martinhouseclr

150 DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE // CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT This court is paved in chip-seal and features angled curb edge at the perimeters. Originally an auto staging area at the garage entry, the small auto court functions as an entry court to the gift shop located in the first floor of the garage. The garage bay doors can be opened to allow open access to the gift shop interior, weather permitting. An extension of the small court at the northeast corner leads to the conservatory’s southwest entry and also functions as an entry to the museum store, which is in the first floor of the Carriage House. The Courtyard also includes a concrete walkway running along the northern façade of the Martin House, which is 5-feet wide in most places (less where masonry piers project) and links the driveway (near the rear of the porte-cochere) with a set of steps up to the pergola. This walkway, and the concluding steps, serves the Martin House rear entry and provides the most direct access to the courtyard from the main house. A second pedestrian path runs in a straight line north-south through the courtyard, linking the Martin House rear entry to the small auto court near the Garage. The path matches the driveway in materials (chip-seal, with concrete curb edge) and is relatively narrow. The walk primarily serves as a garden path, dividing two distinct garden spaces within the courtyard. The Gardener’s Cottage and Greenhouse parcels contain several circulation routes, including a remnant of walkway at the site of the old greenhouse (does not connect to other features), access to a functioning greenhouse (on an adjacently owned parcel, out of the historic core), and a long straight walkway to a +/- 200 square foot concrete patio at the rear of the Gardener’s Cottage. The pathways in this area are made of relatively large (2x2-feet) pre- cast concrete paving units with a traditional size (+/-4x8-inch) basket weave pattern stamped into the surface. The pavers have visible instances of differential settlement. A 45-foot long by 5-foot wide universal access ramp is also located at the southeast corner of the parcel, which provides access from the auto court area to the visitor center. Likewise, a small set of concrete steps exists just north of the ramp, allowing circulation to and from the Courtyard to the Gardener’s Cottage parcel. Though the access ramp is located on the parcel, the end of the ramp turns south out of the historic core, preventing access to the Gardener’s Cottage parcel from the ramp itself. The Conservatory functions as a circulation hub for the entire northern portion of the property. The unit has clear axial and direct pedestrian access up a flight of steps to the pergola, and also includes eight additional egress points – six of which are to the exterior grounds. The exterior egress points lead to the Barton House rear yard, the Summit Terrace (two), the Paddock, and the Courtyard (two). The remaining doors lead into the interior upstairs and main floor of the garage / museum store. The Conservatory was recently reconstructed and the paved floor surface consists of 1”-square brown tile grid. Fig. 150, top Auto court area, with chip-seal, garage on left, conservatory at center. Fig. 151, bottom Garden path in courtyard area, looking north toward garage, conservatory on right.