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Attachment 1 1 Orange County HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Meeting Summary September 26th, 2018 Old Orange County Courthouse 106 W. King Street, Hillsborough ___________________________________________________________________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: Todd Dickinson, Art Menius, Paul Noe, Steve Peck MEMBERS ABSENT: Bob Ireland, Tom Loter, Becky Paxton STAFF PRESENT: Peter Sandbeck GUESTS: None t ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER Chair Dickinson called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm. He welcomed new member Paul Noe. ITEM #2: CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA: None ITEM #3: APPROVAL OF MINUTES for June 27, 2018 (Attachment 1): Noe moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Menius; motion approved. ITEM #4: ITEMS FOR DECISION: None ITEM #5: DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Piper-Cox House (Piper-Dickson): Chair Dickinson reviewed the message from Keith Nealson (Superintendent of Eno River State Park) and explained the current status of the house. He would like to see the HPC membership adopt a resolution in support of preserving the house. Staff showed photos of the house and its site, and explained the history of the house and its evolution. In brief, the state parks are not obligated to preserve historic properties unless they are listed on the National Register. Their mission is to provide quality recreation facilities at the state parks. There are hundreds of historic buildings on the various state park properties and so the cost of preserving those is monumental. Thus, when the tree hit the front section of the Piper-Cox House, the park superintendent understandably raised the question about the future of that portion of the house. The front section of the house is architecturally unusual in the county, with its low gable roof, center passage plan and high raised basement—the latter only one of a few known in our inventory. The older rear log section was built in the late 18th or early 19th century and has been entirely rebuilt due to log deterioration. Dickinson did that work in the 1980s when he was a restoration contractor. The front section was restored by the state in the late 1990s. It is now used only intermittently for special educational programs for children. This is making it harder for the park to justify making a large expenditure to repair the house. It is not clear if it is insured. Having a viable use for the house will help ensure its preservation. Staff and Dickinson will attempt to get permission to make a careful inspection of the damage and provide aplan or set of recommendations to the park. Discussion followed. Chair Dickinson asked for a motion of support. Menius offered the following motion: the HPC supports the preservation and restoration of the Piper-Cox House and will provide expertise to assess the damage