New face-lifts for old buildings

When T.J. Martucci first came in front of the Historic District Commission, the requests were relatively simple – rearrange some exhaust hoods and outdoor stairways used for egress that were interfering with each other, and replace the top floor windows with new ones, also for egress, and replace one with a door on the building everyone calls “Finn’s.”On Monday, Nov. 28 Martucci was back, mainly to get permission to re-shingle the roof and replace the siding. New to building in the Block Island community, Martucci didn’t appear to have a clear understanding of just what needed to be approved by the HDC, and what didn’t. Neither did his architect, he admitted, and at the advice of Zoning Official Jenn Brady, he was, he said, there “to play it safe.”But, the scope of the project has increased. Initially, the thought was to “piece in the siding” around window frames and such, but now Martucci, who purchased the building last summer, says it all needs to be replaced. He doesn’t want to put new siding up against old windows.“The place is in bad shape,” said Martucci and he hopes to get working on replacing the roof in the coming week

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