A.1 - Mary Freeman Baylor House, 1607 W. 10th Street — original pdf

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A.1 - 1 ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET HLC DATE: PC DATE: August 24, 2020 CASE NUMBER: C14H-2014-0001 APPLICANT: Thomas M. Schiefer and Meghan Elena Rosales, owners HISTORIC NAME: Mary Baylor House WATERSHED: Johnson Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 1607 W. 10th Street ZONING FROM: SF-3-NP to SF-3-H-NP SUMMARY STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Recommend historic zoning. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION: The ca. 1950 house is associated with Charles and Mary Freeman Baylor, who can be documented as living here from the time of construction of the house through the early 1960s. Charles and Mary Freeman Baylor contracted with J.H. Freeman to purchase the house next door, at 1609 W. 10th Street in November, 1963, according to the deed records of Travis County. City directories from 1964 onward show that Charles E. and Mary Freeman Baylor lived next door at 1609 W. 10th Street, and the family rented this house out. Mary Freeman Baylor was a very prominent civil rights activist for the people of her Clarksville neighborhood, leading the charge for the preservation of the Clarksville School and for the provision of sewers, paved streets, and other city services other neighborhoods took for granted in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In addition, Mary Freeman Baylor, along with several of her neighbors, worked diligently to prevent the razing of many of the houses in Clarksville for the construction of the Mo-Pac Expressway and a proposed cross-town expressway in the 1970s. HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: August 24, 2020: PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The house is listed as a Priority 1 in the Clarksville Survey (2000). ACTION: CITY COUNCIL DATE: ORDINANCE READINGS: 1ST 2ND 3RD CASE MANAGER: Steve Sadowsky NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: Clarksville Community Development Corporation; Old West Austin Neighborhood Association. ORDINANCE NUMBER: PHONE: 974-6454 A.1 - 2 BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: Architecture: One-story, rectangular-plan, side-gabled frame house with a central, partial-width, front- gabled independent porch on plain, square wood posts; double front doors; 4:4 fenestration. Historical Associations: The existing house was constructed ca. 1950 by Cary Baylor. According to city directories the first occupants were Charlie Williams, a laborer, and his wife Essie, who rented the house until around 1952, while Charles and Mary F. Baylor rented a house at 1606 W. 10th Street. Cary Baylor’s son Charles Edward Baylor and his wife Mary Frances Freeman Baylor rented the house at 1607 W. 10th Street from around 1952 to around 1963, when they moved next door to 1609 W. 10th Street, where city directories show them as the owners. They lived at 1609 W. 10th Street into the late 1990s. Mary Freeman Baylor was a community organizer, the first director of the Clarksville Neighborhood Center (originally the West Austin Neighborhood Center), and founder of the Clarksville Community Development Corporation in 1978. This house at 1607 W. 10th Street is reportedly the first house rehabilitated by the Clarksville Community Development Corporation. Mary Freeman Baylor was instrumental in advocating for the City of Austin to make improvements to the Clarksville neighborhood and for the political and economic interests of the Clarksville community, One of her early advocacy efforts was leading protests against the construction of Loop 1 (MoPac Expressway) because of the impact it would have on the neighborhood and the displacement of its residents. Subsequent efforts were successful in halting the construction of a cross-town expressway that would have destroyed what was left of the Clarksville community. Mary Freeman Baylor continued to be closely involved with the community advocacy efforts until her death from a heart attack on March 16, 1997. (For a detailed biography of Mary Baylor see the excerpt obtained from the Texas State Historical Association web site provided below.) Charles Baylor worked as a porter for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and for Tracor Continuum Computer Company, from which he retired. He survived his wife, and died March 12, 2010 at the age of 80. Mary and Charles Baylor purchased 1609 W. 10th Street from Mary’s father, J.H. Freeman, while they were living at 1607 W. 10th Street. From around 1963 to around 1974, according to city directories, the house at 1607 W. 10th Street was rented by Nancy Chambers, an elderly widow who had been a farmer in Bastrop County with her late husband, and was living in another house owned by Carey Baylor at 1008 West Lynn Street before moving into the house at 1607 W. 10th Street. According to Mary Baylor’s children, the Baylors maintained 1609 W. 10th Street as rental property while they saved enough money to make repairs to that house, and they continued to live at 1607 W. 10th Street until 1971. This, however, does not comport with listings in city directories from 1964 to 1974, which show Nancy Chambers as the renter of this house at 1607 W. 10th Street and Charles and Mary F. Baylor as the owners and occupants of the house next door, at 1609 W. 10th Street. Mary’s children remember their mother’s community advocacy activities beginning while she resided at 1607 W. 10th Street and continuing there after she moved next door to 1609. They recall neighborhood meetings being held in the house as well as in the front and back yards starting in the 1960s. These meetings were about the need for the City to provide street lights and paved streets, and address serious drainage issues in the neighborhood. Most of these problems were not addressed until the late 1970s. A.1 - 3 From Texas State Historical Association: The Handbook of Texas, by R. Matt Abigail “Mary Frances Freeman Baylor, African-American community organizer, director of the Clarksville Neighborhood Center in Austin, and founder of the Clarksville Community Development Corporation, only child of Gladys Y. Freeman and Will Freeman, was born in Austin, Texas, on August 9, 1929. She was raised by her mother in a section of West Austin known as Clarksville. She attended grade school there but later finished at Olive Street Elementary School, then attended Kealing Junior High School and L. C. Anderson High School. She also attended Tillotson College for a short time before marrying Charles Baylor in 1948. Together they had five children—Cynthia, Linda, Vicky, Ronnie, and Skip. Baylor was a lifelong resident of the Clarksville neighborhood, and her ancestors were among the original settlers of Clarksville, which was one of the earliest freedmen’s communities established west of the Mississippi River. Over time, the all-black community was incorporated into the city of Austin. However, in an era of rigid segregation, Clarksville was something of a geographical oddity. Essentially a closed, quasi-independent hamlet, it was surrounded on all sides by affluent, predominantly white neighborhoods and was isolated from the much larger, thriving African-American district in East Austin. Unfortunately, Clarksville’s unique location meant that it was persistently neglected by city officials, who concentrated social services for blacks in East Austin. As a result, the area lacked many basic services. However, Baylor devoted her entire career to improving the impoverished community, which did not have developed schools, recreational facilities, sewers, or even paved roads until the 1970s. After 1964 Baylor became an active supporter and volunteer in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty program, and she began to petition the city of Austin to fund much needed improvements in Clarksville. Then, in 1968 she secured employment with the city of Austin’s Health and Human Services Department, which appointed her director of the Clarksville Neighborhood Center (then known as the Human Opportunities Corporation)—a position she held for twenty-four years. Under her leadership, the center became a valuable resource for many of Clarksville’s disadvantaged residents. It organized community volunteer and youth programs, hosted community meetings, provided food and clothing for the needy, and gave referrals to legal and medical resources. It also offered twenty-four-hour counseling services to assist residents with food stamp and welfare applications and to help them find employment and affordable housing. In addition to her duties at the Clarksville Neighborhood Center, Baylor worked closely with the Clarksville Neighborhood Council, the Clarksville Advisory Board, and a host of other passionate volunteers to represent the political and economic interests of the disadvantaged community. From 1968 to 1970, she was a lead organizer in the protest against the construction of Texas Loop 1, colloquially known as the MoPac Expressway. The proposed route of the expressway threatened to demolish nearly one-third of Clarksville and displace dozens of needy minority families who had lived in the area for generations. Accordingly, Baylor and others recruited legal assistance and brought suit against the Texas Highway Department and the city of Austin. However, the lawsuit was unsuccessful and construction went ahead as planned. Despite this setback, the group managed to halt the construction of a cross-town expressway to connect MoPac and Interstate 35 in 1975—a project that would have further decimated what remained of Clarksville. Following that success, Baylor and others convinced city officials to redirect federal funds toward basic infrastructure improvements for Clarksville. From 1975 to 1979, more than a million dollars were invested in order to repair dilapidated homes, pave roads and sidewalks, install street lights, traffic signals, storm drains, and sewers, and to construct a playground. A.1 - 4 Additionally, funds were provided to open a new community center, which was designed by architecture students at the University of Texas at Austin and built with volunteer labor recruited by Baylor. These improvements could not have come any sooner. In fact, prior to the construction of an adequate drainage system, the community’s sewage flowed into narrow, open ditches that periodically overflowed and flooded nearby homes. However, the enhanced infrastructure soon attracted real estate investors and commercial enterprises looking to redevelop the area. Afraid that gentrification would mar the neighborhood’s historic character, raise taxes, and drive out low-income residents, Baylor responded. In 1978 she founded the Clarksville Community Development Corporation (CCDC) with the expressed goals of preserving and repairing historic structures and ensuring the availability of affordable housing for the indigent. The CCDC, which was among the first non-profit community development corporations in the country, recruited legal assistance to halt unwanted developers, raised funds to repair rather than demolish older homes, and even convinced the city of Austin to construct the Clarksville Health Clinic in 1982. The CCDC’s crowning achievement, though, was the construction of eighteen new homes for Clarksville’s neediest families. Baylor retired as director of the Clarksville Neighborhood Center in 1992 but continued to be closely involved with the community. She was a lifelong member of the Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, which formed the nucleus of Clarksville society for more than 100 years, and she acted as church clerk from 1989 to 1997. Additionally, from 1991 to 1997, she served on the board of the McAuley Institute. Founded in 1983 by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, this organization provided financial support and organizational assistance to community development organizations nationwide, with a specific focus on helping underprivileged women and children. Baylor died from a heart attack in Austin, on March 16, 1997, and was buried in Austin’s historic Oakwood Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, five children, and five grandchildren. In her memory, the Seventy-fifth Texas Legislature passed a resolution to commemorate her achievements on behalf of the city of Austin and the community of Clarksville. Likewise, the city of Austin named a Clarksville-area park in her honor. Forever remembered as Clarksville’s “problem solver,” she was eulogized by Rev. W. B. Southerland of Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, who credited Baylor as “the primary instrument in bringing Clarksville from rocks and mud to paved streets and sod around the houses.” PARCEL NO.: 0111030309 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOT 21 BLK 1 *LESS N 5.8FT AV WESTRIDGE ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX ABATEMENT: $4,375 (owner-occupied); city portion: $1,306. APPRAISED VALUE: $496,952 PRESENT USE: Single family residence CONDITION: Excellent PRESENT OWNERS: Thomas M. Schiefer and Meghann Elena Rosales 1607 W. 10th Street Austin, Texas 78703  DATE BUILT: ca. 1950 ALTERATIONS/ADDITIONS: None apparent ORIGINAL OWNER(S): Cary Baylor OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: Contributing to the Clarksville National Register Historic District. A.1 - 5 Photographs taken 2014  2020 photographs A.1 - 6 A.1 - 7 OCCUPANCY HISTORY 1607 W. 10th Street A.1 - 8 Retired Also listed is Isaac Baylor, employed by MRI in Round Rock, Texas Porter, Tracor Program director, Clarksville Neighborhood Center Charles: Mary F.: Also listed is Linda Baylor, an account clerk for the State Purchasing and General Services Department Charles: NOTE: Mary F. Baylor is not separately listed with an occupation. Also listed is Linda Baylor, a library clerk at the Austin Public Library. Construction worker NOTE: The directory indicates that Louis and Emma S. Edwards were new residents at this address. Porter, Tracor NOTE: Mary F. Baylor is not separately listed with an occupation. Also listed is Linda Baylor, a library assistant at the Austin Public Library. From City Directories, Austin History Center City of Austin Historic Preservation Office August 2013 1981 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Decoto Larkin, renter 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners Retired Retired 1607: No return 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1977 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1976 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Louis and Emma S. Edwards, renters Porter, Tracor Retired 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners Retired 1607: Vacant 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1975 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1974 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers Retired 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners Charles: Mary F.: Retired Porter, Tracor Also listed is Linda Baylor, a library assistant at the Austin Public Library. Porter, Tracor Center coordinator, West Austin Neighborhood Center A.1 - 9 Charles: Mary F.: Also listed is Ronnie Baylor, no occupation stated. Porter, Tracor Center coordinator, West Austin Neighborhood Center Charles: Mary F.: Also listed is Ronnie Baylor, no occupation stated. Porter, Tracor Center coordinator, West Austin Neighborhood Center Retired Retired Retired 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1973 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1972 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1971 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners Retired Retired Retired Retired Charles: Mary F.: 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1970 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1969 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1968 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers Retired 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners No occupation listed Charles: Mary F.: Retired Retired Porter, Tracor Center coordinator, West Austin Neighborhood Center Charles: Mary F.: Also listed are Cynthia Baylor, no occupation stated; and Ronnie Baylor, no occupation stated. Retired Also listed is Peggy Baylor, kitchen help, Public Schools. Porter, Tracor Center coordinator, West Austin Neighborhood Center Custodian, Tracor Organizer, U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity Custodian, Tracor NOTE: Mary F. Baylor is not separately listed with an occupation. Also listed is Ronnie Baylor, a student. A.1 - 10 NOTE: Nancy Chambers is listed in the address cross-reference of the directory but not in the main section of the directory. No occupation listed Also listed is Peggy Baylor, a student. 1967 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1966 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners Custodian, Tracor Also listed is Ronnie Baylor, a student. 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital No occupation listed 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners Custodian, Tracor Also listed is Cynthia Baylor, a student. Porter, Tracor Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers No occupation listed 1609: Charles E. and Mary7 F. Baylor, owners 1965 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1964 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1963 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Nancy Chambers, renter Widow, Mart Chambers No occupation listed 1609: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, owners 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital Maid 1609: Lucille Scott, renter 1962 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters 1609: Isaac and Mary Perez, renters Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad NOTE: Nancy Chambers is listed at 1008 West Lynn Street; she was the widow of Mark [sic] Chambers and had no occupation listed. Finisher, Woodward Industries, furniture manufacturers, 118 E. Alpine Road. A.1 - 11 Maid Maid Maid Porter No occupation listed Porter, Brackenridge Hospital Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad Porter, Missouri Pacific Railroad 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters 1609: Ruby Jackson, renter 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters 1609: Ruby Jackson, renter 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters 1609: Ruby Jackson, renter 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters 1609: Ruby Jackson, renter 1961 1602: Mary L. Freeman, owner 1960 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital 1959 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1958 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners 1957 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners 1955 1605: Cary and Eula M. Baylor, renters 1954 1605: Carey and Eula M. Baylor, owners 1953 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital 1607: Charles and Mary Baylor, renters 1609: Alma L Speeker, owner 1607: Charles and Mary Baylor, renters 1609: Fannie Robertson, owner 1607: Charles E .and Mary F. Baylor, renters 1609: Fannie Speeker, owner 1607: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor, renters Trucker, Missouri Pacific Railroad 1609: Eddie and Henrietta Clay, renters Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital Porter, Brackenridge Hospital Driver, Missouri Pacific Lines No occupation listed Student Porter Driver Maid Maid for Marvin Kanter, 4508 Highland Terrace. A.1 - 12 Widow, L.G. Robertson No occupation listed 1952 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital 1607: Charlie and Essie Williams, renters Laborer NOTE: Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor are listed at 1606 W. 10th Street; he was a porter. NOTE: Nancy Chambers is listed at 1008 West Lynn Street; she had no occupation listed. No occupation listed 1609: Fannie Robertson, owner 1949 1605: Carey and Eula Baylor, owners Janitor, Brackenridge Hospital NOTE: Charlie Baylor is listed as a laborer with Lay Construction; no residential address is listed. Also listed are Isaac and Beatrice Baylor, no occupations stated. 1607: The address is not listed in the directory. 1609: Fannie Robertson, owner Widow, Leroy Robertson No occupation listed A.1 - 13 The house at 1609 W. 10th Street, a later house of Charles E. and Mary F. Baylor Three houses along W. 10th Street associated with the Baylor family. At far left is the home of Cary and Eula Baylor, 1605 W. 10th Street, the house in the middle is the topic of this nomination, and the house in the foreground is the later home of Charles and Mary Freeman Baylor, at 1609 W. 10th Street. A.1 - 14 A.1 - 15 Deed granting the house at 1609 W. 10th Street to Charles E. and Mary Freeman Baylor from the Estate of J.H. Freeman – showing that the contract to buy the land was dated November 8, 1963, and that the Baylors paid off the purchase price in 1971. The deed also references that J.H. A.1 - 16 Freeman purchased the land and improvements from Alma Speeker in 1957 – Alma Speeker is listed as the owner and occupant of the house at 1609 W. 10th Street in the city directories of 1954 and 1955; she had rented the house out in 1957, according to the city directory listing. Obituary of Mary Freeman Baylor Austin American-Statesman, March 21, 1997 A.1 - 17 Charles Edward Baylor Charles Edward Baylor Charles Edward Baylor was born May 31, 1929 in Austin, Texas. He was employed by the Missouri Pacific Railroad for many years and retired from the TCC Continuum Computer Company in March 1995. Dad departed this life on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 in Austin, Texas. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Carey and Eula Baylor; his beloved wife, Mary Frances Freeman Baylor; brothers, William Baylor, Sr., Lewis Baylor, and Isaac Baylor; and his granddaughter April Baylor. Our Dad leaves to cherish and honor his memories his brother, George E. Baylor; sons, Ronnie Baylor and Skip Baylor (Noreen); daughters, Cynthia Baylor, Linda Baylor and Vicky Baylor; grandchildren, Kevin Baylor, Terry Baylor, Kisha Baylor, Tony Baylor, Deneisha Smith, Alexander Baylor, Madison Baylor, Nicholas Baylor; great-grandchildren, Dusty Turner, Brandon Baylor, Tiara Baylor, Quadre Greenfield, Taylor Ligawa, Dad's namesake, Charles Douglas Walker of San Antonio, TX; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. The Charles E. Baylor family wishes to thank the staff at Walnut Hills Convalescence Home and the doctors and nurses at St. David Hospital and special thank you to Dr. Michael Gutierrez and his medical staff. Services will be held at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church at 1725 W. 11th on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at noon. Published in Austin American-Statesman on Mar. 12, 2010 Nancy Chambers (ca. 1963 – ca. 1974) Mart and Nancy Chambers appear in the 1940 U.S. Census for Bastrop County, Texas. Mart Chambers was then 66, had been born in Texas, and had no occupation listed. He had 5 years of education. Nancy Chambers was then 48, had been born in Texas, and had no occupation listed. She had no education. With them lived their grandson, Albert Earls, 11. They lived on a rented farm very close to another family named Chambers, and two families named Earls, all of whom were farm laborers. Martin C. Chambers appears in the 1900 U.S. Census for Bastrop County as the 19-year old son of Eleck and Charlot Chambers. Eleck was a farmer; Martin is listed as a farm laborer. Both Martin and his father could read and write; his mother could not. Obituary of Nancy Chambers Austin American-Statesman, November 19, 1993 NOTE: Nancy Chambers lived to be 109 years old.  A.1 - 18 Building permit to Cary Baylor for the construction of the house (1949) Water service permit to Carey Baylor for this address (1952) A.1 - 19 The house does not appear on the 1935 Sanborn map – the site is shown as vacant. A.1 - 20 The 1961 Sanborn map shows the house with its current configuration E-mails supporting preservation of the house as a historic landmark from 2014, when the house was proposed for demolition: Dear Ms. Galindo and Ms. Roberts: My name is Don Baylor. I grew up in Clarksville and am a life-long member of Sweet Home Baptist Church. I am writing to add my voice to those who don't want the structure at 1607 W. 10th Street moved out of Clarksville. I grew up visiting that house as it was the home of my uncle and aunt, Charles and Mary Baylor. Mary (Freeman) Baylor dedicated her life to the preservation of this community and my wife and I, along with A.1 - 21 the members of Sweet Home, fought to obtain the City's historical designation of the church. If we do nothing, this bit of history will go the way of so many of our treasured landmarks - it will disappear. I urge the Landmark Commission to NOT allow the move of this house and to help us preserve not only Clarksville, but the precious (and diminishing) piece of Austin's history it represents. Thank you for time and consideration. Sincerely, Don Baylor Hello Steve - I hope you are doing well. I am in Phoenix for yet another spring training, now as hitting coach for the CA Angels. Before I left Austin, I copied Alyson McGee on an email I wrote to Mary Galindo & Andrea Roberts, urging the Landmark Commission to not allow the referenced structure to be moved out of Clarksville. In the email I spoke of having grown up in Clarksville and visiting the house as it was the home of my uncle Charles and aunt Mary Baylor. In reply to my email Ms. McGee wrote asking to speak to me about my memories of the Baylor family occupying that residence, but I wasn't able to work that out before I left town. Now in Phoenix, my free time is very restricted to the workout schedule and I regret that I was not able to have that conversation with her. Now, I understand there is a question about who occupied the house in 1966/1967. I'm writing to say that it is my recollection that in 1967, the year I graduated from (SFA) high school, my aunt & uncle's family was still living in that house. It is also the recollection of my sister, Connie, born in 1956, and my brother, Douglas, born in 1951. At that time, my sister was attending Mathews Elementary and specifically remembers going to the house at 1607 after school. I hope this information is helpful and I would welcome you contacting me if I can be of further help in this matter. Sincerely, Don Baylor Hi Steve, It is always good to hear from you. I am afraid that I cannot be of much help with any concrete evidence in this situation. I have tried to find pictures to document but to no avail. Remember back in the day when the date a picture was developed would be on the outer border? In my opinion, who owned the house should have more weight than who occupied the dwelling. That house at 1607 W. 10th was owned by my grandfather "Daddy Carey Baylor" from before I was born, until just recently when our cousin sold it. All of us Baylor children spent countless hours as well as many lived under that roof at one time or another. It is a shame that so many people who have no knowledge of the history of the Clarksville Community can simply buy the property and tear it down instead of restoring the homes to reflect and respect the integrity of the original style. Steve, is there nothing in the zoning permits that keep this from continuing to happen? I know that if there is anything that can be done to help that you are the man to find a way. If I can be of any more assistance please do not hesitate to call upon me. Warm regards, Doug Baylor A.1 - 22 Hi Steve, I just left a voice mail for you, but am sending this so you also have my email and contact information. Linda Baylor suggested I contact you and see if I can add anything to the story about Mary Baylor’s history with the house at 1607 W 10th St. I worked with Mary Baylor at the Clarksville Neighborhood Center in the 1970-1980’s (and beyond as I have stayed involved with the Clarksville community). I continued a friendship with Mary until she died, and she served on the McAuley Institute board when I worked there. I’d be happy to help if I can in any way. Below is contact information: Kathy Tyler To members of the Planning Commission, I am writing to support historic zoning for 1607 W. 10th Street. Not only is this house a contributing structure to Clarksville's National Register Historic District--reason enough to warrant historic zoning--but as the former residence of Mary Freeman Baylor, it should be considered Clarksville holy ground. Without Mrs. Baylor, Clarksville likely would have ceased to exist. A home in which she lived deserves protection. As a longtime (25+ years) resident of Clarksville, I support all efforts to preserve the historic character of our neighborhood. Please give your careful consideration to this case, and support the preservation of this home. Thank you, Kim Kronzer O'Brien 723 Patterson Avenue Austin, TX 78703 As a resident of Old West Austin, I’m writing to ask you to vote in favor of zoning 1607 W. 10th street as historic, based on it’s status as the home of Mary Freeman Baylor. As you know, she was a person of influence and note in the Clarksville community, helping to preserve it for generations to come. As such, her home, that contributes to the Clarksville National Register Historic District, should be an historic landmark and stand as a tribute to her work and accomplishments. With our neighborhoods under attack by those who see the land as the asset and would scrape an old historically contributing structure off the land, I ask you to help us preserve what makes our neighborhoods and Austin the unique, historic and vibrant city it remains today. Regards, Nancy Toelle 1201 Castle Hill #203, Austin, 78703 Planning commission members, Please zone the home at 1607 W 10th St historic. A.1 - 23 Austin has very few pockets of historic homes, and the need to preserve that history is paramount. Clarksville has a unique look and history, and removing a contributing structure (especially right at the entrance to the neighborhood) would be detrimental. Also, the home is built with the traditional Clarksville architecture, and while it can be added on to in the rear of the house, the removal of the house would be damaging to the neighborhood as a whole. I appreciate your concern and hope the commission votes to zone the house historic. Gregory Tran, Realtor® Keller Williams Realty 512-765-4337 Dear Dave, Alfonso, Jean, Danette, Jeff, James, Stephen, Brian, Myron: I am writing to ask you to zone 1607 West 10th historic because it was the home of Mary Freeman Baylor, who was a very important leader in Clarksville. There might not be a Clarksville today if it were not for her efforts to fight the construction of a cross-town expressway that would have run right through the neighborhood. Also, Mary Baylor held many community meetings at 1607 from the late 1960s until the early 1970s with the goal of getting basic public services like sewers, paved streets, street lights and sidewalks for Clarksville. She also helped to found the Clarksville Community Development Corporation and its affordable housing program. The house also contributes to the Clarksville National Register Historic District and is an intact example of a traditional Clarksville home. Thank you for your attention. Monica Wu I am writing to oppose of the demolition of the historic home located at 1607 W 10th Street in Clarksville. I had the privilege of working with Mary Baylor at the Clarksville Neighborhood Center in the 1970-1980’s and I have stayed involved with the Clarksville community since that time. I continued a friendship with Mary until she died, and she served on the McAuley Institute board in Washington DC when I worked there. I am opposed to demolition of 1607 W 10th Street because of its historic value to Clarksville and the neighborhood. In addition to the historic events others have told about – that Mary Baylor lived here and hosted early community organizing meetings here to oppose the creation of MoPac, (which eventually would wipe out half of Clarksville community along its western edge), and the Crosstown, (which would have demolished all that remained of Clarksville), and to bring in streets and sidewalks to the neglected neighborhood – I’d like to share an additional event that occurred here that played an important role in preserving Clarksville for low income tenants, at least for a time. Mary Baylor was a leader in forming the Clarksville Community Development Corporation in July 1978 for “the purpose of preserving the character of the Clarksville community.” One of its first housing initiatives was the Rental Rehabilitation Program. The program was conceived by Clarksville residents who successfully advocated that Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding be allocated for it. With CDBG funding the CCDC offered assistance to mostly neighborhood-based low income landlords to address safety and critical repairs, as well as painting and maintenance needed to benefit the low income renters. The rental population was most at risk of displacement, given outsiders’ new interest in redeveloping the community. The rehab was completed at no cost to the owner, as long the landlords agreed to not displace the current tenant and to not increase the rent for a five year period. Summer youth employed by the city’s summer youth program were enlisted to learn construction skills and provide labor on the homes. CDBG funded materials for the rehab activity. The Austin Tenants Council administered the grant and oversaw construction, at the request of the CCDC. 1607 W 10th was the first house repaired under the program. Carey Baylor owned the home and lived next door. I think the tenant was an older woman living alone. A.1 - 24 This happened while I worked with Mary Baylor at the Clarksville Neighborhood Center. We helped with the program by enlisting the landlords and the tenants to take part in the program, and we recruited the youth workers, who were all neighborhood residents. My memory is we completed 10 homes with $75,000 in CDBG received by CCDC-ATC for the program. This was the first time a neighborhood nonprofit had requested CDBG funding for a housing construction program. Later the CCDC would ask the city for CDBG funding to build rental housing (which it still operates today), as well as funding directly from HUD’s Office of Neighborhoods (which exited only during the Carter Administration). The CCDC was the first nonprofit neighborhood organization to do this. The Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation, Blackland Community Development Corporation, and Blackshear Neighborhood Development Corporation replicated the CCDC model and are all still successful nonprofit housing providers today. Please feel free to call or email me about this is you’d like additional information. Kathy Tyler 512-965-0101 or 512-451-5556 ktyler116@gmail.com ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Doug Baylor <doug.baylor42@gmail.com> To: linda baylor <l_baylor@sbcglobal.net> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 3:59 PM Subject: Re: Fw: Fwd: please vote yes on historic status for 1607 W. 10th Street in Clarksville To whom it may concern: I think that it is sad that so much of our history has already been allowed to be destroyed! For many years 1607 West 10th Street was the pulse of the Clarksville neighborhood. When Aunt Mary Francis was live her door was always open. Whether she was planning a National Historical event, a Clarksville event or simply a family gathering she made it happen. If she were alive today she would be heart broken to know that so many of our original dwelling have been replaced. Clarksville was a beautiful reflection of a society of simpler days gone by. It has been infiltrated by people who have no idea how hard we fought to maintain our rights as well as our properties. I would pray that the newcomers could respect and preserve these memories and our history. I stand up to fight for a woman and her family who fought for me and her entire community so that we could have a better quality and equality of life in Clarkesville. I want to make it known that if I had it my way there would be no more demolition of any structure in our little community of Clarksville. It is time that we preserve and honor what we have left! Sincerely, Douglas L. Baylor Dear Planning Commission Members: I write to ask you to support historic zoning for 1607 West 10th Street. The structure in question merits preservation and recognition because it is associated with a leader in Austin's civil rights and neighborhoods movement, Mary Frances Baylor. It merits preservation as one of the last, in tact example of a typical single family home in the Clarksville National Historic Register District from the period the Clarksville was a freedman's community. It is culturally significant because the Baylor family can trace their presence on this block in Clarksville back through Mary Frances Baylor's grandmother near the inception of the Clarksville community. When I first came to Clarksville in the mid 1970's the first person I met was Mary Frances Baylor. She was the moral and organizational leader of the community through her role in the beginnings of President Johnson's War on Poverty programs. Mary Baylor worked tirelessly to achieve the, "maximum A.1 - 25 feasible participation" of the poor in anti poverty programs that were at the center of the War on Poverty. As director of the Clarksville Community Center, first located in a storefront on West Lynn Street only about one hundred feet from her home and later from the current community center on West Lynn, Mary engaged in community organizing, coordinating public demonstrations against attempts by various government entities to force African American Clarksville residents out of their neighborhood and into East Austin. Mary organized what I believe to the be first or second community controlled community development corporation in Texas to save her community and build homes for families who were being displaced through gentrification. The deep ties of kinship and the community spirit of 1960's activists like Mary united Clarksville residents and permitted the community to persist in the face of discriminatory public actions like the destruction of one-third of the community in the building of the Mo-Pac Expressway. Mary led a multi- racial coalition uniting African-American Clarksville residents with wealthy white Old West Austinites to successfully turn back an effort to carry out the racist designs of the City's 1929 Master Plan of eliminating African- American communities like Clarksville by blocking a proposed Crosstown Expressway. That plan would have circled Austin with expressways with the same devastating consequences that Dallas, San Antonio and Houston have come to so deeply regret. There is a spirit of neighborhood activism still alive in Austin that plays a major role in making it the place we love. So far as I know the City has done little to recognize community activism as just as important a part of our heritage as the contributions of politicians and the wealthy. Mary's house looks exactly like the day she left and is a reminder of the struggles of the families of Clarksville and others through the civil rights era. It is the modest house of a courageous woman who fought for her community and won victories that we enjoy today. Our city needs to remember and honor her contribution to our city. Thank you for your consideration. John Henneberger 603 Theresa Ave Austin, TX 78703 512-482-8560 ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "scollins@austin.rr.com" <scollins@austin.rr.com> To: linda baylor <l_baylor@sbcglobal.net> Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 1:57 PM Subject: Re: Copy of Email Sent To Steve Sadowsky Regarding Historic Zoning of House Located at 1607 West 10th-Hope This Helps Linda, This is awesome news! I was more than glad to help out. Anytime for that matter. Thanks for sharing that information about your mom. She was truly inspirational and dedicated. She's done so much for Clarksville! Be blessed, Shirley ---- linda baylor <l_baylor@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > Hi Shirley, Thank you for writing such a beautiful and detailed email. The Landmark Commission voted 5-0 to zone 1607 historic. It has to go before the Planning Comm then the City Council for final approval. Thanks again and have a blessed day! A.1 - 26 Linda ________________________________ From: "scollins@austin.rr.com" <scollins@austin.rr.com> To: l_baylor@sbcglobal.net Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 6:46 PM Subject: Copy of Email Sent To Steve Sadowsky Regarding Historic Zoning of House Located at 1607 West 10th- Hope This Helps Mr. Sadowsky, I am writing on behalf of several residents who grew up in Clarksville requesting that you all please consider historic zoning for the house located at 1607 West 10th. It's amazing how reluctant people can be when it comes to showing support in writing. Linda Baylor asked me if I would be willing to write an email to you which showed my support of keeping the 1607 house in Clarksville and my recollection of her family living in that very resident. Of course I didn't hesitate, but I was surprised because I thought it was a done deal. The exquisite history of Clarksville is like none other. It would be a tragedy to have the very same preciously preserved evidence that helped get the neighborhood listed in the National Register of Historic Places in the first place, disappear right before our eyes! I recently had an opportunity to visit the birthplace of Dr. King in Atlanta. It is amazing to see what measures have been taken to preserve that > neighborhood. It has so much in common with Clarksville. It's unbelievable! It's recorded what accomplishments Mary Francis Baylor has made for Clarksville. Her struggles are part of the reason the community is still beautifully preserved and so admired by people from all over. I believe that it's just a matter of time before we see a movie about the community. I was quite young when the Linda Baylor and her family lived at 1607 and my memory isn't as great as I would like it to be, so I took it upon myself to ask others older than myself like Hattie Harris and Joann McFadden who both said not only do they remember them living in the house, but that they remember the Baylor family remodeling the house located next door at 1609 West 10th before moving in. I also talked with Shelia Ray who said that she remembers wondering how a family who did so much for the community, spoke so often on behalf of the community, actually lived in a small house just like > the rest of us. I could go on because there are so many stories "from the heart" to tell. I come from the Littlefield legacy with ties to the famous Bells of Joy going all the way back to the famed confederate war general George W. Littlefield. "The ties that bind" is a phrase that comes to mind right now. I think about Gov. Pease, the Haskell House, the ancestors of both families and how there are stories yet to be told. I think about Tom Hatch's son Will Crosby shooting scenes from movie "The Wild" at Sweet Home Baptist Church and ACL stopping by with some of their artists to do recordings with scenes of Clarksville and/or Sweet Home in the background. It's Clarksville's season. It's Clarksville's time. Let's preserve our history. I hear that U.T. will be doing some short stories about some of the historical communities in Austin. What a privilege! Seeing that small house located at 1607 West 10th contrasted against the rest of houses speaks volumes > about the neighborhood. Your mind immediately begin to wonder about the history of the community. Please consider zoning the house located at 1607 West 10th Austin, TX. historic so we can keep this "chapter" as part of Clarksville's story. Thank you in advance for your consideration, Shirley Sterling Collins Begin forwarded message: From: Margaret Keys <mk@margaretkeys.com> Date: March 19, 2014 at 8:24:18 AM CDT To: "bc-Dave.Anderson@austintexas.gov" <bc-Dave.Anderson@austintexas.gov> Subject: Save 1607 West 10th Please vote to preserve this important part of Clarksville We are losing the feel and flavor of this community bit by bit Mary Baylor and her presence are an important part of the fabric I have lived in Clarksville for over 20 years now. I am experiencing so many changes here that erode the historical importance and sense of place Thank you for your consideration Margaret Keys 1713 West 11th Street A.1 - 27 Dear Dave, please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear Alfonso, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W.12th St. Dear Danette, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear Jean, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear Jeff, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear James, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear Stephen, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! A.1 - 28 Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St Dear Brian, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear Myron, Please support Historic Zoning for 1607 W. 10th St. in Clarksville!!! Thank you, Patricia Layard 1629 W. 12th St. Dear Steve, I am writing to ask you to support the designation of 1607 West 10th for historic zoning because it was the home of Mary Freeman Baylor, who was a very important leader in Clarksville. Mary Baylor held many community meetings at 1607 from the late 1960s until the early 1970s with the goal of getting basic public services like sewers, paved streets, street lights and sidewalks for Clarksville. She also helped to found the Clarksville Community Development Corporation and its affordable housing program. Please do not allow her home, one of the last vestiges of our neighborhood history to be demolished or moved. Sincerely, M.C. "Matt" Caldwell and family 1007 Charlotte St. All, I am writing to ask you to please zone 1607 West 10th Street in Clarksville as historic. As a long-time board member of the Clarksville Community Development Corporation, it is very important to me to see the historic and architectural character of the neighborhood maintained. The property in question has a documented historic connection to the Baylor family. In addition, the plans for the new house are not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. We are fully aware of the fact that there are political forces aligned against the CCDC in this matter, but we ask you to please take the historic nature of this property and the neighborhood into consideration. Thanks, Chris Thomas