C.4 - HR-2020-084996 - 1404 Hardouin Ave — original pdf

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C.4 - 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION JULY 27, 2020 PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS HR-2020-084996 1404 HARDOUIN AVENUE OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT PROPOSAL Alter window and door openings; replace windows, door, and brick cladding; construct rear additions and carport awning; and replace the existing detached garage with a new 2-story garage. ARCHITECTURE 2-story irregular-plan house with Classical Revival influences, brick cladding, 1-over-1 wood-sash windows, and a central chimney. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS The proposed project includes ten parts: 1) Alter window openings to narrow, vertically oriented single windows spaced evenly across the primary (south) façade. Window openings on the rest of the house will be altered as well to new vertically oriented dimensions. One window opening will be added to the east elevation of the 1997 addition. 2) Alter the front door opening to be recessed by 2’, with sidelights and a stone surround. 3) Replace windows with casement multi-lite clad-wood windows on the front and side elevations and casement steel-sash windows on the rear elevation. 4) Replace door with a paneled wood door with multi-lite clad-wood sidelights. 5) Remove brick to insulate the house; replace with new brick. 6) Construct a new chimney on the east elevation. 7) Replace the roof material in-kind. 8) Construct a metal awning at the rear of the left side (west) elevation. The awning will be gently sloped and supported by metal cables attached to the side addition. 9) Construct narrow 2-story rear additions to the rear (north) and west elevations. The additions will be clad in brick and stucco and capped with metal roofs that continue the slope of the existing roof. The side addition features shallow square bays tucked under the second-story roofline. The rear addition will include a covered porch at the northwest corner, a shallow second-floor balcony in the center, and a stone patio at the northeast corner. 10) Demolish the one-story detached garage and construct and 2-story garage clad in hardiplank and capped with a front-gabled roof covered in asphalt shingles. The garage will feature casement multi-lite clad-wood windows and a wood garage door. A metal staircase on the north elevation will lead to a second-floor balcony with metal railings and a wood door. RESEARCH The building at 1404 Hardouin Avenue was constructed as a duplex around 1936 by Albert Johnson. Johnson also was the longest-term occupant, living in the property until 1947. No biographical information could be located about him during research. A succession of short- term renters occupied the second unit while Johnson lived there, and then both units through the 1950s.  C.4 - 2 The building appears to have been substantially altered. It is not known when the duplex was converted to a single-family residence, but it likely occurred at the same time that a front porch shown on a 1961 Sanborn Fire Insurance map was removed and front entrances altered. Subtle changes in brickwork and irregular window height both evidence alterations to the left side of the primary façade in keeping with almost certain changes to that area. See backup document for photographic documentation of changes and a possible comparable duplex on the next block of Hardouin Avenue. A 2-story rear addition was constructed around 1997, according to building permits. Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. map, 1961 STANDARDS FOR REVIEW The house is contributing to the Old West Austin National Register District. It does not appear to be eligible for designation as a historic landmark. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain a low to moderate degree of integrity. The extent of the changes to the front elevation are unknown, but the removal of a front porch, alteration of the two original entrances, and alteration of a prominent window opening would appear to have substantial impact on the building’s historic character. 3) In addition to the two criteria above, properties must meet two significance criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). The property does not appear to demonstrate significance according to City Code: a. Architecture. The house has Classical Revival-style influences that do not appear to be historic. b. Historical association. Albert Johnson lived in the house for approximately a decade. 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 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. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation are used to evaluate projects in National Register historic districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: 2) The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided. C.4 - 3 The proposed project removes historic windows and dramatically alters the fenestration pattern. The project does not meet this standard. 3) Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken. The proposed project changes the fenestration pattern and window dimensions to reference a different architectural style, which will create a false sense of historical development. The project does not meet this standard. 4) Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. The changes that were made to the house in the 1990s have not acquired historic significance. This standard is not applicable. 5) Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved. The proposed project replaces historic windows and brick, as well as the primary entrance (likely not historic). It does not meet this standard. 9) New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. The proposed additions are located at the rear and side of the building. They will be differentiated from the existing building through metal roofs and, on the rear, steel- sash windows. The additions are compatible with the massing, size, and scale of the existing building. The project meets this standard. 10) New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. If the additions were removed in the future, the essential form of the building would be unimpaired. The project meets this standard. The proposed project largely does not meet the standards. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION Not reviewed. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Release the plans. The changes are substantial, but the building does not appear to retain a high degree of integrity.  LOCATION MAP C.4 - 4  PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.4 - 5 1404 Hardouin Avenue. Source: Google Street View, March 2019. No occupation listed Salesman, no employer listed Robert A. and Kath Rike, renters Representative, The Texas Co. (1300 E. 4th Street) Occupancy Research Completed by Historic Preservation Office staff, July 2020 Note: Due to Covid-19-related closures, occupancy research only extends to 1959. 1939 Not listed 1941 Albert J. Johnson, owner 1944 Cecil J. and Frances Elliott, renters 1947 Albert J. Johnson, owner 1949 Ida Brenner, renter (wid. Lewis) 1952 Ida Brenner, renter (wid. L. C.) Albert J. Johnson, renter No occupation listed ½ - Nell Boothe, renter Assistant state auditor No occupation listed No occupation listed No occupation listed  C.4 - 6 Bookkeeper, D. L. Welch & Co. Inc. 1955 Margaret F. Caswell, renter (wid. Kenneth) ½ - Rev. John B. and Margaret M. Davidson, renters Pastor, First Baptist Church (120 W. 10th Street or 2803 E. 12th Street; both locations had other head pastors listed) ½ - V. C. Jr. and Vickie Smart, renters Physician, Brackenridge 1957 Vacant 1959 C. E. Derrick, renter Occupation not listed Permits Sewer connection permit issued to Albert Johnson, 1/2/1936.  C.4 - 7 Water service permit issued to Albert Johnson, 4/8/1940. Building permits were issued in 1997 for a 2-story addition and a staircase remodel.