German Village Historic Architecture Design Guidelines
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Community pride and cooperation are highly contagious – especially in German Village where people care very much about maintaining their quality of life. Not long ago, we sponsored Heritage America, a project designed to help us plan our future. We asked three nationally recognized preservation consultants to assist us; this is how they described the Village and its residents:
“In 1986 German Village is very well and very much alive. Its future as a place to live, to work,
to visit, is exciting… German Village’s goals seem to be livability, vitality, flexibility, respect for its historic past, respect for its architectural style, respect for its very real charm at the heart of an urban area. German Village has achieved a sense of place and a sense of quality and its resi-dents have achieved a sense of community pride and pleasure. German Village is historic and
it is contemporary – it has achieved a remarkable balance.”
The experts were right – German Villagers know that they have something wonderful here and want to keep it. Preserving this local treasure requires a little extra effort all around – a united community effort.
Whether you are a Village resident, property owner, tenant, architect, contractor, or business owner, please become very familiar with German Village Guidelines. Before making any exterior changes to your property, read this book from cover to cover. Learn about the Commission and its procedures. Then go back and re-read the sections about the specific projects you have in mind. Refer to these guidelines when planning rehabilitation, new construction, or additions to ensure results compatible with the Village’s character.
The German Village Commission manages the area’s continuing evolution and development.
To do this, it needs your full cooperation. It has developed these design guidelines after carefully analyzing German Village’s architecture and the changes most frequently proposed. The Commission’s recommendations help safeguard all the qualities that make German Village a unique, special neighborhood. It protects and enhances those qualities by encouraging preservation and rehabilitation work that reflects and builds on the Village’s historic architecture and design.
As you read the design guidelines, notice there are few outright prohibitions. Nor does the Commission stipulate specific designs or solutions to problems; it prefers that you have the freedom to plan your own rehabilitation or construction work. At the same time, the Commission has a mandate from the city to channel this work so that it complements the Village’s character. The German Village Commission Assistant can help you in preparing for Commission review.
Applicants who follow the recommendations in these guidelines when drawing up their design proposals should have little difficulty with zoning regulations or with review by the German Village Commission. These guidelines encourage both a creative approach to design problems and the innovative use of new materials and construction techniques.