HPRB Nominations Testimony

8/3/2019 HPRB Nominations Testimony

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PR19-0475, the "Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy L. Pryor Metzger Conrmation Resolutionof 2011"

Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chairperson, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning,and committee members David Catania, Phil Mendelson, and Vincent Orange

Wednesday, January 18,2012 at 10 a.m.

Room 123, John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

January 16, 2012

Good morning Mr. Chairman, Committee members and staff. My name is Richard Busch, and Iam here on behalf of the Historic Districts Coalition to support the nomination of Nancy L. Pryor Metzgerto become a Citizen member of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board.

The Historic Districts Coalition (HDC) is an informal organization made up of representatives ofneighborhood historic districts and individuals from neighborhoods considering whether to seek historicdistrict status. Formed in the late 1990s, HDC has worked to develop an independent voice on historicpreservation issues and concerns shared by the District of Columbia's neighborhood preservationcommunities, and to keep neighborhood organizations informed about preservation-related issuesthrough networking, quarterly meetings, and periodic newsletters. The Coalition has also been aneffective means of bringing its members' collective weight to bear on specic issues of concern. Early

on, HDC played a signicant role in urging the District of Columbia Council to provide the city's HistoricPreservation Ofce (HPO) with resources to strengthen enforcement of DC Public Law 2-144, theHistoric Landmark and Historic District Protection Act of 1978. Those resources ultimately provided twoPreservation Inspectors to help ensure that permitted work was carried out properly and that workundertaken without permits was brought into compliance. HDC thanks the DC Council for its pastsupport in this and other important areas mentioned below.

Since 2004, Nancy L. Pryor Metzger has served as HDC Coordinator, an entirely volunteer role,working to ensure that DCs historic districts have been informed on a full range of issues. Herknowledge of the law and its accompanying regulations, as well as years of experience in observing howthey are administered, has made her an invaluable source for neighborhood organizations across the

city. The newsletters that she has produced have been models of information sharing, not only aboutHDC concerns and activities, but also covering whaf s going on in historic neighborhoods citywide.

As the HDC Coordinator, Ms. Metzger, along with HPO, other individuals, and citywideorganizations, worked to help create what has become the Historic Homeowners Grants program thatmakes funding available to specic historic districts where resources to protect historic fabric are sorelyneeded and will do real and visible good. More recently, Ms. Metzger helped to keep alive the notionthat a simple reminder in annual property tax bills for properties located in historic districts will helpalert owners to that fact and thus promote greater stewardship of these resources. With recent help


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from the Citizens Association of Georgetown and Councilmember Jack Evans, this proposal will becomelaw in early February 2012.

The Historic Homeowners Grants program and the reminder accompanying annual property taxbills are but two examples of Ms. Metzger's demonstrated ability to effectively inform and mobilize the

Coalition's members. In her role as Coordinator, she has contributed to annual evaluation of the Ofceof Planning's Historic Preservation Ofce; sought and compiled member comments on HPO's annualwork plans; and arranged for ofcials from other DC government agencies to address HDC meetings,enabling the ofcials and HDC members to inform each other. Further, in March 2009 as Coordinator,she arranged a symposium on Compatible and Contemporary Architecture in historic districts attendedby more than 90 professionals in various preservation-related elds. She has also developed forumswhere candidates for public ofce have spoken on preservation issues, and she arranged for then-DCCouncil Chairman Vincent Gray to speak at an HDC quarterly meeting.

The Historic Districts Coalition believes that all of these actions on Ms. Metzger's part make herwell-prepared to serve as a Citizen representative on the Historic Preservation Review Board. She has awealth of experience on which to draw for this new and challenging role, and we believe she will servethe city well in it. The following members endorse this statement.

Capitol Hill Restoration Society, Elizabeth Pureed, President

The Dupont Circle Conservancy, Rauzia Ally, AIA, President

Logan Circle Community Association, Timothy Christensen, President

The Foggy Bottom Historic District Conservancy, Thomas Bower, President

Historic Mount Pleasant, Fay Armstrong, President

Historic Takoma, Diana Kohn, President

Takoma Theatre Conservancy, Loretta Neumann, President


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Mr. Chairman and Staff,

Nancy Metzger has been a significant help to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A (ANC)as it has considered both the residential and small commercial structures of the Hill and thelarge projects that require review by the Zoning Commission.

As H Street, the core of our ANC, has changed, major new and redevelopment propertieshave opened or are being rebuilt along and near the corridor. 200 H, 645 H, the H StreetConnection, 1350 Maryland have all been improved by her counsel. She has found ways tomeet the needs of my ANC while cautioning against excessively expensive changes thatwould bring developer resistance. She has sought the middle ground, the happy medium thatpreserves the character of the community. The exterior designs of the half billion dollar HStreet Connection and Valors 1350 Maryland owe a great deal to her help.

Shes helped us in other ways. The symposium she organized in 2009 on Compatible andContemporary Architecture in historic districts was open to and attended by ANCCommissioners. Our area has also been a beneficiary of the Historic Homeowners Grants, aproject into which she put so much work.

Is she committed to the preservation of the distinguishing characteristics of the Capitol HillHistoric District (CHHD)? Absolutely, she is among other things the committee chairrepresentative of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the voice of preservation and renewalfor the Hill community. Shes fought hard to preserve CHHDs defining characteristics.

Has she worked to assist developers, shop-owners as well as homeowners? Again, absolutely.She acts with clarity, congeniality, and respect. She has shown an ability to deal respectfullyand clearly with all sides and listen to all voices. Developers need have no anxiety over thischoice nor should the preservation community those who live in historic areas and wish tokeep intact what attracted us to our neighborhoods in the first place.

ANC 6A spans from 24 nd Street near RFK Stadium to 7 th Street, NE. H Street north toFlorida Avenue, Lincoln Park, Rosedale are all represented on the Commission, and 6A votedunanimously (7-0-0) to endorse Nancy Metzger for the HPRB. (The vote took place at aregularly scheduled, publicly announced regular meeting with a quorum present). Of the eightCommissioners, only my Single Member District is almost entirely within the CHHD. It is atribute to the respect she has gained that all sides of our community, in and out of theHistoric District, support her.

She will bring ready expertise about the proceedings of the HPRB. She is already familiarwith preservation law and regulation as well as with the interaction of zoning andtransportation with preservation. She is the best choice possible for a Citizen member of theHPRB.

David Holmes, Chair, ANC 6A


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PR19-0474, The "Historic Preservation Review Board Maria T. Casarella-CunninghamConrmation Resolution of 2011."

PR19-0475, The "Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy L. Pryor MetzgerConrmation Resolution of 2011."

David G. GarberANC Commissioner, 6D07; Vice Chair, ANC [email protected] // 202-374-5340 // @GarberDC

My name is David Garber, and I am the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for SingleMember District 6D07, which encompasses the historic Washington Navy Yard and the fast-developing neighborhood that surrounds it. I am also the Vice Chair of ANC 6D, which includesthe Southwest Waterfront, part of which is currently in application for designation as a historicmid-century modem neighborhood.

I am testifying today in support of the nominations of Maria Casarella-Cunningham and Nancy

Metzger to the Historic Preservation Review Board. I have known Ms. Metzger for ten yearssince volunteering to work on the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's call box revitalizationproject, and know her to be an important force for sensitive and creative restoration anddevelopment in historic neighborhoods east of the United States Capitol. Although I do not knowMs. Casarella-Cunningham personally, I have been impressed by the architectural designs putforth by her rm, which, at least when interfacing with old and historic buildings, consistentlystrike a sensitive balance between old and new.

Historic preservation is a term and a movement that means many things to many people. Forsome, it's a way to freeze the past in place and create museums of architecture and history. Forothers, it's a way to keep things around that are appealing. For others still - seeing as study afterstudy points to preservation being, on the whole, more earth friendly than building new- it's away to be more environmentally conscious. For still more others, it's about urbanism. Residentsand visitors crave the dynamism created by the diversity of building heights, building materials,and building uses often found in neighborhoods shaped over greater periods of time.

Old and historic places are important teachers. They teach us that human scale, unique design,and a connection to local heritage are valued commodities when treated with respect. But ageisn't the only ingredient necessary for a dynamic, healthy, growing city. Today's cityscape alsoneeds density, innovation, and a diverse mix of sizes and styles. Old and historic places are acritically important part of DCs fabric, but not the only thread that gets us to the sustainable andattractive future we are working towards.

I know that these nominees are qualied to be ofcial advocates for the District's built heritage.But I also want to challenge them to see our old and historic places both as important aestheticand cultural artifacts and as the patterns and teachers for a built future that might not look just likewhat's come before. Celebrate history, but encourage contemporary design in its interpretation.Require a village scale where appropriate, but allow for greater density where our infrastructure isbuilt to handle it. Be vigilant about context and scale, but allow our library of good urbanism tobe shaped by best practices sourced from around the world and across centuries and styles. Seechange as an asset to be worked with instead of as an enemy to be guarded against. Old isimportant, but so is eclecticism, environmental sustainability, and urbanizing development.

Thank you, nominees, for your willingness to serve the District in this way.


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PR19-0475, the Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy L. Pryor MetzgerConfirmation Resolution of 2011

Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chairperson, Committee on Libraries, Parks,Recreation and Planning, and Committee members David Catania, Phil

Mendelson, and Vincent Orange

Public Roundtable Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Committee members, and staff. My name is ShaunaHolmes, and Im 2 nd Vice President of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Im here onbehalf of the Society to support the nomination of Nancy L. Pryor Metzger to become aCitizen member of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board.

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society was founded over 50 years ago to help preserveand protect Capitol Hills historic architectural and residential character. Were thelargest civic organization on Capitol Hill and one of the largest in the city. CHRScontinues to play a key role in maintaining the historic integrity and appeal of theneighborhood and historic district, and Nancy Metzger has played a key role in CHRSsefforts. Due to many years of hard work by Nancy and numerous others, MayorWilliams recognized CHRS in 2003 with an Award for Preservation Leadership. In2004, the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented CHRS with its Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence. Recognizing Nancys many years of sustained

work on behalf of her neighborhood, the Capitol Hill Community Foundationpresented her with a Community Achievement Award in 2005. Nancy said then thather goal is for people to be able to adapt their homes and places of business to modernlife and needs, while maintaining their historic context and compatibility with theirsurroundings. Nancy has raised this effort to an art form.

She has been a member of CHRSs Historic Preservation Committee (formerly theHistoric District Committee) since 1996 and its Chair since 1998. She has workedvery effectively with the Committee to provide clear and carefully thought outcomments to the Historic Preservation Review Board and its staff, ANC commissioners,and property owners about proposed projects in the historic district. She has alsotestified monthly on behalf of the Committee before the Historic Preservation ReviewBoard whenever these projects are on HPRBs agenda, serving as an admirableemissary to HPRB.

As Committee Chair, Nancy has also served 14 years on the CHRS Board of Directors, where she has kept us abreast of Committee activities and preservation issues andevents in the city. Over the years she has provided invaluable and knowledgeable

advice and counsel to the Board, CHRS members, and neighborhood property owners.It is a measure of the Boards high regard for Nancy that a year ago CHRS sent a letterto Mayor Gray recommending that he consider nominating her to the HistoricPreservation Review Board. It is a measure of her superb qualifications that MayorGray did so.

The depth and breadth of Nancys preservation expertise is challenging to summarize.She has lived in DC over 40 years. In the mid-1970s her fascination with herneighborhoods composition and past led her to research, write, and publish a small


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book, Brick Walks and Iron Fences , about Capitol Hills history and architecture.Nancy then put her research to productive use while helping prepare the nominationto landmark the Capitol Hill Historic District and list it in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2004 she drew again on her knowledge to co-author thenomination extending the historic district south to M Street, SE. Having workedactively with Nancy for 14 years, I can attest that she has continued to employ herknowledge to her communitys benefit by working to protect its historic integrity andunique character.

The CHRS Historic Preservation Committee unanimously and enthusiastically voted tosend you a statement supporting Nancys nomination, portions of which Iveincorporated into my remarks. Over a long period, Nancy has demonstrated athorough knowledge of historic preservation principles and sensitivity to the needs andinterests of property owners, as well as a well-honed ability to carefully balance theinterests of historic preservation with new construction and development. Herrespectful, low-key manner and quiet diplomacy have served the Committee and theRestoration Society well.

Nancy would also bring to HPRB her remarkable ability to work well with others. Wemarvel at the skill and tact with which she conveys the Committees comments andconcerns, and others have noted and remarked on her articulate diplomacy as well.She is unfailingly reliable, collegial, respectful, and thoughtful of everyone, whether

working with fellow Committee and Board members, conversing with property owners,testifying before the city Council and Boards, or discussing plans with architects andproject proponents. She is skilled at forging consensus and framing concerns andcomments constructively.

Nancy has long demonstrated a deep commitment to protect the integrity of Washingtons historic landmarks and districts, giving unstintingly of her time and

efforts in both her neighborhood and the city as a whole. We have no doubt thatNancy Metzger will be an excellent Citizen member of the Historic Preservation ReviewBoard, a position for which she is extremely well suited and prepared.

Thank you.


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On Resolution PR19-0475, "HPRB Nancy L. Pryor Metzger Conrmation Resolution of 2011"

Jack McKay, ANC ID (Mount Pleasant)

iack.mckav(5),verizon.net

January 18,2012

I'm Jack McKay, a resident of Mount Pleasant, inWard One, since 1974. Mount Pleasant, as you know, has

been a historic district since 1986. I've been an ANC

commissioner in Mount Pleasant for nine years, and this has

given me some experience in dealing with historic

preservation issues, and with the Historic Preservation

Review Board.

My commission has supported me in my point of

testimony today: namely, that at least some of the citizen

members of the HPRB ought to be representatives of theAttractive stonework installed by one property owner

public. Not of the historic preservation advocacy to enhance the entrance to his basement. The HistoricPreservation Ofce rejected this work, as not

community, but of the public, of the people who are affected "comPatible" *** the historic district.

by historic preservation regulations and by HPRB

decisions.

I have never met Mrs. Metzger, and I do not intend

to criticize her in any way. But plainly she is an active

member of the preservationist community, and on the

Board would surely speak as a preservationist, where what

is missing is a voice of the public.

Federal law requires that there be "adequate public

Historic Preservation forced the owner to destroy hisparticipation in the local historic preservation program". It ^ZZZZ&i ZZ+Z ,,,

. . c l a i m e d b y t h e H P O t o b e t h e o n l v " h i s t o r i c a l l y c o r r e c t "says public participation", not "historic preservationist style for Mount Pleasant. Improvements over bare

concrete are not allowed in Mount Pleasant. The ownerwas lucky to be allowed to keep the bluestone.


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participation". District law says that members of the board shall "represent to the greatest practicable extent the

composition of the adult population of the District of Columbia". This legal requirement is not met when the

citizen members of the Board are chosen exclusively from

the preservationist community.Designation of the State Review Board

(B) provides for an adequate and qualied Statehistoric preservation review board designated byThis matters because, as I've observed the HPRB in State Historic Preservation Ofcer unless

otherwise provided for by State law; andaction, these citizen members tend to be aggressive,

(C) provides for adequate public participation indemanding, hawkish members of the board. This is only to G State Historic Preservation Program, includingthe process of recommending properties forbe expected, because anyone who chooses, voluntarily, to nomination to the National Register.

make historic preservation a major avocation, will quite

naturally be passionate about historic preservation. Placedon the board, they represent only the historic

preservationists of the District, not the public in general.

Nobody on the Board speaks for the public.

Section 4. Historic Preservation Review Board... all appointments to the Historic PreservationReview Board shall be made with a view towardhaving its membership represent to the greatestpracticable extent the composition of the adultpopulation of the District of Columbia withregard to race, sex, geographic distribution andother demographic characteristics.

And somebody should. The historic preservation law

in the District is harsh, treating every structure designated "contributing" as a priceless architectural treasure, no

matter how modest, how shabby, how inadequate they may be, and no matter the needs of the residents livingtheir lives in these homes. Unless the historic preservation demands amount to a "taking", rendering a property

useless for any purpose whatsoever, does the homeowner of

ordinary income have any recourse. Short of that, neither "Unreasonable economic hardship means thatfailure to issue a permit would amount to a

expense, nor the physical needs of the homeowner, matter. taking of the owner's property without justcompensation or, in the case of a low-income

_ , f *u trouD i ~ i owneifs) as determined by the Mayor, failure toWhen an issue comes before the HPRB, who speaks w ,. , ,issue a permit would place an onerous and

.,_ j^r*!. l. oxtuj *ur> a a excessive financial burden upon such ownerfs)."for the residents of these homes? Nobody on the Board does, u *. li_

The "public participation" required by Federal law is absent. The District requirement that the Board reect the

"composition of the adult population of the District of Columbia" is violated.

Nobody on the HPRB speaks for the homeowner who is put under heavy nancial pressure, or who has

developed needs, due to old age or disabilities, that make the homeowner's home in need of modication.


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There should be citizen members of the Board who represent the public, not just the historic

preservationist community. The resolution passed by our ANC on this topic is attached.


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Yasmin Romero-Castillo, [email protected]

Mount Pleasant AdvisoryNeighborhood Commission

Gregg Edwards, [email protected]

Laura Wilson Phelan, [email protected]

Vice Chair ancChina Terrell, 1D05

[email protected]

Jack McKay, 1D03Secretary and Treasurer

[email protected]

1380 Monroe St NW, #117, Washington DC 20010Tel: 234-6646 Web: www.ancld.org

e-mail: [email protected]

Angelia D. Scott, 1D06Chair

[email protected]

Appoint representatives of the public to the Historic PreservationReview Board

Resolved, that ANC ID advises the Council of the District to ll at least one "public member" ofthe Historic Preservation Review Board with a true representative of the public, not arepresentative of the historic preservation community.

Why: No one on the Historic Preservation Review Board speaks for the homeowners who maybe directly affected by the Board's decisions. The Board is, by law, supposed to "represent to thegreatest practicable extent the composition of the adult population of the District of Columbiawith regard to race, sex, geographic distribution and other demographic characteristics". Theclear intent of the law is to have the Board represent all of the residents of the District, not justhistoric preservation advocates. But the practice has been to ll the "citizen member" seats withrepresentatives of historic preservation advocacy groups, not representatives of the public atlarge. These members contribute to HPRB decisions which directly affect the public, not merelychoosing which properties qualify as "historic" and which do not, but frequently imposingexpensive and demanding maintenance and renovation requirements on residents of historicdistricts. Because these "citizen members" are drawn from the community of passionate historicpreservation advocates, they are naturally aggressive in their decisions on the Board. They speakas preservationists, not as members of the public.

Federal law requires "public participation" in any state historic preservation program. The"citizen members" of the HPRB do not satisfy this requirement when they are drawn only fromthe community of historic preservation advocates, and never from the public at large.

ANC ID advises the District Council to choose a true member of the public, perhaps ahomeowner in a historic district, familiar with historic preservation, but neutral on the topic, to

give the public, and the homeowners affected by the Board's preservation decisions, a voice onthis board.

Passed by 6 to 0 vote at the legally noticed, public meeting ofANCID on January 17, 2&tl, with a quorumpresent. Voting "yes ": Commissioners Romero-Castillo, Edwards, McKay, Wilson Phelan, Scott, Terrell.


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TestimonyLaura Elkins20 Ninth Street NEWashington DC 20002202.546.4556

I am Laura Elkins and have lived in Capitol Hill since 2000. I am a visual artist with a degree inarchitecture from the University of Virginia and have extensive experience in architecture and historicpreservation, including projects as diverse as Melrose Plantation in Louisiana and Grade Mansion inNew York. Since moving to DC, I have focused on visual art with solo and group exhibitions in theDistrict and in New York, in addition to community art projects. Recent community works include acommission by the ACLU-NCA to create Civil Liberties, a series of paintings to address some of thecivil rights issues propelling DC51, our statehood movement, including the DC51 poster; and MonsterMash in October 2011, a community mural project in Capitol Hill sponsored by Albus Cavus, alongwith The Friends of Gareld Park, CHAMPS, Council Member Tommy Wells, Nancy and NormMetzger (ANC6B), Kirsten Oldenburg (ANC6B), and Julia Christian.

Despite Ms Metzger kind support of Monster Mash, I oppose her nomination to HPRB. Her stridentpreservation advocacy demonstrates her inability to be an objective and unbiased representative of allDC residents as a citizen member of the HPRB.


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Statement of Fay ArmstrongPresident, Historic Mount Pleasant, Inc.

Before theCommittee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning

Council of the District of Columbia

January 18, 2012

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee on Libraries, Parks,Recreation and Planning. My name is Fay Armstrong. I am President of Historic MountPleasant, in which capacity I appear before the Historic Preservation Review Board on a regularbasis.

Historic Mount Pleasant is pleased to support the nominations to the HistoricPreservation Review Board of both Maria Casarella-Cunningham and Nancy Metzger that arebefore you today. At the same time, we strongly support your letter of December 22, 2011, to

the Mayor concerning the delay in filling vacancies on the Board. The failure of the Mayor asappointing authority under D.C. law to nominate qualified candidates for vacancies as theyoccur not only hampers the work of the Historic Preservation Office but places its entirepreservation program in jeopardy of losing critical federal funds. It is imperative that Boardmembership be brought up-to-date as soon as possible.

Ms. Casarella joined the Board as an architect member in 2007 and has proven aneffective member. Every month, the Board reviews numerous cases of new construction andadditions to existing buildings where the design skills of architects are critical to finding aworkable balance between the preservation goals of the law and the practical objectives of theproperty owner. Ms. Casarella has provided sound design advice aimed at enabling projects togo forward. She has been generous with her time outside the hearing room assisting applicantswith design problems. She is a strong voice for incorporating sustainable design principles inprojects before the Board and for promoting preservation as a green strategy. We urge that shebe confirmed for a second term on the Board.

Ms. Metzger is well known within the preservation community through her work for theCapitol Hill Restoration Society and as the long-time coordinator of the Historic DistrictsCoalition. Historic Mount Pleasant has often turned to her for advice regarding application of the preservation law and institutional memory of prior cases and issues. We endorse thestatement in support of her nomination presented today by the Coalition. Her long experienceand participation in all manner of activities aimed at preservation of important historic propertiesin the Nations Capital make her an ideal citizen member of the Board.

Federal standards, specifically 36 CFR 61.4(e)(1)-(4), require that a majority of historicpreservation review board members be qualified professionals in the fields of history, bothprehistoric and historic archaeology, architectural history and architecture. The historianresigned from the Board over one year ago. The archaeologists term expired in July 2011. Thearchitectural historian (whose term ends in July 2012) is expected to resign soon, and botharchitects terms expired in July 2011. The chairperson, a citizen member, seems to be the only


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one with an unexpired term who intends to complete it. This is a wholly untenable situation andone which deserves immediate attention. We cannot understand why only two nominations arebeing offered at this time.

Thus, while we wholeheartedly support the nominations of Maria Casarella-Cunningham

and Nancy Metzger to the Historic Preservation Review Board, we urge you to press foradditional nominations meeting both federal and local legal criteria as soon as possible. The cityneeds a full complement of highly qualified HPRB Board members serving within theirprescribed terms of office without further delay.

Thank you for your attention.


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I have been a resident of Capitol Hill since 1985 and am the current Chair of theNorth Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. My home is within the HistoricDistrict, but just barely. Long before I became a member of the Capitol HillRestoration Society, I came to rely on Nancy's understanding of the regulations

governing the Historic District to educate neighbors, local businesses andorganizations, and often District agencies regarding their responsibilities. Truly,our neighborhood has benefited enormously from her stewardship. Herknowledge is encyclopedic. Moreover she is invariably fair, reasonable andcollaborative. Although I will regret losing direct access to her expertise, Isincerely hope that she is confirmed as a member of the Historic PreservationReview Board where her presence will benefit all the citizens of the District ofColumbia.

Sincerely,Elizabeth Nelson


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Statement in Support of Nancy L. Pryor Metzger

We have known Nancy for at least 10 years and have attended many meetingsboth local and at the Historic Preservation Review Board where she has testifiedon behalf of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. We have found her to beextremely knowledgeable, open to discussion and fair. Her testimony anddiscussion points in local meetings have covered issues of height and massing aswell as the finer points of design such as window treatments, brick color andentrances. In the cases we have observed she has clearly familiarized herself withthe neighboring context so that her comments are not made without reference.

In summary, we firmly believe that Ms Metzger will make an excellent addition to

the Historic Preservation Review Board.

Sincerely,

Keith Bridger and Nancy Simpson113 7th Street, NE


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Written Statement of

Commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg, ANC6B04

Supporting the Nomination of

Nancy Pryor Metzger

As Public Member of theHistoric Preservation Review Board

To Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chair, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning andmembers of the Committee

I wholeheartedly support the nomination of Nancy Metzger to become a member of the HistoricPreservation Review Board. As everyone knows, she has been a superb leader of and resource forothers on historic preservation in the Capitol Hill community for many years. Much longer than I havebeen an ANC Commissioner.

Before I became a Commissioner, I was only vaguely aware of the Ms Metzgers role in the community.But I reached out to her when I was elected when I realized I would be voting on historic preservationmatters and, while my sentiments were aligned to preservation, my knowledge was extremely weak.Thus, Ms Metzger became a considerate and patient mentor. She invited me to sit in on the Capitol HillRestoration Society monthly case review meetings during which I learned by listening to her committeemembers discussing each case in detail. She graciously took my many calls for clarification and adviceon many occasions over the last five years. During that time, she has always amazed me with her depth

of knowledge about the long history of the District of Columbia and specific knowledge aboutneighborhoods and buildings.

Ms Metzger will be an excellent addition to HPRB.

Kirsten OldenburgCommissioner ANC6B04


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>

< J

1234 C St, SEWashington, DC 20003

6 December, 2011

The Hon. Tommy WellsMember, Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Councilman Wells,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to Nancy Metzger's nomination to the District's HistoricPreservation Review Board and to encourage you to take a leadership role in opposing it as well.

Ms. Metzger and her colleagues in the Capitol Hill Restoration Society have done much good over theyears; however, more recently, their participation in and contributions to preservation debates has becomemore heavy-handed, extreme, and disconnected from the wants and needs of the community.

To cite just a few examples, Ms. Metzger is spearheading dubious litigation against The HeritageFoundation's third-story addition at 227 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, a tasteful, gracious, and historically-appropriate contribution to the block that also increases density and foot-trafc for neighboring businesses.Ms. Metzger has also been intimately involved in dragging out efforts to develop the 1200 block ofPennsylvania Ave., SE, killing at least one project and prolonging the agony of neighbors living near theinfamous "shotgun house" at 1229 E St., SE.

More recently, Ms. Metzger was a leader in the effort to incorporate Barney Circle into the Capitol HillHistoric District, an effort characterized by smug high-handedness and a deliberate effort to sneak -and

then when the effort became better known, ram- the designation past the residents of that area. It was noaccident that the new ANC 6B Commissioner from that area was elected, in part, based on his leadership inopposing that designation.

My opposition to Ms. Metzger's nomination is not personal. She is consistently gracious and kind.However, she represents the worst kind of preservationist, the kind that impedes then completely stops theorganic growth and change of great neighborhoods by militant insistence on a fanatical and narrowlysupported preservation agenda.

Send a strong message of support for a rational approach to preservation to the Capitol Hill neighborhood,the DC preservation community, and the homeowners and business owners that would like to continue todrive Capitol Hill's growth through development by denouncing and opposing this appalling nomination.

0

O Paxton Helms


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Statement in Support of Nancy Metzger's Nomination to the DC HistoricPreservation Review Board

Nancy Metzger became a member of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's HistoricDistrict Committee in 1996. Her interest in preserving the history and character of CapitolHill were well known to the community as a result of her publication, 20 years prior, of asmall book of walking tours, Brick Walks and Iron Fences , that highlighted theneighborhood's history and architecture. Nancy's strong interest and commitment to thework of the Historic District Committee led within 2 years to her assumption of the dutiesof Committee Chair, a role she has continued to play to this day. Over this long period,Nancy has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of historic preservation principles,sensitivity to the needs and interests of property owners, as well as a well-honed ability tocarefully balance the interests of historic preservation and new construction anddevelopment. Her low-key manner and quiet diplomacy have served the Committee andthe Restoration Society well. She has been an admirable emissary between the Committee,representing the community of interested neighborhood preservationists, and theprofessional staff of the Historic Preservation Office. She has dutifully testified on amonthly basis before the Historic Preservation Review Board expertly communicating thepositions and views of the Committee and the Society. There is no doubt that she will bean excellent citizen member of the Historic Preservation Review Board, a position forwhich she is extremely well suited. The Committee would like to express its unqualifiedand unanimous support of her appointment to the Historic Preservation Review Board.

Stephen A. Morris708 East Capitol Street, NEWashington, DC 20003(202) 543-6255


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Testimony of Maria Casarella Cunninghamto be presented on January 18, 2012

to the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning Council of the District of Columbia

in response to

RE: PR19-0474, THE "HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW BOARD MARIA T.CASARELLA-CUNNINGHAM CONFIRMATION RESOLUTION OF 2011"

Councilmember Wells,

Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to you today. I am honored to beconsidered for re-appointment to the Historic Preservation Review Board. Washingtonwas designed from its inception to foster the best of civic life. To me, theres no doubtthat the beauty of the Nations Capital today can be attributed directly its citizens

dedication to historic preservation.

For the past 24 years, I have practiced as an architect in Washington, D.C., making meboth a witness to and participant in the cause of historic preservation. It is with pride thatI consider myself an honorary Washingtonian, with my professional and personal historyclosely linked to many historic areas of this amazing city.

My parents met in Mount Pleasant and were married in 1961 at the Church of the SacredHeart on 16th Street NW. I grew up in Laurel, Maryland, and returned to my family rootsin Washington while attending college at Catholic Universitys School of Architecture.As a student, I was inspired by the rich history and architectural resources of DC. My

introduction to historic preservation began as student when I worked on the rehabilitationof Union Station. I spent many hours documenting the original architectural ornamentthat you see inside the station today. In 1992, after receiving my Masters Degree inArchitecture from Columbia University, I married my husband, Ralph Cunningham, inSt. Josephs Church on Capitol Hill. My husband and I now live and raise our two sons inCleveland Park Historic District. For eight years, I was a member of the Cleveland Park Historical Societys Architectural Review Committee and also served on its Board.

As part of my professional development, Ive been engaged in many aspects of historicpreservation and understand the rigorous process required to develop and revitalizebuildings in this city. My work as an architect has focused on adaptive reuse and

preservation of many historic landmark structures and residences across the city,including: Founders Hall at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School (received anAward of Merit in Historic Preservation from the DC Chapter of The American Instituteof Architects); the Restoration of the Historic AFL-CIO Headquarters on 16 th Street NW(received an Award of Merit from the DC Chapter of the AIA); a carbon-neutral rowhouse on 4 th Street NE on Capitol Hill, (received DC Mayors Award for Preservation);and the restoration of a residence in the National Historic-landmarked Watergatebuilding. Currently, along with my office, Cunningham Quill Architects, I am the lead


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architect of the restoration of the Samuel M. Bryan house, (also a National HistoricLandmark) located in the Dupont Circle Historic District and the Associate architect forthe new Water Tower facility proposed for the St. Elizabeths East Campus.

Since April 2008, I have had the great pleasure of serving as one of the architectmembers on the DC HPRB. As a Board member I have presided over hundreds of cases,working with the knowledgeable and dedicated staff members of the HistoricPreservation Office. I have approached my service with the understanding that historicpreservation is an inclusive process that meets the cultural and economic needs of all theresidents of the District. I believe I have met the challenge of upholding the Districtspreservation law, regulations and guidelines while balancing interests of economicdevelopment and affordable homeownership. I have vigorously supported numerouscases that apply historic preservation instruments (such as Multiple Property ListingDocuments, Historic Home Owners Improvement Grants and Historic Tax Credits) tokeep housing affordable and available to District residents.

As I stated in my original testimony in 2008, environmental stewardship is the mostcritical issue that historic preservation is addressing today. I share the belief thatpreservation is inherently an act of cultural and environmental sustainability, or as many

in the preservation community say, the greenest building is the one already built . Duringmy tenure on the HPRB, I founded the Boards Sustainable PreservationCommittee, and currently serve as its chair. Through this position I have helped the HPOstaff edit and issue new preservation guidelines that include sustainability information forproperty owners. I have participated as a guest speaker for numerous national and localforums to discuss and promote sustainable preservation in the District, including:Preservation vs. Sustainability?, part of the 2011 For the Greener Good series sponsored by the National Building Museum; Something Old, Something New,Something Green for the Design DC 2011: In the Green Conference ; and I served asguest moderator for Rehabilitating Modern Buildings at the D.C. PreservationLeagues citywide conference in 2010.

I believe my experience as an architect and dedication as a Board member contributesignificant value to the Districts historic preservation review process, and, if confirmed,I will continue to use my knowledge to the best of my abilities to serve the District of Columbia.


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P R O J E C T T E A M

C U N N I N G H A M | Q U I L L A R C H I T E C T S

Cunningham | Quill Architec

2004 Present

REgISTRATION

MarylandDistrict o Columbia

PRAcTIcE AREAS

Single Family Residential

CommercialInterior DesignInstitutionalHistoric Preservation

AFFILIATIONS

American Institute o ArchitectsMember, DC Historic PreservationReview BoardCleveland Park Historical SocietyBoardStudio Critic, Catholic University& Columbia University, School oArchitectureCommunity Council or theHomeless At Friendship Place,VolunteerAidan Montessori School, Boardo Trustees

LEcTuRES

Speaker, Preservation vs.Sustainability? For the GreenerGood, National Building MuseumApril 2011

Presenter, Something Old,Something New, SomethingGreen, DesignDC, June 2011Moderator, RehabilitatingModern Buildings, DCPLPreservation Con erence, 2010

EducATION

Master o Architecture, ColumbiaUniversity, 1992Bachelor o Architecture, CatholiUniversity, 1988

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Maria Casarella, AIA is an Associate with Cunningham | Quill Architects and hasaward-winning residential, institutional and historic preservation experience as anArchitect practicing in Washington, DC. She takes a context-based and site-specifcapproach to architecture, promoting an organic design process that takes into account the unique sensibilities o both her clients and projects.

Ms. Casarella is active in the Washington, DC community, and has been a Boardmember o the Cleveland Park Historical Society. Ms. Casarella was appointed byMayor Adrian Fenty to the District o Columbia Historic Preservation Review Boardin 2008, and continues to serve as an appointed architect member. She is the chairo the Sustainability Committee o the HPRB and is leading the e ort to revise the DCHistoric Preservation Guidelines to address sustainable building practices.

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL WORKS

ArchitectureUrban Alliance Foundation Headquarters, Washington, DC ~ Restoration/Addition16th Street Private Elementary School, Washington, DC ~ InstitutionalChain Bridge Road School, Washington, DC ~ InstitutionalWashington Ballet School, Washington, DC ~ InstitutionalCrossways Community, Kensington, MD ~ InstitutionalWatergate Renovation, Washington, DC ~ ResidentialMaple Avenue Renovation & Addition, Chevy Chase, MD ~ Residential1723 S Street NW, Renovation & Adaptive Reuse, Washington, DC ~ ResidentialAFL-CIO Headquarters, Washington, DC ~ Commercial(with EEK)American Association o Homes and Services or the Aging Headquarters,Washington, DC ~ Commercial(with EEK)The Philips Collection Museum, Washington, DC ~ Institutional/Cultural(with CGS)Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Washington DC ~ Institutional(with CGS)Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, DC ~ Institutional(with CGS)Telecom Ventures, Alexandria, VA ~ Interior DesignSonitrol Headquarters, Alexandria, VA ~ Interior DesignSt. Elizabeths Water Tower, Washington, DC ~ Object/In rastructure Design

m a R i a c a S a R e l l a a i aAssOCiATE


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TESTIMONY BY NANCY METZGER, NOMINEE FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW BOARD,

BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON LIBRARIES, PARKS, RECREATION AND PLANNING

JANUARY 18, 2012

Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you about my nomination to the HistoricPreservation Review Board. Id also like to take a moment to thank Mayor Gray for nominating me tothe Board and for the statements of support from members of the historic preservation community.

Ive always liked the vision set forth at the beginning of the Historic Preservation law (DC 2-144)in which it enumerates why we have historic districts and landmarks. After stating they are in theinterest of the health, prosperity, and welfare of the people of DC, it goes on to say historic districts andlandmarks are intended:

to foster civic pride in the accomplishments of the past; to provide for the support and stimulus to the economy; and for the education, pleasure, and welfare of the people of the city.

It is significant to me that the phrase to foster civic pride in the accomplishments of the past makes nodistinction about who was able to make contributions. A number of years ago I had a call from adeveloper with two empty lots and three very small brick houses. He could not understand why anyonewould think the houses worth saving. I explained that a historic district was significant not only for thebig, fancy houses of the wealthy but for the small houses that were the homes of the laborers in theNavy Yard, the laundress, and shopkeepers. They had been part of the community of their time anddeserved to be remembered as much as their wealthier neighbors. After a moment of silence, he toldme he had grown up in a poor family in a house just like these a few blocks west of the Capitol Hill

Historic District he never dreamed that others would think that houses like theirs had any value.

The potential to speak to people across the city, of all ages and races in all neighborhoods, lowincome and wealthy, residents and business owners, is one of the strengths of historic preservation and one of my chief interests.

I come to historic preservation through the history door: in 1976 I wrote a brochure on the

history and architecture of Capitol Hill. About 16 years ago, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society askedme to join the Historic Preservation Committee as historian and for most of that time I have served aschair. Since Capitol Hill is the largest historic district in the city I gained experience in reviewing projects

and learning from the architects on our committee as well as those on the HPRB at its monthlymeetings. During my time as chair the committee has considered approximately 900 cases commercial and residential, new construction and alterations, complex and straightforward.

Because of this experience at the nuts and bolts level, I gained an appreciation for historic

preservation issues that are significant city-wide such as adequate enforcement, demolition by neglect,and the need to help lower-income homeowners maintain their historic properties. All requiredcoordinated and sustained effort by individuals as well as by neighborhood and city-wide organizations.


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Of all of these worthy efforts, I am most pleased with the citys Targeted Homeowner Grant programpartly because CHRSs Park Street Project was used as an example of the need for such a program whenwe were talking to Council members. In the Park Street Project, CHRS teamed with developer PNHoffman to repair the front faade of a frame house belonging to an elderly woman with minimalretirement income. After funding was secured for the grant program, the city launched a pilot project in

the Anacostia Historic District that vividly illustrates the difference such a program can make.

An important part of project review is listening carefully to both affected community membersand the applicant (whether homeowner or corporation). They all have their hopes for life in a historicdistrict and those perspectives are an important part of managing change in historic districts. Workingwith the ANCs on some of the larger H Street projects an area that is not a historic district but has astrong historic identity was a lesson in how a community can help shape a project. We have all seenhow historic preservation has helped fuel the revitalization of commercial areas such as Barracks Row

and 14 th Street and foster pride in residential neighborhoods.

Complementing my work on project review in Capitol Hill has been coordinating the activities of the Historic Districts Coalition, a city-wide network of historic preservation organizations: wevepresented testimony to Council during hearings on proposed legislation, Historic Preservation oversight,and Historic Preservation budget; discussed common issues and concerns; and distributed an electronicnewsletter to help keep members informed of preservation activities in other historic districts and thecity. Through this organization, Ive learned not only about issues important to others in the city butalso about the distinctive nature of each historic district. If confirmed, I look forward to learning more

about each one as the Board reviews cases.

I will bring many years of practical experience at the neighborhood level to the HPRB task of review, which will in turn be useful in the other Board duties such as approving Guidelines andStandards or working on the citys Preservation Plan documents that help to establish historicpreservation policy in the city. The story of our city and its built environment is now recognized as astory of many neighborhoods and people of different races, riches, education, and persuasion. Its thestory of Georgetown, Cleveland Park and Anacostia , all long-established historic districts, but it is alsothe story of Eastland Gardens, whose residents recently published a book of photographs about thehistory of their neighborhood. The residents of Deanwood supported the landmarking of theirneighborhood theater. Not every neighborhood will -- or even want to -- become a historic district butall residents should be able to recognize the value of their stories, of historic preservation and know

that they are included in some way.

HPRB Nominations Testimony

Documents

Transcript of HPRB Nominations Testimony