C.7.b - 2407 Jarratt Ave - Citizen Comments — original pdf
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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS HDP-2020-0479 5613 PATTON RANCH ROAD D.1 - 1 PROPOSAL Deconstruct and move a log cabin and two log outbuildings that date from around 1870. ARCHITECTURE The main structure on the site is a ca. 1870 log cabin with a limestone fireplace, exterior chimney, and foundation. The house has several more recent additions and the windows and doors have been replaced with more modern units. Also on the site and subject to the permit applications are two outbuildings: a pole barn constructed of stacked timber with stone chinking, and a log crib. The date of construction of the outbuildings is not known. RESEARCH STAFF COMMENTS It appears that this complex as the home of James A. Patton, who settled in the Oak Hill neighborhood around 1870. Patton deeded this land to his son Robert, who in turn left it to his own daughter, Nellie Patton Miller. Later documents refer to this site as the Miller Ranch house. The structures were documented in the Historic Resources Survey of Southwest Travis County, commissioned by the Travis County Historical Commission in 2015, which recommended that this complex was eligible for individual listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and contributing to a potential historic district. Staff initially facilitated negotiations between the property owners and the leadership at Pioneer Farms, which would be willing to accept the cabin and outbuildings for future use and interpretation on their museum property. However, neighborhood residents expressed concern with this significant resource leaving the area. The applicant has since considered alternatives that would retain the cabin closer to its original location and provided a proposal to the Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods for consideration. STAFF RECOMMENDATION While staff can support relocation of the cabin in the interest of its preservation, details of the proposed solution were not available at the time of this report. D.1 - 2 Non-original addition will not be relocated D.1 - 3 D.1 - 4 D.1 - 5 D.1 - 6 Pole barn LOCATION MAP D.1 - 7
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS HR-2021-029766 702 HUERTA STREET D.12 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1948 house. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH One-story, flat-roofed house constructed of concrete masonry units with some limestone cladding under the partial-width porch. The house at 702 Huerta Street (originally 702 Acorn Place) was built around 1948. The earliest listed owners were William J. and Bobbie A. Greenawalt, who resided in the house for much of the 1950s. By 1959, Margarito C. “Mike” Huerta and Mary Louise Calderon owned the home. Huerta was a short- and long-haul truck driver who had a 52-year business relationship with Capital Aggregates. In the 1990s, the City honored him for being Austin’s oldest truck driver with an exemplary driving record, renaming Acorn Place to Huerta Street in his honor. Huerta lived in the house until his death in 2014. STAFF COMMENTS 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate to low integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that the house does not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a) Architecture. The house does not appear to convey architectural significance. b) Historical association. The house was the longtime residence of Margarito “Mike” Huerta, for c) Archaeology. The house was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the whom the street is named. human history or prehistory of the region. d) Community value. The house does not possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group. e) Landscape feature. The property is not a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Encourage rehabilitation and adaptive re-use, but release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP D.12 - 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION D.12 - 3 Source: Zillow.com, 2021 Occupancy History City Historic Preservation Office, February 2021 1959 Margarito C. Huerta, owner No occupation listed 1957 William J. and Bobbie Greenawalt, owners No occupation listed Also listed is Frank N. Greenawalt, U.S. Army 1955 William J. and Bobbie A. Greenawalt, owners 1952 William J. and Bobbie Greenawalt, …
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS HR-2021-029739 1308 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD D.13 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1922 house. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH One-story bungalow with horizontal wood siding, hipped roof with clipped gable at façade, partial-width porch, and attached carport. Fenestration includes paired 1:1 windows and replacement picture window. The house at 1308 Travis Heights Boulevard was built around 1922 by Woodhull T. and Thelma Lehmann. The Lehmanns did not stay in the house long; by 1927 they had sold the property to the Maloy family, its longest-term residents. James J. Maloy worked as a hardware clerk at the Walter Tips Company. Mary Maloy was an active leader in charity work for St. Ignatius Catholic Church. She helped to found the Home of the Holy Infancy, a charity for dependent infants at Seton Hospital, and served as its president. After Mary Maloy’s death in 1944, her son, James H. Maloy, and his wife, Edna, occupied the home. Upon returning from Europe as a veteran of World War II, Maloy worked as a projectionist for various schools and theaters. Maloy was an active union member and volunteered as a film educator. STAFF COMMENTS The house is listed as a potentially contributing resource in the pending Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register Historic District. 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate to low integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that the house does not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a) Architecture. The building does not appear to convey architectural significance. b) Historical association. The building does not appear to have historical associations. c) Archaeology. The house was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d) Community value. The house does not possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group. e) Landscape feature. The property is not a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Encourage rehabilitation and adaptive re-use, then relocation over demolition, but release the permit upon completion of …
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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS PR-20-183612 1601 BRACKENRIDGE STREET D.2 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1915 house. ARCHITECTURE One-and-a-half story, rectangular-plan, side-gabled frame Craftsman bungalow with a central, partial-width, front-gabled dormer; single, paired, and triple fenestration in 1:1, 6:1, and 9:1 patterns; exterior brick chimney. It appears that the original front porch of the house was infilled, and that the windows currently on the front of the house were the original windows before the porch was infilled. Staff has reviewed the structural report for the house. While there are significant structural issues, staff argues that the house can be salvaged. RESEARCH The house appears to have been built around 1915 by William M. and Lettie Webster Davis, both teachers at the Texas School for the Deaf. Lettie Webster Davis was originally from Grayson County, Texas, and moved to Austin around 1903. She first boarded with noted deaf teacher William H. Davis, at his home on Newning Avenue (a city historic landmark). She married William M. Davis, a teacher in the manual department of the deaf institute, in 1911, and four years later either built or moved in to this house on Brackenridge Street, where they lived until William passed away in 1947 after a close-to-40-year career in deaf education. After his death, Lettie Davis moved to a house on Oakland Avenue in West Austin, across the street from her family’s home, where her sisters still resided. Both William and Lettie Davis taught at the Deaf School during a time of great upheaval in the methods of teaching deaf students and successfully adapted their teaching methods accordingly. As educators moved away from sign language in favor of “oralism” - reliance on lip reading, many deaf teachers were replaced with hearing teachers. Students who did not succeed with the oralist approach to deaf education were sent to the “manual” department, where they were taught to spell with their fingers. Both William Davis and Lettie Webster Davis came from families that devoted their careers and lives to deaf education. Lettie Davis’ sister, Jessie Webster, was one of the longest-tenured instructors at the institution. After William M. Davis’ death, and Lettie Davis’ move back to her old neighborhood in West Austin, this house had a series of owner-occupants through the mid-1950s. Betsy Pinkerton opened Betsy’s Nursery School and Kindergarten in this house around 1955; it operated here until …
Historic Landmark Commission Case #PR-20-183612 Permit for Demolition of house at 1601 Brackenridge Street Dear members of the Austin Historic Landmark Commission, Join us! The cultural and architectural identity of our South Austin neighborhood is under assault. AGAIN! Please join in our neighborly effort to preserve the historical home at 1601 Brackenridge Street. This 105- year-old house is of invaluable historic significance, listed as contributing to the pending Travis Heights- Fairview Park National Historic Register. Too many times we have gone for walks in our neighborhood only to find that another charming, unique old house has been leveled by a developer and replaced with god knows what? If we wanted to be surrounded by shiny glass and steel structures, we’d live downtown in a high-rise condo. But we choose to live in our neighborhood because of its eclectic charm, peaceful ambiance, and timeless community feel. Also, as a community, we cannot overlook the roles played by William Davis and Lettie Webster Davis at the Texas School for the Deaf and the influence the school has had in our community – especially in South Austin. The history of this house and its original residents tells part of the story of that influence. So many of the staff members and the individuals served by the Texas School for the Deaf lived in the Travis Heights-Fairview Park neighborhood. Travis County became a leader in providing services to the deaf because of William Davis and Lettie Webster Davis. Unfortunately, the deaf community is all too often treated as invisible. Preserving this house is an opportunity to acknowledge meaningful respect to the deaf community’s contribution to the rich cultural quilt that is South Austin. This Craftsman bungalow at 1601 Brackenridge is an example of the architecture that is part of the eclectic nature that is our neighborhood. Craftsman architecture is an integral style in the Travis Heights- Fairview Park neighborhood and – as in all things eclectic – these homes are one of those threads that define this area of South Austin. We are hopeful that the Historic Landmark Commission’s reputation for not confusing “new and shiny” for advancement will prevail, and this salient part of our culture -- as well as our architectural history – will be preserved. In particular, we request that the Commissioners specifically protect this important property and reject the request to destroy another piece of South Austin. Thank you for …
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION JANUARY 25, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS PR-20-174961 2803 BONNIE ROAD D.3 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1938 house. ARCHITECTURE One-and-a-half story wing-and-gable plan, brick veneered Tudor Revival styled house with a steeply pitched gablet over the round-arched front entry, exterior stone chimney, and single and paired 6:1 fenestration. RESEARCH The house was built in 1938 for Frank D. and Ollie Lloyd, who lived here until around 1940. Frank D. Lloyd was a Louisiana-born storekeeper for the City. Prior to building this house, the Lloyds had lived at 609 Patterson Avenue; it was to that address that they moved after living here. A widow, Ada G. Benedict, bought the house in the mid-1940s and converted the attic to a room and a bath in 1942. Thomas P. Callier, a salesman, and his wife, Margaret are listed as the owners and occupants of the house in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Around 1953, the house was purchased by Ben F. Reichert and his wife, Iva, who lived here until the mid- 1970s; both were natives of Cameron, Texas. Benjamin Franklin Reichert was a sales rep for KVET radio station in the 1950s; he then became a salesman for a business machine company, and later became a right-of-way agent for the Texas Highway Department. Iva Reichert was a typist for the State Department of Public Welfare. STAFF COMMENTS The house is beyond the bounds of any City survey to date. Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that the house does not squarely meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code. Its Tudor Revival architecture typifies this period of development in Tarrytown, and the house would certainly be contributing to a potential historic district, but does not meet a second criterion for designation as required by Code. a. Architecture. The house is an excellent example of 1930s Tudor Revival residential architecture with its brick veneer siding, steeply pitched gablet over the front door, and window configuration. The scale and architecture of this house typifies late 1930s development in West Austin; the house meets the criterion for architectural distinction in its own right, and as a good example of an architectural style popular in the neighborhood. b. Historical association. The house was first owned and occupied by a storekeeper for the City; they moved here from a …
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION JANUARY 25, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS PR-20-186435 1904 MOUNTAIN VIEW ROAD D.4 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1949 house. ARCHITECTURE One-story, irregular-plan brick house with a flat roof and metal-framed fenestration in a horizontal 2:2 configuration. The house reflects tenets of the International Style, made popular by the designs of architect Philip Johnson in the 1930s, and featuring a boxy composition, use of rectilinear forms, and a lack of surface ornamentation or decoration, in contrast with the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles popular at around the same time. The International Style was generally considered a style for commercial buildings, but there are also examples of the style applied to residential construction. The house was designed by prominent Austin architect Howard R. Barr as part of the Acme Ceramic Housing Project. Of the remaining test houses, this house appears to be the most intact. RESEARCH The house at 1904 Mountain View Road was one of six houses constructed as part of the Acme Ceramic Housing Project, a research endeavor conducted by the Bureau of Engineering Research at the University of Texas and sponsored by the Acme Brick Company. It compared houses of all clay tile construction with a control house of more conventional frame construction. The experiment sought to determine benefits of structural tile foundations in expansive soils and use the thermal storage capacity of masonry in conjunction with innovative heating and cooling systems. This test house was designed by Howard R. Barr as an associate architect at Giesecke, Kuehne & Brooks. Barr joined the firm following service in the Navy in World War II. He later became a partner this prominent Austin firm, known successively as Kuehne, Brooks & Barr; Brooks and Barr; and Brooks, Barr, Graeber and White before merging with 3D/International. Barr retired from 3D/I in 1978 and opened a private practice. Among his firms’ best-known works are buildings at Huston-Tillotson University and the University of Texas at Austin, including the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill; the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City; and the original complex of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Additionally, this house on Mountainview Road was the last house in Austin owned by Edmond C. and Ruth V. Rather, who lived here from around 1951 at least until Edmond died in 1974. Edmond Rather was born in Kaufman, Texas in either 1897 or …
Denise Villa PAZ Preservation Re: Requesting to Speak for 1904 Mountain View on 03/22 Friday, March 19, 2021 11:57:13 AM cgk signaturelogo.png From: To: Subject: Date: Attachments: Elizabeth, Thank you, Denise Denise Villa, PhD CEO and Co-Founder I am in favor of the project. 8733 Shoal Creek Boulevard | Austin, TX 78757 GenHQ.com | | CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is from The Center for Generational Kinetics, LLC and any attachments may contain confidential information and is intended only for the named recipient(s). If you have received this message in error, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Please contact the sender immediately by return email and please destroy the original message and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner. Thank you. On Fri, Mar 19, 2021 at 10:14 AM PAZ Preservation <Preservation@austintexas.gov> wrote: Please let me know if you are in favor or opposed to the project, and I will gladly add you to the registration list. Hello, Ms. Villa, Best, Elizabeth Elizabeth Brummett | Development Services Manager, Historic Preservation Office City of Austin | Housing & Planning Department Pronouns: She/Her/Hers T: 512.974.1264 | www.austintexas.gov/housing elizabeth.brummett@austintexas.gov From: Denise Villa Sent: Friday, March 19, 2021 9:58 AM To: PAZ Preservation <Preservation@austintexas.gov> Subject: Requesting to Speak for 1904 Mountain View on 03/22 *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** My name is Denise Villa Email: Phone: Thank you, Denise Denise Villa, PhD CEO and Co-Founder 8733 Shoal Creek Boulevard | Austin, TX 78757 GenHQ.com | | CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is from The Center for Generational Kinetics, LLC and any attachments may contain confidential information and is intended only for the named recipient(s). If you have received this message in error, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Please contact the sender immediately by return email and please destroy the original message and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner. Thank you. CAUTION: This email was received at the City of Austin, from an EXTERNAL source. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious and/or phishing email, please forward this email to cybersecurity@austintexas.gov.
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS PR-2020-192534 503 E. ANNIE STREET D.5 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1931 house. ARCHITECTURE One-story, rectangular-plan, side-gabled frame house with a central, front-gabled entry bay; paired 1:1 fenestration on the main elevation; single and paired 1:1 fenestration elsewhere; standing seam metal roof. RESEARCH The house appears to have been built in 1931, based upon city directory records and a sewer service permit issued for this address. The first owner and occupant was Elmer D. Wiginton, who may have moved in here as early as 1931 with a wife named Patricia (who only shows up in the 1932-33 city directory), or with his wife Lillian who appears in all later city directories; they married in April of 1932. Elmer D. Wiginton was an accountant for the City Auditing Department; he and Lillian lived here until 1940, when the moved to a house on Bonnieview in Fairview Park. The next owners and occupants, who lived here from around 1948 until at least 1974, were Tom B. and Rena Woodland. Tom B. Woodland was a retired farmer from Concho County, Texas; while living in Austin, he worked as a watchman. Rena Woodland was a saleslady in various hardware stores, including Woodland Hardware on South Congress Avenue, operated by Webb and David C. Woodland, Jr., possible relatives. STAFF COMMENTS The house is listed as contributing to the pending Travis Heights National Register Historic District. Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that the house, while clearly contributing to the pending historic district, does not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a. Architecture. The house is a ca. 1931 Craftsman cottage, typical of many in the neighborhood, and characterizing a large number of middle class residences in Travis Heights. This house does not reflect the architectural distinction necessary for qualification as a historic landmark under this criterion. b. Historical association. The house was first owned by an accountant for the city, and then by a retired farmer and his wife, who worked as a saleslady in a hardware store. There do not appear to be significant historical associations. c. Archaeology. The house was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d. Community value. The house does not possess a unique …
Brummett, Elizabeth From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Ron Bravenec Friday, February 12, 2021 9:32 PM PAZ Preservation Alison Bravenec; Michele Webre; Russel Fraser; Joe Brown; Demolition Follow Up Flag: Flag Status: Follow up Flagged ; Angela Reed *** External Email ‐ Exercise Caution *** I wish to object in the strongest possible terms to the demolition of the structure at 503 E. Annie St. I am sick of witnessing precious 1930’s bungalows in our historic neighborhood demolished in favor of nondescript, architecturally vapid boxes. This must stop! Ron Bravenec 503 Lockhart Dr. Austin, TX 78704 CAUTION: This email was received at the City of Austin, from an EXTERNAL source. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious and/or phishing email, please forward this email to cybersecurity@austintexas.gov. 1
From: To: Subject: Date: Donna Morrow PAZ Preservation 503 East Annie Thursday, March 11, 2021 5:10:06 PM *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Attn: Elizabeth Brummett: I oppose the demolition of the house at 503 East Annie. There is a heritage tree on the property that will be endangered or destroyed by new & huge construction. Please deny this application for demolition. Donna Morrow 504 Terrace Dr. Austin 78704 CAUTION: This email was received at the City of Austin, from an EXTERNAL source. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious and/or phishing email, please forward this email to cybersecurity@austintexas.gov.
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS PR-2020-192260 3404 GOVALLE AVE. D.6 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish frame portions behind a 1955 masonry church. ARCHITECTURE The former Loyalty Missionary Baptist Church building is a front-gabled concrete masonry unit church with a projecting entry bay flanked by large buttresses on the front elevation and regularly spaced vertical windows between shallow buttresses on the side elevations. A rear frame portion abuts the north (back) wall of the masonry church. A taller gabled volume with paired wood doors on the east and three rows of windows on the west is intersected by a lower wing to the north. Both portions are clad in asbestos shingles and have Craftsman details including knee braces and exposed rafter tails. RESEARCH Govalle Baptist Church was a white congregation active from ca. 1939 to 1976. The church erected a two- story frame building at 3402 Govalle Road in 1939, consisting of an auditorium and seven rooms. Newspaper articles report PTA meetings held in the building’s basement. It is unclear whether this is the frame structure proposed for demolition; the applicant reports that the frame portions were moved to the site after the masonry church was built in 1955. The Govalle Baptist Church congregation merged with Beacon Ridge Baptist Church in 1976. In the same year, the newly formed Loyalty Missionary Baptist Church, an African American congregation, acquired this building. STAFF COMMENTS 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated this church for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that it does not appear to meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a) Architecture. While the church has a unique design, it does not necessarily qualify for historic landmark designation under this criterion. b) Historical association. While associated with two former churches, no significant historic events were identified. c) Archaeology. The church was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d) Community value. The church is not known to possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group. e) Landscape feature. The property is not …
PRESERVING A PART OF EAST AUSTIN’S HISTORY: THE LO YALTY MISSIO NARY BAPTIST CHURCH Presented by Joshua Brunsmann LOYALTY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 3404 GO VALLE AVE AUSTIN, TX 78702 REVEREND EULON BROWN SR. Partial Demolition of rear wood structure Preservation of front CMU main church Partial Demolition of Detached Rear Portion Cement board siding covering wood lap siding - Severe dilapidation Partial Demolition of the Detached Rear Portion OUR GOALS • Preservation of the Loyalty Missionary Baptist Church • Paying homage and honoring the memory of Reverend Eulon Brown Sr. • Keeping this Iconic piece of history in east Austin for another generation to appreciate the history of this part of town.
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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2021 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS GF-2021-015104 6800 WOODROW AVENUE D.9 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a 1956 church. ARCHITECTURE The First Cumberland Presbyterian Church comprises multiple interconnected gable-roofed buildings. The church sanctuary projects toward Woodrow Avenue, with a single lancet window in the end wall. The main entrance, set into a substantial Gothic arch surround, is under a dramatic, modern steeple set back and to the side of the sanctuary. Other wings have simpler architecture but are unified by their variegated orange brick cladding. RESEARCH First Cumberland Presbyterian Church was one of Austin’s oldest congregations, founded in 1846. The church was located at W. 7th and Lavaca streets from 1892 until 1955, when that building was demolished and a new church constructed at 6800 Woodrow Avenue. The new building included a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, and 15 classrooms. In 1968, the sanctuary was expanded and additional buildings constructed, including a gymnasium, chapel, and educational facilities. Architect Doyle M. Baldridge designed the 1956 building and six other Austin-area churches, including the Memorial Methodist Church (6100 Berkman Drive, 1958) and Ward Memorial Church (2105 Parker Lane, 1960), both extant. Baldrige practiced architecture in Austin from 1945 until his death in 1962, working as a designer at Giesecke, Kuehne and Brooks before establishing his own practice. From 1953–1957 he advised on all new construction and major repair projects of the University of Texas system. He served as treasurer of the Texas Society of Architects in 1956. STAFF COMMENTS 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated this church for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that it may not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a) Architecture. The church has a distinctive, midcentury modern design by local architect Doyle Baldridge and may qualify for historic landmark designation under this criterion. b) Historical association. Although associated with one of the oldest congregations in Austin, this building was constructed nearly 90 years after the church’s founding, and no significant events are known to have occurred at this site. c) Archaeology. The church was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d) Community value. The church is not …
Brentwood Neighborhood Association Serving Our Neighborhood from 45th St. to Justin Lane and North Lamar to Burnet Road Metcalfe Wolff Stuart & Williams, LLP March 5, 2021 To: Michele Rogerson Lynch Re: 6800 Woodrow Ave. Thank you for attending our March 3rd Steering Committee meeting to apprise us of the redevelopment plans for 6800 Woodrow Ave. As presented at that meeting, the prospective buyer of this property has submitted a Demolition Permit for the church property. Further, they intend to re-develop the existing platted lots (zoned SF-3) as single family residential (as allowed under the Land Development Code). No variances or waivers will be sought, per the Applicant. In addition, good faith efforts will be made to retain and protect the existing trees. This church (along with several others on Woodrow Ave.) has been in place for many decades, but we understand that its current use is no longer viable. And given that the church architecture is not historically significant, we further acknowledge that this transition to a new use is inevitable. Therefore, the Brentwood Steering Committee has voted to not oppose this redevelopment. It is our hope that the new houses will provide greater opportunity for other residents of Austin to make Brentwood their home. Sincerely, Kristine Poland, BNA President
From: To: Subject: Date: Jennifer Awbrey PAZ Preservation Case Number GF 21-015104 - 6800 Woodrow Ave. Hearing Date Feb. 22, 2021 at 6 pm. Monday, February 22, 2021 4:44:13 PM *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Dear Mr Rice, I am writing to express our objection to the demolition of the Historic Landmark located at 6800 Woodrow Ave. My husband, Joseph Munden, and I are property owners within 500 feet of the subject property. We live at 1402 Ruth Ave. As I am sure you know, First Cumberland Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest congregations in Austin. When they moved the congregation from downtown to Woodrow in the 1950’s, they built a beautiful and architecturally interesting church as their new home, about the same time our home was built. It is sad that the church closed, however the building continues to add beauty and historical value to our area. Today, in particular, the steeple and spire stand out as a picturesque landmark in our neighborhood, with a stunning green patina on the spire. I am lucky to be able to gaze out my back windows and enjoy a view of the steeple and spire, which is often topped by one of our area's birds of prey perched on the cross surveilling its surroundings. It would be a shame to lose such a beautiful sight and popular bird perch to the pressures of development. Surely, at least the steeple and spire portion of the building can be preserved. What’s the point of a Historic Landmark designation if all it takes is money to destroy it? I won't go into more pressure on our infrastructure, more traffic on our narrow neighborhood streets, etc. I am certain you are well aware of those issues. I hope you find in favor of preserving this beautiful neighborhood landmark. Best regards, Jennifer Awbrey CAUTION: This email was received at the City of Austin, from an EXTERNAL source. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious and/or phishing email, please forward this email to cybersecurity@austintexas.gov.