The fight over the Francisco's veranda could be headed to the Durango City Council, after the Design Review Board denied a design that retained some the Spanish colonial revival style of the building.
However the Design Review Board changed its recommendations about the portico. Instead of asking for the veranda to be removed, the board members suggested the owner consider a design that would help delineate the three new commercial spaces that are being built inside as part of the remodel.
“I think we have diverse population here, and I think it's important to represent that,” said Carolyn Hunter one of the board members.
Several board members supported removing some of the tile from the portico to create a trellis, which would break up the long solid veranda.
But they wanted to give the owners and architect the freedom to come up with a different solution, so they didn't make it a formal condition of a revised design.
“I don't think we should take away their ability to come back with a different answer,” said Chairman Tom Berry.
Francis and Claudine Garcia, the owners of the building, did not attend the meeting but John Wells, who is working on the project said it was likely the team would appeal to the City Council.
Francis Garcia is willing to compromise on other design aspects of the building, such as the windows and doorways, but he would like to see the portico preserved, his team told the board.
“There is value to this architecture outside of a Mexican restaurant,” Don Ford the architect told the board.
The Garcias sold Francisco's Restaurante y Cantina in 2013. The restaurant closed down a year later but through the transitions the Garcias maintained ownership of the building.
In making the case for the Francisco's building, Wells pointed out there are quite a few examples of verandas downtown including the General Palmer Hotel and Durango Bagel that were built before the city's design guidelines explicitly prohibited them, Wells said. However, Hunter agreed that the portico is seems to fit its surroundings.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
