Certificate of Appropriateness

A Certificate of Appropriateness is the approval granted by the Newburgh Historic Preservation Commission or the Historic Preservation Administrator to a property owner for proposed improvements to the exterior of a structure or a site located within a Historic District. A Certificate of Appropriateness is required before a building permit is issued, although not all improvements requiring a Certificate of Appropriateness require a building permit.

If the proposed work complies with the Newburgh Historic Preservation Guidelines, the Administrator may issue a Certificate of Appropriateness. If the proposed work does not comply with the guidelines or if the Administrator determines the necessity for the Commission review, the applicant and owner (if not the same as the applicant) shall then appear before the Historic Preservation Commission. The applicant and owner (if not the same as the applicant) must attend the public meeting and failure to do so will result in the application being tabled until the parties are present.

The following REQUIRES Historic Preservation Commission review as prescribed by IC 36-7-11-4.3:

Demolition of a building
Moving of a building
Construction of an addition to a building
Construction of a new building

Application Deadline for Historic Preservation Commission Meeting

If the work being completed does not comply with the guidelines or the Administrator determines the necessity for the Commission to review, then the application must be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. Application material for the Commission meeting must be completed and submitted by the FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH, 4:00PM, before the Newburgh Historic Preservation Commission can consider the approval of any change affecting the exterior of any building. This form along with any supporting documentation must be filed with the Historic Preservation Administrator at Town Hall, 23 W. Jennings Street, Newburgh, IN 47630. You may also fax this form to 812-853-1727.

DO NOT FAX PAINT SAMPLES OR PHOTOGRAPHS.

The Historic Preservation Administrator will advise the applicant if a Historic Preservation Commission review is required and the scheduled date thereof. The burden is upon the applicant to prove the elements necessary for approval by the Historic Preservation Administrator or Historic Preservation Commission. In the event of a Historic Preservation Commission review, failure of the applicant to receive a majority vote of a duly constituted quorum in favor of the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness shall be deemed a denial of the application by the Commission. At a Historic Preservation Commission review, the Historic Preservation Administrator shall first present an analysis of the application or issue before the Commission. Next the applicant shall present in favor of the application.

Any application for a Certificate of Appropriateness shall remain valid for ninety (90) days after it has been filed.

A Certificate of Appropriateness shall remain valid for six (6) months after it has been approved and issued.

Please use the enclosed Secretary of Interior Standards and criteria checklist as a guide to completing the application. Incomplete applications cannot be reviewed and will be returned to you for more information. You are encouraged to contact the Historic Preservation Administrator at 812-853-1720 to make sure your application is complete.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation

There are four (4) distinct but interrelated approaches to the treatment of historic properties:

Preservation – Act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of a historic property.
Restoration – Act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of features missing from the restoration period.
Reconstruction – Act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.
Rehabilitation – Act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.

In an effort to assist property owners in making sound historic preservation decisions that also meet their needs, the Secretary of the Interior has developed a set of standards addressing each of these approaches. The Standards are as follows:

A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved.
Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

Submittal Criteria Checklist

The documentation listed below must be submitted with the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Please refer to the preservation criteria in the historic district ordinance and the Historic Preservation Commission Preservation Guidelines for what is appropriate and not appropriate for each rehabilitation treatment element.

All Work

Legal description of the real estate

Photograph of house and existing conditions from all relevant sides

REMODELING, ADDITIONS, and ANCILLARY BUILDINGS

Front and side elevations of structures and plan drawings indicating proposed alterations, additions or ancillary building, clearly indicating the existing building and what is proposed and including the relationship to adjacent structures

Site plan showing: 1) dimensions of lot, 2) location and dimensions of existing building, 3) location and dimensions of addition or ancillary building, and 4) location of all exterior ground and roof mounted equipment

Written exterior material description, samples and/or product literature

Historic plans, elevations or photographs; if the request is to return a structure to an earlier historic appearance

MASONRY, SIDING, TRIM, and ORNAMENTATION

Color photographs of all areas involved and surrounding structures if applicable

Written material description, samples and/or product literature

Historic plans, elevations or photographs; if the request is to return a structure to an earlier historic appearance

SIGNAGE

Site plan showing location of signage in relation to the structure and adjacent structures

Drawing and/or Rendering of sign design

Written material description, samples and/or product literature

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Front and side elevations of structures and plan drawings showing proposed building on site, existing structures, major landscaping, and parking areas

Site plan showing: 1) dimensions of lot, 2) location and dimensions of existing building, 3) location and dimensions of addition, and 4) location of all exterior ground and roof mounted equipment

Color photographs showing the view of the street with the building site and adjacent structures

Written exterior material description and samples and/or product literature

DEMOLITION

Site plan showing: 1) dimensions of lot, 2) existing structures, 3) major landscaping, 4) location of building or structure to be demolished

Color photographs showing the view of the street or view of the building to be demolished and adjacent properties

Photographs or other evidence of the date of deterioration, disrepair, and structural stability of the structure to be demolished

Full description of the intended use of the property after demolition and additional supporting materials

State of alternative(s) to demolition that have been considered and reasons for dismissal

Supporting Documentation

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Certificate of Appropriateness

Date Recived

Initial

PROPERTY ADDRESS

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Historic District(Required)

Historic Rating(Required)

Name of Applicant

Relationship of Applicant to Owner

Mailing Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Phone Number

Email Address

SCOPE OF WORK

PROPOSED WORK:

Please describe your proposed work simply and accurately. Attach extra sheets and supplemental material as requested in the submittal criteria checklist

The undersigned petitions the Newburgh Historic Preservation Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness pursuant to IC 36-7-11 and the Town’s ordinance regarding historic preservation. By signing below the Applicant and Owner (if not the same as the Applicant) acknowledges the Historic Preservation Guidelines and agrees to abide by all guidelines, understands that if the application goes to public hearing, the owner and applicant must attend and failure to do so will result in the petition being tabled until the owner and applicant are present.

Signature of Applicant:

Date

Signature of Owner:

Date

Any application for a Certificate of Appropriateness shall remain valid for ninety (90) days after it has been filed. A Certificate of Appropriateness shall remain valid for six (6) months after it has been approved and issued.