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Orange County <br /> HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION <br /> Approved Meeting Summary <br /> August 28th, 2024 <br /> Bonnie Davis Center, 1020 US 70 West, Hillsborough <br /> MEMBERS PRESENT: Todd Dickinson, Rob Golan, Art Menius, Cecelia Moore, Anne Whisnant <br /> MEMBERS ABSENT: None <br /> STAFF PRESENT: Peter Sandbeck, Cultural Resources Coordinator; Abby Mattingly, Administrative <br /> Support Coordinator <br /> GUESTS: None <br /> ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER: Chair Menius called the meeting to order at 6:31 pm and welcomed <br /> newly appointed member Rob Golan, who has served prior terms on the HPC. <br /> ITEM #2: CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA: None <br /> ITEM #3: APPROVAL OF MINUTES for April 24"d and May 22"d, 2024, meetings: <br /> Moore moved to approve both, seconded by Dickinson; motion carried. <br /> ITEM #4: ITEMS FOR DECISION: <br /> a. Election of vice chair: With Loter rotating off at the end of June, there is now a vacancy. <br /> Dickinson offered to serve as vice chair. Discussion followed. Members voted <br /> unanimously to appoint Dickinson as vice chair. <br /> ITEM #5: DISCUSSION ITEMS <br /> a. Landmark Evaluation Exercise: Harris House on Pleasant Green Road: Staff <br /> presented a brief overview and visuals to provide an overview of the historical and <br /> architectural background of this formerly unknown significant Modernist House, built in <br /> 1971-72 by Jacquelin and Jerome Harris, both notable doctors who ended up settling here <br /> as a result of their work at Duke. It was designed by Jon Condoret, a noted <br /> French/Algerian architect who practiced in this area from 1962 up until the early 2000s. <br /> This is a new discovery, brought to staff's attention by Jose Nova, the architect hired to <br /> renovate the house for the new owner, St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Durham; the <br /> house remained in the ownership of the original owners until Jacquelin Harris' death in <br /> 2019. The house sits at the far corner of a completely wooded 50 acre tract, overlooking a <br /> stream that feeds into Buckwater Creek and then into the Eno. The original owners <br /> purchased the site in 1969. Staff provided current views of the various significant <br /> architectural features, such as the use of natural wood and brick exterior cladding, a <br /> massive central brick chimney mass and wing-like roof extensions with clearstory <br /> windows lighting the interior from above. This use of roof-level lighting creates a dramatic <br /> effect on the principal interior spaces—all finished with varnished wood paneling and the <br /> massive expanses of brick where the chimney is exposed in each room. Discussion <br /> followed about its architectural significance and overall high level of physical integrity. The <br /> site itself most likely possesses archaeological importance given its location near some <br /> other identified Maroon communities. Staff showed examples of some of the other <br /> comparable Modernist houses for discussion purposes to provide context. Members <br /> proceeded to complete the evaluation scoring process. All agree that our current version <br /> 1 <br />