D.3 - HDP-2019-0698 - 609 Hearn St.pdf — original pdf

Backup

HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION JANUARY 27, 2020 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS HDP-2019-0698 609 HEARN STREET D.3 - 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1914 house. ARCHITECTURE One-story rectangular-plan house with Cumberland-style double doors. It is clad in horizontal wood siding with paired 1:1 wood windows. Its hipped roof is covered with composition shingles. RESEARCH The house at 609 Hearn Street was built around 1914 by William W. Hearn and his wife Ellen. William Washington Hearn was born on February 22, 1888 to homebuilder and firefighter John L. Hearn and dressmaker Aurelia Mills Hearn. William Hearn’s childhood home at 902 Blanco Street was designated a historic landmark in 2005 based upon its architecture and association with John and Aurelia Hearn, middle-class entrepreneurs who contributed to Austin’s growth at the turn of the twentieth century. After his father’s death, William Hearn followed in his footsteps and worked as a carpenter to support the family alongside his siblings, also craftspeople. By 1914, he had moved to the Deep Eddy area. The street was named for the Hearn family, who occupied three adjacent addresses at 605, 607, and 609. William and his brother Claude married sisters Ellen and Alice Johnson and constructed similarly-styled homes next door to each other. Ellen and Alice’s family lived two blocks away on Dam Boulevard (now Lake Austin Boulevard) and Johnson Street, apparently named for the Johnson family. William Hearn was active in the carpenters’ union and ran for public office at least once during his lifetime. William and Ellen Hearn had three children; their son Norman G. Hearn, who briefly occupied the second unit at 609 Hearn St. with his wife Dorothy, was killed in World War II in 1945. After William Hearn’s death in 1964, his nephew Calvin E. Hearn and Calvin’s wife June M. Hearn occupied the home. Calvin Hearn’s childhood home was next door at 607 Hearn, and during the late 1940s and ‘50s, he occupied the garage apartment at 605 Hearn. Calvin, like his uncle, learned his father’s trade as a bricklayer and ran for public office on a platform of working-class values. June Marie Frels Hearn occupied the home until her death in 2011. The home remained in the Hearn family for 105 years until its sale in 2019. STAFF COMMENTS Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 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 (Land Development Code, Section 25-2-352). The property may demonstrate significance according to two criterion: a) Architecture. The building is a National Folk house with Cumberland-style double doors, uncommon elements which are becoming increasingly rare. b) Historical association. While the elder generation of the Hearn family has already been honored by the designation of 902 Blanco, the Commission may wish to consider the combined contributions of the younger Hearns, with respect to their unusually tight-knit familial ties to the Deep Eddy area. c) Archaeology. The house was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region.  D. 3- 2 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 Strongly encourage rehabilitation and adaptive re-use, then relocation over demolition, but release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package, consisting of photographs of all elevations, a dimensioned sketch plan, and a narrative history, for archiving at the Austin History Center. While the home is significant for its association with the Hearns, and would be considered a contributing building if a surrounding historic district were proposed in Deep Eddy, it does not rise to the level of architectural significance as the Hearn home at 902 Blanco Street.  LOCATION MAP D. 3- 3  PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos D. 3- 4 Sources: Historic Preservation Office, 2020; Google Street View, 2019  D. 3- 5 Occupancy History City Directory Research, Austin History Center, January 2020 1992 Calvin E. and June Hearn, owners Retired 1985-86 Calvin E. and June Hearn, owners Retired 1981 1977 1973 Calvin E. and June Hearn, owners Retired Calvin E. and June Hearn, owners Brick mason Calvin E. and June Hearn, owners Brick mason 1968 A. Vacant B. Larry Wynn, renter 1965 A. R.F. Peterson, renter B. Ellen Hearn, owner Wid. Wm. W. 1962 A. Donald and Sheila Eaton, renters Salesman, Wholesale Electronics B. William W. and Ella Hearn, owners 1959 A. Tom J. and Mary Rich, renters Agent, E.T. Morris Insurance B. William W. and Ella Hearn, owners William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter A. Joe A. Parris, renter Salesman, Paul Fuller Co. B. William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter 1947 William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter, Fulcher Burgher 1944-45 William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter 1955 1952 1949 1941 1939 1937 1935 D. 3- 6 1932-33 William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter Seamstress, EMS & Sons Norman G. and Dorothy Hearn, renters No occupation listed Bookkeeper, Steck Company William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter William W. and Ellen Hearn, owners Carpenter 1927 1924 1922 1920 1918 1916 1912 Biographical Information 1914 Address not listed William W. Hearn, carpenter, listed as resident 1 block north of West 6th Street, opposite the Deep Eddy Boat Club. William W. Hearn, carpenter, listed at 902 Blanco with mother and siblings. Obituaries for William and Ellen Hearn,The Austin Statesman; Oct 28, 1964 and Aug 12, 1965  D. 3- 7 Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=calvin-eugene- Obituary for Calvin E. Hearn. hearn&pid=94230332 Source: https://www.harrellfuneralhomes.com/obituary/316978/June-Hearn/ Obituary for June Marie Frels Hearn.  D. 3- 8 The Austin American; May 17, 1936  D. 3- 9 The Austin American; Jul 5, 1936.  D. 3- 10 The Austin Statesman; Apr 20, 1945 and Jan 24, 1949.  D. 3- 11 The Austin American Statesman; Mar 29, 1977 and Apr 1, 1977 Building permit notice for Calvin E. Hearn’s childhood home next door to 609 Hearn St. The Austin Statesman and Tribune; Nov 6, 1915.  Building Permits D. 3- 12 Water tap permit, 6-28-38 Permit for addition, 8-1-53