James 0. McGhee, on behalf of the Shiloh Baptist Church, requests a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior alterations at 525 Princess Anne Street. This prominent brick church was constructed in 1890 and expanded in the early 1980s.
The Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) has an acute need to expand its current facility. There are already two services on Sunday, but overflow seating must still be provided in the basement, where sermons are projected through closed circuit t.v. In addition to enlarging the sanctuary, the church also needs classrooms, a choir room, a nursery, and room for community outreach efforts. This program cannot be accommodated within the existing building.
Expansion plans call for construction to occur in the middle of the block, to effectively maintain the integrity of the streetscapes on Wolfe and Princess Anne Streets. In projects of this scope, it is the Board's practice to help define the parameters of a project so the applicants can move forward with a clear understanding of how their project will be integrated into the Historic District. At this time, the applicants request review of their site planning as well as the scale and massing of the proposed addition. These items should be considered as follows:
Site Planning - The addition will be to the rear of the historic church and wrap around the south elevation to connect with the brick house at 519 Princess Anne Street. The stairwell/mechanical addition at the rear of the church will be removed to accommodate this construction.
Scale and Massing - The addition will extend the original church sanctuary and incorporate the form of the former parsonage on Wolfe Street. The addition will have a flat roof to accommodate mechanical units. The Wolfe Street elevation, however, will have a half gable roof, to screen the new mechanical units in their entirety. This partial roof will also visually integrate the addition with the historic building.

This project should also be considered in the context of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, as follows:
1. The property will retain its function as a church.
2. Historic materials that characterize this building will not be removed or altered.
3. The addition will stand as a record of its time and place and will not incorporate conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings.
4. The stairwell/mechanical addition is not sympathetic to the historic church and is not thought to have attained historic significance in its own right.
5. The distinctive features of the historic church will be preserved.
6. The deteriorated structure at 519 Princess Anne Street will be repaired.
7. Not applicable.
8. Not applicable.
9. The new addition will not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. This new construction will be stepped back and down from the historic church massing. The fenestration of the addition will continue the pattern established by the original sanctuary, but the window frames will be slightly different to further differentiate this new work from the old.
10. The proposed addition will not impair the essential form and integrity of the historic property.

Mr. McGhee will provide a model of the church and addition for the November meeting, to facilitate Board review.

Shiloh New Site Roof Plan
Shiloh New Site Wolfe Street Elevation