The Historic Preservation Review Commission will discuss Thursday a request to modify the front and side façades of the commercial building located at 901-903 First St., which sustained damage during the August 2014 6.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Napa and Vallejo.

The property owners, Nicholas and Mary Haney, have requested approval to modify the front (east) and side (south) façades of the building, including rehabilitation of the existing storefront, installation of a new awning and replacement of deteriorated trim, Associate Planner Suzanne Thorsen wrote in a report to the HPRC.

The work is associated with a seismic retrofit of the structure that was completed in response to the damage it sustained in the quake, Thorsen wrote.

She wrote that the project is categorically exempt under Section 15301 of California Environmental Quality Act guidelines, which includes minor alterations to the exterior of existing structures involving no expansion of use; and Section 15331, which applies to maintenance, repair, stabilization and rehabilitation of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

The building is a two-story Italianate commercial building that was constructed in the mid to late 1890s. It is designated as a contributing building in the Downtown Historic District.

The structure itself has been significantly altered because of the application of stucco over the original wood lap siding and replacement of the storefront, Thorsen wrote.

According to period photographs, the original storefront was traditional with a wood bulkhead, multi-pane frame windows and a large canopy that extended from the building face to the edge of the sidewalk along both First and West I streets, Thorsen wrote. A recessed entry was centered on the First Street frontage; one photograph appears to show a bay window on the corner of West I and First streets.

The original storefront was removed in the mid-20th century and replaced with a floor-to-ceiling plate-glass storefront with double metal doors offset to the south end of the building facing First Street. Decorative concrete block was installed at the corner facing First and West I streets.

Thorsen summarized the exterior alterations the HPRC is being asked to consider:

• Rehabilitate the storefront along First Street and a portion of West I Street. Increase the glazing area by the addition of a recessed entry on First Street and a new storefront window on West I Street, resulting in removal of a floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall system along First Street, which is not appropriate to the style of the building.

• Install a new nylon fabric awning above the storefront that would extend from the north end of the First Street façade around the corner and over the storefront window of the West I Street façade. The single awning is appropriate in this instance, as it is reminiscent of the original wood canopy that wrapped around the entire storefront, including a portion of the south façade.

• Modify the roofline of first floor commercial space along West I Street and relocate the existing plumbing vent to the interior of the building.

• Replace missing plinth blocks (window trim detail) on the second level, front and side façades. The window detail is visible in pictorial evidence from 1910, but by 1984 had been removed.

• Replace missing “sunburst” millwork on the gable end facing First Street. This feature is visible on photographs dating back to 1911, and as recently as 1986.

Thorsen has recommended approval of the design review request.

The HPRC will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Commission Room of City Hall, 250 East L St.

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