The Historical and Architectural Review Board began with the introduction of two new members at the Apr. 3 hearing held in the Rotunda. Jennifer Hawk and Rod Young were appointed to replace Gen Marcon and Beth Starbuck. Marcon had recently resigned. When Starbuck came to the meeting, she was surprised to find out she was no longer on the board. After serving for 21 years, Starbuck had been unaware her term expired in February 2019 and was miffed to have been “rolled off,” apparently, without notice. Her fellow commissioners were astonished as well.

She still retains her seat on the Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission.

A set of replacement glass and aluminum doors for the Wall St. side entrance were approved for the Unitarian Universalist Church at 424 Center St. Representing the project were Dora Davenport and Bernie Bojnowski who informed the board that the obsolete hydraulic system that supported the existing oak doors was no longer operable and could not be repaired. They said the heavy 2.5-inch thick wood construction of the doors created a safety hazard to elderly church members and small children. Each existing door has ten panels, with two solid panels at the top, four solid ones at the bottom, and four stained glass panels in between.

The certificate of appropriateness was granted contingent on the new door being “in kind as possible to meet the same measurements of the styles and rails of the existing doors” as noted by Vice Chairman Philip Roeder, with the same pattern of solid and glass panels as the original. It would be painted terra cotta and have brass hardware. Marsha Fritz requested the applicants salvage the stained glass.

The circa 1854 red brick church is at the corner of Center and Wall streets.

Amber Donato from Moravian College, representing the ongoing Moravian Book Shop façade project at 428-444 Main St., was granted permission to replace a tenant sign. The 38-inch by 48-inch sign would be suspended from the ceiling in the shop’s entrance alcove from an existing bracket. “Buckno Lisicky & Company” would be in a serif font over “Certified Public Accountants” in a smaller sans serif font. The copy, lines and pinstripe would be silver on a black background. The commission suggested adding “Upper Floor” or “Second Floor” to the hanging sign.

A 6-foot wood fence for Stephen and Karen Pallone’s residence at 225 E. Wall St. was approved. Constructed with 5-foot solid board panels topped with 1-foot pickets, the fence is to be stained “sandstone beige” to match the siding on their previously-approved garden shed.

Another fence proposal was met with success with walk-in Jennifer Heppel for 216 E. Walnut St. She received a COA to replace a wind-damaged 7-foot-high cedar privacy fence at the corner of the property at Walnut and Penn streets with a powder-coated black aluminum fence. The new fence would be 6-foot-high with flat rails and a standard post cap. The black aluminum gate would be 4 feet by 6 feet.

The the votes were unanimous with the exception of 216 E. Walnut. Heppel’s neighbor, board member Connie Postupack, recused herself for that item.

The Historical and Architectural Review Board meets the first Wednesday of every month to review all exterior changes proposed to buildings in the Bethlehem Historic District north of the Lehigh River. When a proposed project receives a certificate of appropriateness from the board, applicants must wait for city council to vote on it before proceeding. There were no proposals submitted for March.