Noncomformists

These are the old guest-room windows from a year ago. Click on them if you want a frightening look at what used to be there.

Trust me, this is going to be part of the photographic evidence the Historic Architecture Review Commission gets when we make our case for mercy in terms of window materials.

I hope you'll forgive me, but I haven't been quite right since Friday's shock about HARC. (Actually, I've been sleeping like a baby, as the old joke has it: Waking up every 30 minutes to cry.)

In addition to the points I listed Friday, this argument from analogy took form:

A few months back, Sullins, our architect friend, mentioned an oddity in HARC regulations. Owners of a building that's "nonconforming" by HARC standards -- not historic, not "contributing," perhaps a concrete block structure with aluminum windows -- are allowed to replace it with another nonconforming structure, rather than one meeting historic design standards.

What's the chance that windows conforming neither in style nor material nor wind-code compliance can be replaced by windows that conform at least in style, and up the ante by adding incredible hurricane safety? I'm just asking -- and looking at every window I see in the Historic District.