Last Wednesday, the Design Review Board reviewed the proposed addition at 30 – 30 1/2 Caroline Street, Sperry’s Restaurant. 

At the September 25, 2024, Design Review Board (DRB) meeting, Olsen Associates, Architects P.C. and The LA Group Landscape Architecture and Engineering, P.C. presented a proposal seeking feedback on the height, mass, and scale of an expansion project at 30 – 30 1/2 Caroline Street. The project aims to extend the previously approved building to include the adjacent parcel at 30 1/2 Caroline Street. As part of this plan, Sperry’s Restaurant will be renovated and may include expansion into the neighboring property at 30 Caroline Street.

While the DRB did not express concerns about the proposed height, they raised issues regarding the mass and scale of the addition. Board members voiced concern that the design, as presented, did not honor the historic character of the building and suggested that a more distinct separation between the original structure and the new construction would be more appropriate. No final decisions was made and the application will undergo further review at an upcoming meeting.

Additions to historic buildings should be designed to ensure the original structure remains prominent and undamaged. They should be distinct yet complementary and positioned where they minimally impact the perception of the historic building. The addition should not obscure or harm the building’s character-defining features or streetscape. Furthermore, it should be constructed in a way that, if removed, the original building’s integrity and materials would remain intact. Materials and details should complement, but not replicate the original structure.
The Foundation has concerns about the height, mass, and scale of the proposed addition and its potential to overwhelm the original structure. The Foundation does not object to the removal of the one-story addition built after 1982 to allow for a more creative new contextual design.