PR19-0475, the "Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy L.

Pryor Metzger Conrmation Resolution of 2011" Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chairperson, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, and committee members David Catania, Phil Mendelson, and Vincent Orange Wednesday, January 18,2012 at 10 a.m. Room 123, John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004 January 16, 2012

Good morning Mr. Chairman, Committee members and staff. My name is Richard Busch, and I am here on behalf of the Historic Districts Coalition to support the nomination of Nancy L. Pryor Metzger to become a Citizen member of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. The Historic Districts Coalition (HDC) is an informal organization made up of representatives of neighborhood historic districts and individuals from neighborhoods considering whether to seek historic district status. Formed in the late 1990s, HDC has worked to develop an independent voice on historic preservation issues and concerns shared by the District of Columbia's neighborhood preservation communities, and to keep neighborhood organizations informed about preservation-related issues through networking, quarterly meetings, and periodic newsletters. The Coalition has also been an effective means of bringing its members' collective weight to bear on specic issues of concern. Early on, HDC played a signicant role in urging the District of Columbia Council to provide the city's Historic Preservation Ofce (HPO) with resources to strengthen enforcement of DC Public Law 2-144, the Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act of 1978. Those resources ultimately provided two Preservation Inspectors to help ensure that permitted work was carried out properly and that work undertaken without permits was brought into compliance. HDC thanks the DC Council for its past support in this and other important areas mentioned below. Since 2004, Nancy L. Pryor Metzger has served as HDC Coordinator, an entirely volunteer role, working to ensure that DCs historic districts have been informed on a full range of issues. Her knowledge of the law and its accompanying regulations, as well as years of experience in observing how they are administered, has made her an invaluable source for neighborhood organizations across the city. The newsletters that she has produced have been models of information sharing, not only about HDC concerns and activities, but also covering whaf s going on in historic neighborhoods citywide. As the HDC Coordinator, Ms. Metzger, along with HPO, other individuals, and citywide organizations, worked to help create what has become the Historic Homeowners Grants program that makes funding available to specic historic districts where resources to protect historic fabric are sorely needed and will do real and visible good. More recently, Ms. Metzger helped to keep alive the notion that a simple reminder in annual property tax bills for properties located in historic districts will help alert owners to that fact and thus promote greater stewardship of these resources. With recent help

from the Citizens Association of Georgetown and Councilmember Jack Evans, this proposal will become law in early February 2012. The Historic Homeowners Grants program and the reminder accompanying annual property tax bills are but two examples of Ms. Metzger's demonstrated ability to effectively inform and mobilize the Coalition's members. In her role as Coordinator, she has contributed to annual evaluation of the Ofce of Planning's Historic Preservation Ofce; sought and compiled member comments on HPO's annual work plans; and arranged for ofcials from other DC government agencies to address HDC meetings, enabling the ofcials and HDC members to inform each other. Further, in March 2009 as Coordinator, she arranged a symposium on Compatible and Contemporary Architecture in historic districts attended by more than 90 professionals in various preservation-related elds. She has also developed forums where candidates for public ofce have spoken on preservation issues, and she arranged for then-DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray to speak at an HDC quarterly meeting. The Historic Districts Coalition believes that all of these actions on Ms. Metzger's part make her well-prepared to serve as a Citizen representative on the Historic Preservation Review Board. She has a wealth of experience on which to draw for this new and challenging role, and we believe she will serve the city well in it. The following members endorse this statement. Capitol Hill Restoration Society, Elizabeth Pureed, President The Dupont Circle Conservancy, Rauzia Ally, AIA, President Logan Circle Community Association, Timothy Christensen, President The Foggy Bottom Historic District Conservancy, Thomas Bower, President Historic Mount Pleasant, Fay Armstrong, President Historic Takoma, Diana Kohn, President Takoma Theatre Conservancy, Loretta Neumann, President

Mr. Chairman and Staff, Nancy Metzger has been a significant help to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A (ANC) as it has considered both the residential and small commercial structures of the Hill and the large projects that require review by the Zoning Commission. As H Street, the core of our ANC, has changed, major new and redevelopment properties have opened or are being rebuilt along and near the corridor. 200 H, 645 H, the H Street Connection, 1350 Maryland have all been improved by her counsel. She has found ways to meet the needs of my ANC while cautioning against excessively expensive changes that would bring developer resistance. She has sought the middle ground, the happy medium that preserves the character of the community. The exterior designs of the half billion dollar H Street Connection and Valors 1350 Maryland owe a great deal to her help. Shes helped us in other ways. The symposium she organized in 2009 on Compatible and Contemporary Architecture in historic districts was open to and attended by ANC Commissioners. Our area has also been a beneficiary of the Historic Homeowners Grants, a project into which she put so much work. Is she committed to the preservation of the distinguishing characteristics of the Capitol Hill Historic District (CHHD)? Absolutely, she is among other things the committee chair representative of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the voice of preservation and renewal for the Hill community. Shes fought hard to preserve CHHDs defining characteristics. Has she worked to assist developers, shop-owners as well as homeowners? Again, absolutely. She acts with clarity, congeniality, and respect. She has shown an ability to deal respectfully and clearly with all sides and listen to all voices. Developers need have no anxiety over this choice nor should the preservation community those who live in historic areas and wish to keep intact what attracted us to our neighborhoods in the first place. ANC 6A spans from 24nd Street near RFK Stadium to 7th Street, NE. H Street north to Florida Avenue, Lincoln Park, Rosedale are all represented on the Commission, and 6A voted unanimously (7-0-0) to endorse Nancy Metzger for the HPRB. (The vote took place at a regularly scheduled, publicly announced regular meeting with a quorum present). Of the eight Commissioners, only my Single Member District is almost entirely within the CHHD. It is a tribute to the respect she has gained that all sides of our community, in and out of the Historic District, support her. She will bring ready expertise about the proceedings of the HPRB. She is already familiar with preservation law and regulation as well as with the interaction of zoning and transportation with preservation. She is the best choice possible for a Citizen member of the HPRB. David Holmes, Chair, ANC 6A

PR19-0474, The "Historic Preservation Review Board Maria T. Casarella-Cunningham Conrmation Resolution of 2011." PR19-0475, The "Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy L. Pryor Metzger Conrmation Resolution of 2011." David G. Garber ANC Commissioner, 6D07; Vice Chair, ANC 6D dggarber@gmail.com // 202-374-5340 // @GarberDC My name is David Garber, and I am the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for Single Member District 6D07, which encompasses the historic Washington Navy Yard and the fastdeveloping neighborhood that surrounds it. I am also the Vice Chair of ANC 6D, which includes the Southwest Waterfront, part of which is currently in application for designation as a historic mid-century modem neighborhood. I am testifying today in support of the nominations of Maria Casarella-Cunningham and Nancy Metzger to the Historic Preservation Review Board. I have known Ms. Metzger for ten years since volunteering to work on the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's call box revitalization project, and know her to be an important force for sensitive and creative restoration and development in historic neighborhoods east of the United States Capitol. Although I do not know Ms. Casarella-Cunningham personally, I have been impressed by the architectural designs put forth by her rm, which, at least when interfacing with old and historic buildings, consistently strike a sensitive balance between old and new. Historic preservation is a term and a movement that means many things to many people. For some, it's a way to freeze the past in place and create museums of architecture and history. For others, it's a way to keep things around that are appealing. For others still - seeing as study after study points to preservation being, on the whole, more earth friendly than building new- it's a way to be more environmentally conscious. For still more others, it's about urbanism. Residents and visitors crave the dynamism created by the diversity of building heights, building materials, and building uses often found in neighborhoods shaped over greater periods of time. Old and historic places are important teachers. They teach us that human scale, unique design, and a connection to local heritage are valued commodities when treated with respect. But age isn't the only ingredient necessary for a dynamic, healthy, growing city. Today's cityscape also needs density, innovation, and a diverse mix of sizes and styles. Old and historic places are a critically important part of DCs fabric, but not the only thread that gets us to the sustainable and attractive future we are working towards. I know that these nominees are qualied to be ofcial advocates for the District's built heritage. But I also want to challenge them to see our old and historic places both as important aesthetic and cultural artifacts and as the patterns and teachers for a built future that might not look just like what's come before. Celebrate history, but encourage contemporary design in its interpretation. Require a village scale where appropriate, but allow for greater density where our infrastructure is built to handle it. Be vigilant about context and scale, but allow our library of good urbanism to be shaped by best practices sourced from around the world and across centuries and styles. See change as an asset to be worked with instead of as an enemy to be guarded against. Old is important, but so is eclecticism, environmental sustainability, and urbanizing development. Thank you, nominees, for your willingness to serve the District in this way.

PR19-0475, the Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy L. Pryor Metzger Confirmation Resolution of 2011 Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chairperson, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, and Committee members David Catania, Phil Mendelson, and Vincent Orange Public Roundtable Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Committee members, and staff. My name is Shauna Holmes, and Im 2nd Vice President of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Im here on behalf of the Society to support the nomination of Nancy L. Pryor Metzger to become a Citizen member of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. The Capitol Hill Restoration Society was founded over 50 years ago to help preserve and protect Capitol Hills historic architectural and residential character. Were the largest civic organization on Capitol Hill and one of the largest in the city. CHRS continues to play a key role in maintaining the historic integrity and appeal of the neighborhood and historic district, and Nancy Metzger has played a key role in CHRSs efforts. Due to many years of hard work by Nancy and numerous others, Mayor Williams recognized CHRS in 2003 with an Award for Preservation Leadership. In 2004, the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented CHRS with its Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence. Recognizing Nancys many years of sustained work on behalf of her neighborhood, the Capitol Hill Community Foundation presented her with a Community Achievement Award in 2005. Nancy said then that her goal is for people to be able to adapt their homes and places of business to modern life and needs, while maintaining their historic context and compatibility with their surroundings. Nancy has raised this effort to an art form. She has been a member of CHRSs Historic Preservation Committee (formerly the Historic District Committee) since 1996 and its Chair since 1998. She has worked very effectively with the Committee to provide clear and carefully thought out comments to the Historic Preservation Review Board and its staff, ANC commissioners, and property owners about proposed projects in the historic district. She has also testified monthly on behalf of the Committee before the Historic Preservation Review Board whenever these projects are on HPRBs agenda, serving as an admirable emissary to HPRB. As Committee Chair, Nancy has also served 14 years on the CHRS Board of Directors, where she has kept us abreast of Committee activities and preservation issues and events in the city. Over the years she has provided invaluable and knowledgeable advice and counsel to the Board, CHRS members, and neighborhood property owners. It is a measure of the Boards high regard for Nancy that a year ago CHRS sent a letter to Mayor Gray recommending that he consider nominating her to the Historic Preservation Review Board. It is a measure of her superb qualifications that Mayor Gray did so. The depth and breadth of Nancys preservation expertise is challenging to summarize. She has lived in DC over 40 years. In the mid-1970s her fascination with her neighborhoods composition and past led her to research, write, and publish a small

book, Brick Walks and Iron Fences, about Capitol Hills history and architecture. Nancy then put her research to productive use while helping prepare the nomination to landmark the Capitol Hill Historic District and list it in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2004 she drew again on her knowledge to co-author the nomination extending the historic district south to M Street, SE. Having worked actively with Nancy for 14 years, I can attest that she has continued to employ her knowledge to her communitys benefit by working to protect its historic integrity and unique character. The CHRS Historic Preservation Committee unanimously and enthusiastically voted to send you a statement supporting Nancys nomination, portions of which Ive incorporated into my remarks. Over a long period, Nancy has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of historic preservation principles and sensitivity to the needs and interests of property owners, as well as a well-honed ability to carefully balance the interests of historic preservation with new construction and development. Her respectful, low-key manner and quiet diplomacy have served the Committee and the Restoration Society well. Nancy would also bring to HPRB her remarkable ability to work well with others. We marvel at the skill and tact with which she conveys the Committees comments and concerns, and others have noted and remarked on her articulate diplomacy as well. She is unfailingly reliable, collegial, respectful, and thoughtful of everyone, whether working with fellow Committee and Board members, conversing with property owners, testifying before the city Council and Boards, or discussing plans with architects and project proponents. She is skilled at forging consensus and framing concerns and comments constructively. Nancy has long demonstrated a deep commitment to protect the integrity of Washingtons historic landmarks and districts, giving unstintingly of her time and efforts in both her neighborhood and the city as a whole. We have no doubt that Nancy Metzger will be an excellent Citizen member of the Historic Preservation Review Board, a position for which she is extremely well suited and prepared. Thank you.

On Resolution PR19-0475, "HPRB Nancy L. Pryor Metzger Conrmation Resolution of 2011" Jack McKay, ANC ID (Mount Pleasant) iack.mckav(5),verizon.net January 18,2012 I'm Jack McKay, a resident of Mount Pleasant, in Ward One, since 1974. Mount Pleasant, as you know, has been a historic district since 1986. I've been an ANC commissioner in Mount Pleasant for nine years, and this has given me some experience in dealing with historic preservation issues, and with the Historic Preservation Review Board. My commission has supported me in my point of testimony today: namely, that at least some of the citizen members of the HPRB ought to be representatives of the Attractive stonework installed by one property owner public. Not of the historic preservation advocacy to enhance the entrance to his basement. The Historic Preservation Ofce rejected this work, as not community, but of the public, of the people who are affected "comPatible" *** the historic district. by historic preservation regulations and by HPRB decisions. I have never met Mrs. Metzger, and I do not intend to criticize her in any way. But plainly she is an active member of the preservationist community, and on the Board would surely speak as a preservationist, where what is missing is a voice of the public. Federal law requires that there be "adequate public Historic Preservation forced the owner to destroy his participation in the local historic preservation program". It ^ZZZZ&i ZZ+Z ,,, . . claimed by the HPO to be the onlv "historically correct" says public participation", not "historic preservationist style for Mount Pleasant. Improvements over bare concrete are not allowed in Mount Pleasant. The owner was lucky to be allowed to keep the bluestone.

participation". District law says that members of the board shall "represent to the greatest practicable extent the composition of the adult population of the District of Columbia". This legal requirement is not met when the citizen members of the Board are chosen exclusively from Designation of the State Review Board (B) provides for an adequate and qualied State historic preservation review board designated by This matters because, as I've observed the HPRB in ^ State Historic Preservation Ofcer unless otherwise provided for by State law; and action, these citizen members tend to be aggressive, (C) provides for adequate public participation in demanding, hawkish members of the board. This is only to G State Historic Preservation Program, including the process of recommending properties for be expected, because anyone who chooses, voluntarily, to nomination to the National Register. the preservationist community. make historic preservation a major avocation, will quite naturally be passionate about historic preservation. Placed on the board, they represent only the historic preservationists of the District, not the public in general. Nobody on the Board speaks for the public. And somebody should. The historic preservation law Section 4. Historic Preservation Review Board ... all appointments to the Historic Preservation Review Board shall be made with a view toward having its membership represent to the greatest practicable extent the composition of the adult population of the District of Columbia with regard to race, sex, geographic distribution and other demographic characteristics.

in the District is harsh, treating every structure designated "contributing" as a priceless architectural treasure, no matter how modest, how shabby, how inadequate they may be, and no matter the needs of the residents living their lives in these homes. Unless the historic preservation demands amount to a "taking", rendering a property useless for any purpose whatsoever, does the homeowner of "Unreasonable economic hardship means that failure to issue a permit would amount to a expense, nor the physical needs of the homeowner, matter. taking of the owner's property without just compensation or, in the case of a low-income _ , f an issue icomes before the determined by speaks w ,.failure to *u trouD ~ i owneifs) as HPRB, who the Mayor, When , , issue a permit would place an onerous and ordinary income have any recourse. Short of that, neither excessive financial upon such u *. li_ for .,_ j^r*!. l. oxtuj of these a homes? Nobody onburdenBoard does, ownerfs)." the residents *ur> a the The "public participation" required by Federal law is absent. The District requirement that the Board reect the "composition of the adult population of the District of Columbia" is violated. Nobody on the HPRB speaks for the homeowner who is put under heavy nancial pressure, or who has developed needs, due to old age or disabilities, that make the homeowner's home in need of modication.

There should be citizen members of the Board who represent the public, not just the historic preservationist community. The resolution passed by our ANC on this topic is attached.

Yasmin Romero-Castillo, 1D01 yasminkiki@yahoo.com

Mount Pleasant Advisory Neighborhood Commission

Gregg Edwards, 1D04 aaraeg@gmail.com

Laura Wilson Phelan, 1D02 laurawilsonphelan@gmail.com Vice Chair

anc
1380 Monroe St NW, #117, Washington DC 20010 Tel: 234-6646 Web: www.ancld.org e-mail: ancld@googlegroups.com

China Terrell, 1D05 china@chinaterrell.com

Jack McKay, 1D03 Secretary and Treasurer jack.mckay@verizon.net

Angelia D. Scott, 1D06 Chair glorystorm55@yahoo.com

Appoint representatives of the public to the Historic Preservation Review Board

Resolved, that ANC ID advises the Council of the District to ll at least one "public member" of the Historic Preservation Review Board with a true representative of the public, not a representative of the historic preservation community. Why: No one on the Historic Preservation Review Board speaks for the homeowners who may be directly affected by the Board's decisions. The Board is, by law, supposed to "represent to the greatest practicable extent the composition of the adult population of the District of Columbia with regard to race, sex, geographic distribution and other demographic characteristics". The clear intent of the law is to have the Board represent all of the residents of the District, not just historic preservation advocates. But the practice has been to ll the "citizen member" seats with representatives of historic preservation advocacy groups, not representatives of the public at large. These members contribute to HPRB decisions which directly affect the public, not merely choosing which properties qualify as "historic" and which do not, but frequently imposing expensive and demanding maintenance and renovation requirements on residents of historic districts. Because these "citizen members" are drawn from the community of passionate historic preservation advocates, they are naturally aggressive in their decisions on the Board. They speak as preservationists, not as members of the public. Federal law requires "public participation" in any state historic preservation program. The "citizen members" of the HPRB do not satisfy this requirement when they are drawn only from the community of historic preservation advocates, and never from the public at large. ANC ID advises the District Council to choose a true member of the public, perhaps a homeowner in a historic district, familiar with historic preservation, but neutral on the topic, to give the public, and the homeowners affected by the Board's preservation decisions, a voice on this board. Passed by 6 to 0 vote at the legally noticed, public meeting ofANCID on January 17, 2&tl, with a quorum present. Voting "yes ": Commissioners Romero-Castillo, Edwards, McKay, Wilson Phelan, Scott, Terrell.

Testimony Laura Elkins 20 Ninth Street NE Washington DC 20002 202.546.4556 I am Laura Elkins and have lived in Capitol Hill since 2000. I am a visual artist with a degree in architecture from the University of Virginia and have extensive experience in architecture and historic preservation, including projects as diverse as Melrose Plantation in Louisiana and Grade Mansion in New York. Since moving to DC, I have focused on visual art with solo and group exhibitions in the District and in New York, in addition to community art projects. Recent community works include a commission by the ACLU-NCA to create Civil Liberties, a series of paintings to address some of the civil rights issues propelling DC51, our statehood movement, including the DC51 poster; and Monster Mash in October 2011, a community mural project in Capitol Hill sponsored by Albus Cavus, along with The Friends of Gareld Park, CHAMPS, Council Member Tommy Wells, Nancy and Norm Metzger (ANC6B), Kirsten Oldenburg (ANC6B), and Julia Christian. Despite Ms Metzger kind support of Monster Mash, I oppose her nomination to HPRB. Her strident preservation advocacy demonstrates her inability to be an objective and unbiased representative of all DC residents as a citizen member of the HPRB.

Statement of Fay Armstrong President, Historic Mount Pleasant, Inc. Before the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning Council of the District of Columbia January 18, 2012

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning. My name is Fay Armstrong. I am President of Historic Mount Pleasant, in which capacity I appear before the Historic Preservation Review Board on a regular basis. Historic Mount Pleasant is pleased to support the nominations to the Historic Preservation Review Board of both Maria Casarella-Cunningham and Nancy Metzger that are before you today. At the same time, we strongly support your letter of December 22, 2011, to the Mayor concerning the delay in filling vacancies on the Board. The failure of the Mayor as appointing authority under D.C. law to nominate qualified candidates for vacancies as they occur not only hampers the work of the Historic Preservation Office but places its entire preservation program in jeopardy of losing critical federal funds. It is imperative that Board membership be brought up-to-date as soon as possible. Ms. Casarella joined the Board as an architect member in 2007 and has proven an effective member. Every month, the Board reviews numerous cases of new construction and additions to existing buildings where the design skills of architects are critical to finding a workable balance between the preservation goals of the law and the practical objectives of the property owner. Ms. Casarella has provided sound design advice aimed at enabling projects to go forward. She has been generous with her time outside the hearing room assisting applicants with design problems. She is a strong voice for incorporating sustainable design principles in projects before the Board and for promoting preservation as a green strategy. We urge that she be confirmed for a second term on the Board. Ms. Metzger is well known within the preservation community through her work for the Capitol Hill Restoration Society and as the long-time coordinator of the Historic Districts Coalition. Historic Mount Pleasant has often turned to her for advice regarding application of the preservation law and institutional memory of prior cases and issues. We endorse the statement in support of her nomination presented today by the Coalition. Her long experience and participation in all manner of activities aimed at preservation of important historic properties in the Nations Capital make her an ideal citizen member of the Board. Federal standards, specifically 36 CFR 61.4(e)(1)-(4), require that a majority of historic preservation review board members be qualified professionals in the fields of history, both prehistoric and historic archaeology, architectural history and architecture. The historian resigned from the Board over one year ago. The archaeologists term expired in July 2011. The architectural historian (whose term ends in July 2012) is expected to resign soon, and both architects terms expired in July 2011. The chairperson, a citizen member, seems to be the only

one with an unexpired term who intends to complete it. This is a wholly untenable situation and one which deserves immediate attention. We cannot understand why only two nominations are being offered at this time. Thus, while we wholeheartedly support the nominations of Maria Casarella-Cunningham and Nancy Metzger to the Historic Preservation Review Board, we urge you to press for additional nominations meeting both federal and local legal criteria as soon as possible. The city needs a full complement of highly qualified HPRB Board members serving within their prescribed terms of office without further delay. Thank you for your attention.

I have been a resident of Capitol Hill since 1985 and am the current Chair of the North Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. My home is within the Historic District, but just barely. Long before I became a member of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, I came to rely on Nancy's understanding of the regulations governing the Historic District to educate neighbors, local businesses and organizations, and often District agencies regarding their responsibilities. Truly, our neighborhood has benefited enormously from her stewardship. Her knowledge is encyclopedic. Moreover she is invariably fair, reasonable and collaborative. Although I will regret losing direct access to her expertise, I sincerely hope that she is confirmed as a member of the Historic Preservation Review Board where her presence will benefit all the citizens of the District of Columbia. Sincerely, Elizabeth Nelson

Statement in Support of Nancy L. Pryor Metzger

We have known Nancy for at least 10 years and have attended many meetings both local and at the Historic Preservation Review Board where she has testified on behalf of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. We have found her to be extremely knowledgeable, open to discussion and fair. Her testimony and discussion points in local meetings have covered issues of height and massing as well as the finer points of design such as window treatments, brick color and entrances. In the cases we have observed she has clearly familiarized herself with the neighboring context so that her comments are not made without reference. In summary, we firmly believe that Ms Metzger will make an excellent addition to the Historic Preservation Review Board. Sincerely, Keith Bridger and Nancy Simpson 113 7th Street, NE

Written Statement of Commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg, ANC6B04 Supporting the Nomination of

Nancy Pryor Metzger

As Public Member of the Historic Preservation Review Board

To Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chair, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning and members of the Committee I wholeheartedly support the nomination of Nancy Metzger to become a member of the Historic Preservation Review Board. As everyone knows, she has been a superb leader of and resource for others on historic preservation in the Capitol Hill community for many years. Much longer than I have been an ANC Commissioner. Before I became a Commissioner, I was only vaguely aware of the Ms Metzgers role in the community. But I reached out to her when I was elected when I realized I would be voting on historic preservation matters and, while my sentiments were aligned to preservation, my knowledge was extremely weak. Thus, Ms Metzger became a considerate and patient mentor. She invited me to sit in on the Capitol Hill Restoration Society monthly case review meetings during which I learned by listening to her committee members discussing each case in detail. She graciously took my many calls for clarification and advice on many occasions over the last five years. During that time, she has always amazed me with her depth of knowledge about the long history of the District of Columbia and specific knowledge about neighborhoods and buildings. Ms Metzger will be an excellent addition to HPRB.

Kirsten Oldenburg Commissioner ANC6B04

^ >

1234 C St, SE Washington, DC 20003 6 December, 2011 The Hon. Tommy Wells Member, Council of the District of Columbia Dear Councilman Wells, I am writing to express my strong opposition to Nancy Metzger's nomination to the District's Historic Preservation Review Board and to encourage you to take a leadership role in opposing it as well. Ms. Metzger and her colleagues in the Capitol Hill Restoration Society have done much good over the years; however, more recently, their participation in and contributions to preservation debates has become more heavy-handed, extreme, and disconnected from the wants and needs of the community. To cite just a few examples, Ms. Metzger is spearheading dubious litigation against The Heritage Foundation's third-story addition at 227 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, a tasteful, gracious, and historicallyappropriate contribution to the block that also increases density and foot-trafc for neighboring businesses. Ms. Metzger has also been intimately involved in dragging out efforts to develop the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE, killing at least one project and prolonging the agony of neighbors living near the infamous "shotgun house" at 1229 E St., SE. More recently, Ms. Metzger was a leader in the effort to incorporate Barney Circle into the Capitol Hill Historic District, an effort characterized by smug high-handedness and a deliberate effort to sneak -and then when the effort became better known, ram- the designation past the residents of that area. It was no accident that the new ANC 6B Commissioner from that area was elected, in part, based on his leadership in opposing that designation. My opposition to Ms. Metzger's nomination is not personal. She is consistently gracious and kind. However, she represents the worst kind of preservationist, the kind that impedes then completely stops the organic growth and change of great neighborhoods by militant insistence on a fanatical and narrowly supported preservation agenda. Send a strong message of support for a rational approach to preservation to the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the DC preservation community, and the homeowners and business owners that would like to continue to drive Capitol Hill's growth through development by denouncing and opposing this appalling nomination.

<J

O Paxton Helms

Statement in Support of Nancy Metzger's Nomination to the DC Historic Preservation Review Board Nancy Metzger became a member of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's Historic District Committee in 1996. Her interest in preserving the history and character of Capitol Hill were well known to the community as a result of her publication, 20 years prior, of a small book of walking tours, Brick Walks and Iron Fences, that highlighted the neighborhood's history and architecture. Nancy's strong interest and commitment to the work of the Historic District Committee led within 2 years to her assumption of the duties of Committee Chair, a role she has continued to play to this day. Over this long period, Nancy has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of historic preservation principles, sensitivity to the needs and interests of property owners, as well as a well-honed ability to carefully balance the interests of historic preservation and new construction and development. Her low-key manner and quiet diplomacy have served the Committee and the Restoration Society well. She has been an admirable emissary between the Committee, representing the community of interested neighborhood preservationists, and the professional staff of the Historic Preservation Office. She has dutifully testified on a monthly basis before the Historic Preservation Review Board expertly communicating the positions and views of the Committee and the Society. There is no doubt that she will be an excellent citizen member of the Historic Preservation Review Board, a position for which she is extremely well suited. The Committee would like to express its unqualified and unanimous support of her appointment to the Historic Preservation Review Board. Stephen A. Morris 708 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-6255

Testimony of Maria Casarella Cunningham to be presented on January 18, 2012 to the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning Council of the District of Columbia in response to RE: PR19-0474, THE "HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW BOARD MARIA T. CASARELLA-CUNNINGHAM CONFIRMATION RESOLUTION OF 2011" Councilmember Wells, Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to you today. I am honored to be considered for re-appointment to the Historic Preservation Review Board. Washington was designed from its inception to foster the best of civic life. To me, theres no doubt that the beauty of the Nations Capital today can be attributed directly its citizens dedication to historic preservation. For the past 24 years, I have practiced as an architect in Washington, D.C., making me both a witness to and participant in the cause of historic preservation. It is with pride that I consider myself an honorary Washingtonian, with my professional and personal history closely linked to many historic areas of this amazing city. My parents met in Mount Pleasant and were married in 1961 at the Church of the Sacred Heart on 16th Street NW. I grew up in Laurel, Maryland, and returned to my family roots in Washington while attending college at Catholic Universitys School of Architecture. As a student, I was inspired by the rich history and architectural resources of DC. My introduction to historic preservation began as student when I worked on the rehabilitation of Union Station. I spent many hours documenting the original architectural ornament that you see inside the station today. In 1992, after receiving my Masters Degree in Architecture from Columbia University, I married my husband, Ralph Cunningham, in St. Josephs Church on Capitol Hill. My husband and I now live and raise our two sons in Cleveland Park Historic District. For eight years, I was a member of the Cleveland Park Historical Societys Architectural Review Committee and also served on its Board. As part of my professional development, Ive been engaged in many aspects of historic preservation and understand the rigorous process required to develop and revitalize buildings in this city. My work as an architect has focused on adaptive reuse and preservation of many historic landmark structures and residences across the city, including: Founders Hall at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School (received an Award of Merit in Historic Preservation from the DC Chapter of The American Institute of Architects); the Restoration of the Historic AFL-CIO Headquarters on 16th Street NW (received an Award of Merit from the DC Chapter of the AIA); a carbon-neutral row house on 4th Street NE on Capitol Hill, (received DC Mayors Award for Preservation); and the restoration of a residence in the National Historic-landmarked Watergate building. Currently, along with my office, Cunningham Quill Architects, I am the lead

architect of the restoration of the Samuel M. Bryan house, (also a National Historic Landmark) located in the Dupont Circle Historic District and the Associate architect for the new Water Tower facility proposed for the St. Elizabeths East Campus. Since April 2008, I have had the great pleasure of serving as one of the architect members on the DC HPRB. As a Board member I have presided over hundreds of cases, working with the knowledgeable and dedicated staff members of the Historic Preservation Office. I have approached my service with the understanding that historic preservation is an inclusive process that meets the cultural and economic needs of all the residents of the District. I believe I have met the challenge of upholding the Districts preservation law, regulations and guidelines while balancing interests of economic development and affordable homeownership. I have vigorously supported numerous cases that apply historic preservation instruments (such as Multiple Property Listing Documents, Historic Home Owners Improvement Grants and Historic Tax Credits) to keep housing affordable and available to District residents. As I stated in my original testimony in 2008, environmental stewardship is the most critical issue that historic preservation is addressing today. I share the belief that preservation is inherently an act of cultural and environmental sustainability, or as many in the preservation community say, the greenest building is the one already built. During my tenure on the HPRB, I founded the Boards Sustainable Preservation Committee, and currently serve as its chair. Through this position I have helped the HPO staff edit and issue new preservation guidelines that include sustainability information for property owners. I have participated as a guest speaker for numerous national and local forums to discuss and promote sustainable preservation in the District, including: Preservation vs. Sustainability?, part of the 2011 For the Greener Good series sponsored by the National Building Museum; Something Old, Something New, Something Green for the Design DC 2011: In the Green Conference; and I served as guest moderator for Rehabilitating Modern Buildings at the D.C. Preservation Leagues citywide conference in 2010. I believe my experience as an architect and dedication as a Board member contribute significant value to the Districts historic preservation review process, and, if confirmed, I will continue to use my knowledge to the best of my abilities to serve the District of Columbia.

PROJECT TEAM

ma R ia c aSa Re l l a
AssOC iATE

aia

Maria Casarella, AIA is an Associate with Cunningham | Quill Architects and has award-winning residential, institutional and historic preservation experience as an Architect practicing in Washington, DC. She takes a context-based and site-specific approach to architecture, promoting an organic design process that takes into account the unique sensibilities of both her clients and projects. Ms. Casarella is active in the Washington, DC community, and has been a Board member of the Cleveland Park Historical Society. Ms. Casarella was appointed by Mayor Adrian Fenty to the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board in 2008, and continues to serve as an appointed architect member. She is the chair of the Sustainability Committee of the HPRB and is leading the effort to revise the DC Historic Preservation Guidelines to address sustainable building practices.
R E L E VA N T P R O F ESSIONAL WORKS

Cunningham | Quill Architects 2004 Present

R EgISTRATION

n Maryland n District of Columbia

PRAcTI cE AREAS

n Single Family Residential n Commercial n Interior Design n Institutional n Historic Preservation

A FFILIATIONS

Architecture Urban Alliance Foundation Headquarters, Washington, DC ~ Restoration/Addition 16th Street Private Elementary School, Washington, DC ~ Institutional Chain Bridge Road School, Washington, DC ~ Institutional Washington Ballet School, Washington, DC ~ Institutional Crossways Community, Kensington, MD ~ Institutional Watergate Renovation, Washington, DC ~ Residential Maple Avenue Renovation & Addition, Chevy Chase, MD ~ Residential 1723 S Street NW, Renovation & Adaptive Reuse, Washington, DC ~ Residential AFL-CIO Headquarters, Washington, DC ~ Commercial (with EEK) American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Headquarters, Washington, DC ~ Commercial (with EEK) The Philips Collection Museum, Washington, DC ~ Institutional/Cultural (with CGS) Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Washington DC ~ Institutional (with CGS) Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, DC ~ Institutional (with CGS) Telecom Ventures, Alexandria, VA ~ Interior Design Sonitrol Headquarters, Alexandria, VA ~ Interior Design St. Elizabeths Water Tower, Washington, DC ~ Object/Infrastructure Design

n American Institute of Architects n Member, DC Historic Preservation Review Board n Cleveland Park Historical Society Board n Studio Critic, Catholic University & Columbia University, School of Architecture n Community Council for the Homeless At Friendship Place, Volunteer n Aidan Montessori School, Board of Trustees
LEcTu RES

n Speaker, Preservation vs. Sustainability? For the Greener Good, National Building Museum, April 2011 n Presenter, Something Old, Something New, Something Green, DesignDC, June 2011 n Moderator, Rehabilitating Modern Buildings, DCPL Preservation Conference, 2010
Educ ATION

n Master of Architecture, Columbia University, 1992 n Bachelor of Architecture, Catholic University, 1988
CUNNINGHAM | QUILL ARCHITECTS

TESTIMONY BY NANCY METZGER, NOMINEE FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW BOARD, BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON LIBRARIES, PARKS, RECREATION AND PLANNING JANUARY 18, 2012 Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you about my nomination to the Historic Preservation Review Board. Id also like to take a moment to thank Mayor Gray for nominating me to the Board and for the statements of support from members of the historic preservation community. Ive always liked the vision set forth at the beginning of the Historic Preservation law (DC 2-144) in which it enumerates why we have historic districts and landmarks. After stating they are in the interest of the health, prosperity, and welfare of the people of DC, it goes on to say historic districts and landmarks are intended: to foster civic pride in the accomplishments of the past; to provide for the support and stimulus to the economy; and for the education, pleasure, and welfare of the people of the city.

It is significant to me that the phrase to foster civic pride in the accomplishments of the past makes no distinction about who was able to make contributions. A number of years ago I had a call from a developer with two empty lots and three very small brick houses. He could not understand why anyone would think the houses worth saving. I explained that a historic district was significant not only for the big, fancy houses of the wealthy but for the small houses that were the homes of the laborers in the Navy Yard, the laundress, and shopkeepers. They had been part of the community of their time and deserved to be remembered as much as their wealthier neighbors. After a moment of silence, he told me he had grown up in a poor family in a house just like these a few blocks west of the Capitol Hill Historic District he never dreamed that others would think that houses like theirs had any value. The potential to speak to people across the city, of all ages and races in all neighborhoods, low income and wealthy, residents and business owners, is one of the strengths of historic preservation and one of my chief interests. I come to historic preservation through the history door: in 1976 I wrote a brochure on the history and architecture of Capitol Hill. About 16 years ago, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society asked me to join the Historic Preservation Committee as historian and for most of that time I have served as chair. Since Capitol Hill is the largest historic district in the city I gained experience in reviewing projects and learning from the architects on our committee as well as those on the HPRB at its monthly meetings. During my time as chair the committee has considered approximately 900 cases commercial and residential, new construction and alterations, complex and straightforward. Because of this experience at the nuts and bolts level, I gained an appreciation for historic preservation issues that are significant city-wide such as adequate enforcement, demolition by neglect, and the need to help lower-income homeowners maintain their historic properties. All required coordinated and sustained effort by individuals as well as by neighborhood and city-wide organizations.

Of all of these worthy efforts, I am most pleased with the citys Targeted Homeowner Grant program partly because CHRSs Park Street Project was used as an example of the need for such a program when we were talking to Council members. In the Park Street Project, CHRS teamed with developer PN Hoffman to repair the front faade of a frame house belonging to an elderly woman with minimal retirement income. After funding was secured for the grant program, the city launched a pilot project in the Anacostia Historic District that vividly illustrates the difference such a program can make. An important part of project review is listening carefully to both affected community members and the applicant (whether homeowner or corporation). They all have their hopes for life in a historic district and those perspectives are an important part of managing change in historic districts. Working with the ANCs on some of the larger H Street projects an area that is not a historic district but has a strong historic identity was a lesson in how a community can help shape a project. We have all seen how historic preservation has helped fuel the revitalization of commercial areas such as Barracks Row and 14th Street and foster pride in residential neighborhoods. Complementing my work on project review in Capitol Hill has been coordinating the activities of the Historic Districts Coalition, a city-wide network of historic preservation organizations: weve presented testimony to Council during hearings on proposed legislation, Historic Preservation oversight, and Historic Preservation budget; discussed common issues and concerns; and distributed an electronic newsletter to help keep members informed of preservation activities in other historic districts and the city. Through this organization, Ive learned not only about issues important to others in the city but also about the distinctive nature of each historic district. If confirmed, I look forward to learning more about each one as the Board reviews cases. I will bring many years of practical experience at the neighborhood level to the HPRB task of review, which will in turn be useful in the other Board duties such as approving Guidelines and Standards or working on the citys Preservation Plan documents that help to establish historic preservation policy in the city. The story of our city and its built environment is now recognized as a story of many neighborhoods and people of different races, riches, education, and persuasion. Its the story of Georgetown, Cleveland Park and Anacostia , all long-established historic districts, but it is also the story of Eastland Gardens, whose residents recently published a book of photographs about the history of their neighborhood. The residents of Deanwood supported the landmarking of their neighborhood theater. Not every neighborhood will -- or even want to -- become a historic district but all residents should be able to recognize the value of their stories, of historic preservation and know that they are included in some way.