Wilkes Passage Denied Canopy

Wilkes Passage proposal to install a six-foot, canvas canopy at its main entrance was denied Wednesday by the South End Landmark District Commission.

Representatives from the Washington Street condominium building had argued that the canopy is needed to protect the building’s physically-disabled residents from inclement weather while they’re waiting for a cab or other ride.

They had also argued that the canopy would help center the building.

The three commissioners in attendance, however, determined that it would not fit in with the neighborhood or the design of the building and unanimously voted it down.

A representative from the Boston Redevelopment Authority was also in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting at Boston City Hall, as the canopy would have extended over the public sidewalk.

Wilkes Passage representatives came before the commission in May 2011 and January 2012 with similar canopy proposals. After Wednesday’s decision, it appeared as though they were planning to return to the commission with a modified proposal in the coming months.

Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, the architect who designed Wilkes Passage, Doug Dolezal, submitted a three-page letter to the commission, outlining his opposition to the canopy.

[Click here to read Dolezal’s letter]

Here were his five main points, which he elaborated on in his letter:

• The proposed canopy will not function as intended.
• The design of Wilkes Passage will be severely compromised by the proposed canopy.
• Wilkes Passage has received several Boston Society of Architects (BSA)/American Institute of Architects (AIA) design awards and deserves to be protected.
• Residential entries along Washington Street aren’t typically marked with canopies.
• The proposed canopy overhangs the property line into the public domain.

The three commissioners in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting were John Freeman, Christie Gamp and Peter Sanborn.

More coverage from Wednesday’s meeting:

• Architect: Canopy Would ‘Severely Compromise’ Wilkes Passage Design
• Landmark Commission Mulls Tremont Street Condo Proposal
• Upcoming Construction Projects in the South End