
The historic, many-windowed ISB building at RISD. “It’s hard to sustain the cost of a historic home,” she said. Lewis also has replaced a mahogany and walnut railing, and will soon replace her front door, which she expects will cost about $2,000 to match the size and style of the existing door.
#Old historicvent doublepane windows windows
She has filed at least five applications - at $15 an application - with the PHDC and has replaced 16 of about 20 windows in the home. Each historic replica costs about $600, so she can’t afford to replace all the windows at once. Minor requests usually take no longer than a week, and most applications are ruled on within 30 days, according to the commission’s website.ĭuring the past 15 years, Lewis has been replacing her home’s windows a few at a time.

The commission then has 45 days to determine whether to approve or reject the application. Applications must be submitted to the commission for most external renovations or repairs, along with an application fee that ranges from $15 to $120 depending on the project’s complexity. While the commission has helped maintain the character and beauty of the city’s most historic places, it comes at a cost to those property owners. The commission has the authority to regulate development, and reviews and then approves or denies proposed exterior repairs or renovations to any property within a local historic district. The commission oversees Providence’s eight local historic districts, which encompass more than 2,500 buildings. To ensure the protection and preservation of the city’s historic character, the Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC) was created in 1960. Off the south end of Benefit Street, Sheldon Street, shares Benefit’s historic character. Benefit Street, on the city’s East Side, is advertised as “a mile of history.” Created in the mid-18th century, it features dozens of examples of 18th- and 19th-century wood-framed houses, practically uninterrupted by modern development. Providence is a city that prizes its historic buildings and streetscapes. Shortly thereafter, she received a letter from the Providence Historic District Commission informing her that a lien had been placed on her home, and that it would only be lifted when she replaced the new window with a replica of the original single-pane window.

Lewis replaced the window with a double-pane model she bought at Home Depot.

The window was rotted around the edges and the wall and floor under the window were water damaged. PROVIDENCE - Margaret Lewis had an old, drafty window in the attic of her Sheldon Street home.
