I'm devastated

This is the way our house looked a year ago, and there is a good chance that the Historic Architec- ture Review Com- mission prefers the way it looked then to the way it looks now.

The problem is our hurricane-resistant windows, and in the worst case we may have to rip seven of them out.

This all came up today when I went to the HARC staff director, Diane, to ask whether it might be possible for us to use aluminum shutters -- which really do look just like the "real" thing, wood, which HARC has always required.

There's a shutter maker in Key West who has done all he can to emulate the look of painted wood, and he's had some success getting his things approved in Truman Annex, and he keeps trying to get his products approved in Old Town.

One topic led to another -- since hurricane windows don't require shutters, I thought perhaps the question would be moot -- but then Diane said our metal frames are unacceptable to HARC and would have to go.

When she told me that, I had to sit down rather suddenly, and it took me a few minutes to collect my thoughts.

I went back to the house, told Shawn and Arnold what the problem was, and retreated to the apartment to assume the fetal position.

- - -

So now I'm filling out an application for an appearance before the full commission to seek a revision in our plans -- to wit, approval for metal frames because:

■ The windows we inherited were bad, storm-unsafe, relatively new, un-historic aluminum, many built smaller than the historic window openings. Our windows, though not compliant in materials, far better reflect historic architectural standards, are storm-safe and are true to the sizes of the building's original openings.

■ Before his untimely death, our builder installed the windows in good faith and in strict compliance to structural and hurricane codes. It would be unfair to penalize those of us who survive for his error.

■ Our neighbors along the street enjoy a wide variety of window materials -- some wood-framed, some vinyl, some aluminum (even jalousies). Ours at least show a historic style. Is it fair to penalize us for making our windows both congruent to historic style and safe thanks to new materials technologies?

■ Though their interests are obviously different from historic preservation, the city building inspectors who approved every stage of our project over the last year never alerted us to the possibility of a problem, despite their experience with projects in the Historic District.

(If you can think of other, better arguments, or refinements in these, or ANYTHING, please -- please-- don't hesitate to share your insight in comments or e-mail. I need all the help I can get here.)

At any rate, Diane says she'll search out variances that may tend to support our case. After seeing my faint and hearing the circumstances, she became quite sympathetic.

Also, our architect, Dennis, says he will be there with me in late February to make the case before HARC. If they deny us, we'll have recourse to the Board of Adjustment, to seek a variance on appeal. If the BOA denies us -- well, I guess we'll have to post a sizable performance bond to get our certificate of occupancy, and then special-order seven windows, along with seven million antacids.

I will look at this as an opportunity to invite HARC into a new era, to help it realize that technology and architectural preservation can coexist. I hope the commission can look ahead in hurricane protection, as well as back in history.