exists an historic primary structure. New construction usually involves an addition to the buildings or the construction of an accessory building such as a garage.

Context - New construction must use the existing historic building as its most important, perhaps only, context.

Isolated Site - This is usually a single vacant lot (sometimes two very small lots combined) which exists in a highly developed area with very few if any other vacant lots in view.

Context - The existing buildings immediately adjacent and in the same block, and the facing block provide a very strong context to which any new construction must primarily relate.

Large Site - This is usually a combination of several vacant lots, often the result of previous demolition.

Context - Since this type of site was usually created as a result of relatively extensive demolition, its surrounding context has been weakened by its very existence. However, context is still of primary concern. In such a case, a somewhat larger area than the immediate environment must also be looked to for context, especially if other vacant land exists in the immediate area.

Expansive Site - This site may consist of a half block or more of vacant land or the site may be a smaller one surrounded by many other vacant sites. Often there is much vacant land surrounding the site.

Context - The context of adjacent buildings can be weak or non-existent. In this case, the surrounding area provides the primary context, to the extent that it exists. Beyond that, the entire historic area is the available context for determining character. This type of site often offers the greatest design flexibility. Where the strength of the context varies at different points around the site, new design should be responsive to the varying degrees of contextual influence.

Entry

The actual and visually perceived approach and entrance to a building.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid entrances which are hidden, obscured, ambiguous, or missing.
Avoid designing approaches to buildings which are uncharacteristic within the site's context.

Fenestration

The arrangement, proportions, and design of windows, doors, and openings.

Creative expression with fenestration is not precluded provided the result does not conflict with or draw attention from surrounding historic buildings.
Windows and doors should be arranged on the building so as not to conflict with the basic fenestration pattern in the area.
The basic proportion of glass to solid which is found on surrounding buildings should be reflected in new construction.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid window openings which conflict with the proportions and directionality of those typically found on surrounding historic buildings.
Avoid window pane patterns which conflict with those on surrounding historic buildings.

Foundation

All buildings sit on a foundation. The way in which that is visually expressed is a design feature which can affect compatibility.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid high walk-ups if surrounding buildings are cottages raised only two or three steps off the ground.
Avoid designs which appear to hug the ground if surrounding buildings are raised on high foundations.

Mass

THIS SECTION IS INCORRECT ON THE CURRENT SITE. IT'S FROM THE SECTION ON OUTLINES

OUTLINE: The silhouette of a building as seen from the street.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid roof shapes which create uncharacteristic shapes, slopes and patterns.

Materials

The visual, structural, and performance characteristics of the materials visible on a building exterior.

The dimensions, textures and patterns of building materials should not conflict with those found on historic buildings in the area. This can often be accomplished with some flexibility since building materials, if used within basic guidelines, have less impact on visual compatibility than larger scale visual elements.
Natural materials are encouraged although modern materials may be considered provided they appear and perform like natural materials.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid the application of salvaged brick, old clapboard siding, barnsiding or any other recycled materials on the exterior of new construction. The use of new compatible material is preferable.
The use of brick as the primary material on a building should be avoided when its use will result in a significant alteration of the traditional relationship of brick to wood buildings in an area. The most common material used for siding in Herron-Morton Place is wood although brick and stucco are occasionally used. New construction should reflect this historic distribution of building material.

Orientation

The visually perceived direction of the front, rear and side facades of a building.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid new buildings at angles to the street which are not characteristic within the building of neighborhood context.
Avoid buildings or building groupings which turn away from the street and give the appearance that the street facade is not the front facade.

Outline

The silhouette of a building as seen from the street.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid roof shapes which create uncharacteristic shapes, slopes and patterns.

Setback

The distance a building is set back from a street.

A new building's setback should relate to the setback pattern established by the existing block context rather than the setbacks of building footprints which no longer exist. If the development standards for the particular zoning district do not allow appropriate setbacks, a variance may be needed.
If setbacks are varied, new construction can be located within a setback which falls within an "envelope" formed by the greatest and least setback distances.
If setbacks are uniform, new construction must conform.
On corner sites, the setbacks from both streets must reflect the context.

Spacing

The distance between contiguous buildings along a blockface.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid the creation of large open spaces where none existed historically. Such spacing is uncharacteristic and establishes holes in the traditional pattern and rhythm of the street.

Style and Design

The creative and aesthetic expression of the designer.

No specific styles are recommended. Creativity and original design are encouraged. A wide range is theoretically possible, from modern to revivals, from simple to decorated
Surrounding buildings should be studied for their characteristic design elements. The relationship of those elements to the character of the area should then be assessed. Significant elements define compatibility. Look for characteristic ways in which buildings are roofed, entered, divided into stories and set on foundations. Look for character defining elements such as chimneys, dormers, gables, overhanging eaves, and porches.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Avoid the imitation of historic styles. A district is historic because of actual historic buildings, not because it has been made to "look" historic. New construction will eventually be seen as a part of the district's evolving history and must be read as a product of its own time, not as an historical fraud.
Avoid the adoption of, or borrowing from, styles, motifs or details of a period earlier than that of the historic district or which are more typical of other areas or cities.