History has its place
HARMONY — Since 1974, the center of the borough has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark District. That means the borough has additional authority over buildings in the district and an interest in maintaining its history.
All building renovations visible from the road must be reviewed by the Harmony Architectural Review Board, HARB, a committee of seven volunteers that meets once a month.
HARB, created in the mid 1980s is a requirement of federal law since Harmony is on the national registry kept by the U.S. Parks Service.
Borough council has final say in approving projects in the district, but it typically acts in accordance with recommendations from HARB, which issues certificates of appropriateness. The board doesn't meet if it doesn't have any requests to look at, and typically has fewer than five proposals each month.
Though board members say they usually arrive at unanimous decisions, recently it had a disagreement on a proposal that then stalled at council on Tuesday night.
The board voted six to one to approve an addition to a Mennonite house at 139 Jackson St. last Monday night. Jodi Correll, who voted against the addition, raised the issue at the borough council meeting, which led to the vote being tabled, while council seeks more information.
Most HARB members said they supported the request so the house could be sold, since the work was proposed by a potential buyer. But Correll said the historic integrity of the house, built around 1830, should be maintained.
Projects that require HARB approval include renovations, painting, lighting, steps, sidewalks and fences. The board doesn't necessarily stick to specific rules, but will look at what colors are being used and materials for siding or roofing. Railings typically must be wrought iron, or look like wrought iron; sidewalks must have a historic look and signage must be reviewed.
HARB does not exist to restrict people, but rather to work with them and help them do what they want while taking the historic aspects of the borough into consideration, HARB President Brett Shank said.
“We're here to help people. We're like a sounding board. We want you to come and talk to us,” Shank said.
According to the ordinance that established the board: “The purpose of this chapter is the protection of historic areas and structures within the Borough of Harmony which have a distinctive appearance recalling the rich architectural and historic heritage of Harmony and making them a source of inspiration to our people by awakening interest in our historic past and to promote the general welfare, education and culture of the Harmony community.”
The members of the board are appointed to five-year terms by council. Under the ordinance, there is an architect, a real estate agent, a liaison to the Harmony Museum and the borough building inspector on the board. The other members are people, not necessarily residents of the district, who have an interest in history and the community.
Shank is an architect, Sandy Ferrainola is the board's real estate agent and Kathy Luke is the liaison to Historic Harmony.
Allen Bayer, the borough codes and zoning enforcement officer, is on the board. The other members are: Correll, Delsa White and Jane Skelly. White is the senior member, having served since 1994.
The historic district contains buildings from the Harmonist period (1804 to 1815), the Mennonite period (1815 to 1902) and the 20th century. The board typically recommends any changes to be in keeping with the era in which the building was constructed.“We don't want to freeze Harmony in time; we have a forward-looking attitude,” White said.Josh Meeder, owner of the Center of Harmony and a resident of the historic district, said he appreciates HARB, which has a difficult job at times.“They have a tough job ahead of them, balancing the need to maintain history and supporting advancement and growth in a growing community,” Meeder said.While Meeder said he has had positive experiences with HARB, the approval process can sometimes take three months, which can be an inconvenience.Susan Franz, owner of Stohr House Bakery, said she has worked with the board successfully several times in the past two years as she has fixed up her building.“Everybody loves what they do. I think it improves the value of the surrounding homes and helps keep the history, we have people from all over stop here for the historic sites,” Franz said.The board has created an informational guide, which is available in the borough office, hoping to tell homeowners or prospective buyers of the additional requirements in the historic district.If a homeowner makes a change to his property without the board's approval, Bayer can issue a citation, or tell the owner that he needs to consult with the board.One resident recently put up a Victorian-style front door on his home. On the board's request, he replaced it with a door more in keeping with the rest of the house.
