Audiencia para considerar y hacer hallazgos para el reemplazo de ventanas en: 1. Casa George y Adelphia Rowell (HP #268) ubicada en 153 North Effie Street (APN 459-332-06T)

REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 26, 2026 FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director Planning and Development Department BY: ASHLEY ATKINSON, AICP, Assistant Director Planning and Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Hearing to Consider and make findings for the window replacement at the: George and Adelphia Rowell Home (HP #268) located at 153 North Effie Street (APN 459-332-06T) ..Body EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The George and Adelphia Rowell Home located at 153 North Effie Street is Historic Property #268. Thomas and Kendall Adlard, as property owners, request authorization for the replacement of windows at the home. This project represents a substantial alteration to the resource and is subject to review by the Commission pursuant to FMC Section 12-1617. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) take one of the following actions: ADOPT a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Sections 15331/Class 31 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines And APPROVE: the request of the homeowners and authorize the replacement of the residential windows at the George and Adelphia Rowell Home (HP #268) located at 153 North Effie Street (APN 459-332-06T). Or: DENY: the request to authorize the replacement of the residential windows at the George and Adelphia Rowell Home (HP #268) located at 153 North Effie Street (APN 459-332-06T). BACKGROUND The property located at 153 North Effie Street in Fresno, known historically as the George and Adelphia Rowell Home, is a distinguished two-story American Foursquare residence constructed in 1903 within the Villa Addition subdivision. Designed by prominent Fresno architect Alexander Culbertson Swartz, the home blends Colonial Revival and Queen Anne influenced features, reflecting an early phase of Swartz’s architectural career. The property is closely associated with the Rowell family, George B. Rowell, a prominent early Fresno sheep rancher, vineyardist, and merchant, and his wife Adelphia, a respected cultural figure. Mrs. Rowell lived in the home until her death in 1932. The house was then the residence of their daughter, Bernice (Rowell) Dahlgren and her husband Arthur, who was a rancher. As one of only a few surviving residential works by A.C. Swartz, the home exemplifies high architectural craftsmanship and contributes meaningfully to understanding early suburban development in Fresno The residence retains a high degree of historic integrity, with notable original elements such as the tripartite façade window, consisting of a large 16light fixed central sash flanked by two 1/1 doublehung sash windows, an arrangement consistent with the home’s original design as documented in earlier surveys. Inside, the residence retains remarkable historic integrity, including its Eastlakeinspired staircase, formal parlor with multipaned pocket doors, and a woodpaneled library added early in the home’s history. Early Sanborn maps document the home’s evolution, including a 1910 barn (now demolished), the addition of a second story sleeping porch in 1916, and a later unpermitted northwest room that became the home’s distinctive library. Project Analysis The application proposes the installation of 27 new Jeld Wen Historical windows on the property, specifically requesting to change the 16-lite fixed window with one window (Exhibit C), and modifying the two upstairs bedroom windows. The two windows upstairs are currently 54” wide and are unavailable to replace as a double hung window. The applicant has submitted three alternatives for the replacement: a) frame in the existing openings to 46”; b) manufacture two double hung windows placed side by side or c) modify a sliding window to look like a double hung window (Exhibit D). All other street-facing windows will be wood, and the original beveled windows will be custom made to resemble the originals as closely as possible. Staff determined that the request could not be approved at the Staff level as the change would constitute a substantial alteration to a historical resource. The windows are noted in the DPR Form (Exhibit A) as a character-defining feature, specifically the 16-lite fixed window prominently located on the front of the elevation. The George and Adelphia Rowell Home located at 153 North Effie Street is an individually listed historic resource on the Local Register of Historic Resources, therefore any proposed project with a scope of work which proposes substantial alterations to the resource is subject to review by the Commission pursuant to FMC Section 12-1617. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings (Exhibit E) provides guidance for maintenance, repair and modifications to historic resources. The guidelines for the preservation of windows states that “Identifying, retaining, and preserving windows and their functional and decorative features that are important to the overall historic character of the building. The window material and how the window operates (e.g., double hung, casement, awning, or hopper) are significant, as are its components (including sash, muntins, ogee lugs, glazing, pane configuration, sills, mullions, casings, or brick molds) and related features, such as shutters” (page 46). ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS If the commission finds the project consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s guidelines, the commission adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Sections 15331/Class 31 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines, preservation or conservation of a historical resource. FRESNO MUNICIPAL CODE FINDINGS In order to approve the application or approve it with modifications, the Commission must make one of the following findings: The proposed work is found to be consistent with the purposes of this article and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, not detrimental to the special historical, architectural or aesthetic interest or value of the Historic Resource; or This finding cannot be made as the proposed work is not consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and is detrimental to the special historical, architectural or aesthetic interest or value of the Historic Resource. The action proposed is necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the property; or This finding cannot be made, as the proposed work is not necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the property. Denial of the application will result in unreasonable economic hardship to the owner. In order to approve the application, the Commission must find facts and circumstances, not of the applicant's own making, which establish that there are no feasible measures that can be taken that will enable the property owner to make a reasonable economic beneficial use of the property or derive a reasonable economic return from the property in its current form; or This finding cannot be made because there is no evidence that the denial of the application will result in unreasonable economic hardship to the owner. The site is required for a public use which will directly benefit the public health, safety and welfare and will be of more benefit to the public than the Historic Resource. This finding cannot be made because the site is not required for a public use which will directly benefit the public health, safety and welfare and will be of more benefit to the public than the Historic Resource. For applications for relocation of an Historic Resource, the Commission shall find that one or more of the above conditions exist, that relocation will not destroy the historical, architectural or aesthetic value of the Resource, and that the relocation is part of a definitive series of actions which will assure the preservation of the Resource. This finding cannot be made because this is not an application for relocation of a Historic Resource. CONCLUSION The appropriateness of the proposed project has been examined with respect to its consistency with FMC Section 12-1617. The proposed project has been analyzed, and staff recommends that the Commission take one of the following actions: ADOPT a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Sections 15331/Class 31 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines And APPROVE: the request of the homeowners and authorize the replacement of the residential windows at the George and Adelphia Rowell Home (HP #268) located at 153 North Effie Street (APN 459-332-06T). Or: DENY: the request to authorize the replacement of the residential windows at the George and Adelphia Rowell Home (HP #268) located at 153 North Effie Street (APN 459-332-06T). ATTACHMENTS Exhibit A – DPR Inventory Form and Designation Resolution Exhibit B – Public Hearing Notice and Radius Map Exhibit C – Existing and Proposed Window Example Exhibit D – Alternatives for Replacement of Upstairs Windows Exhibit E – Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties Exhibit F – Fresno Municipal Code Findings Exhibit G – Public Comment