26-1514: HDC26-0134; 538 Fifth Street, move house; OWSHD

Description

HDC26-0134; 538 Fifth Street, move house; OWSHD

Summary

Ann Arbor’s Historic District Commission is reviewing application HDC26-0134 for 538 Fifth Street, a contributing property in the Old West Side Historic District. The proposal would move a small, likely pre–Civil War Greek Revival house from 547 South Fourth Avenue—where it faces demolition for The Dean apartment project—to the rear of 538 Fifth Street, where it would become an accessory dwelling unit. Staff finds the relocation compatible with preservation standards because the lot has sufficient space, the building would remain subordinate to the main house, and its current setting is documented. Approval would require a new foundation, temporary site work, interpretive plaque, and updates to city, district, and National Register records identifying the moved house as noncontributing.