A.1.0 - Chrysler Air-Temp House, 2502 Park View Drive - staff report — original pdf

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A.1 - 1 ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET HLC DATE: PC DATE: July 27, 2020 August 24, 2020 September 28, 2020 CASE NUMBER: HDP-2020-0214 APPLICANT: Historic Landmark Commission HISTORIC NAME: Chrysler Air-Temp House, Air-Conditioned Village WATERSHED: Shoal Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 2502 Park View Drive ZONING FROM: SF-2 to SF-2-H Council District: 7 SUMMARY STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Commission not recommend historic zoning on this house as the owners of the property have proposed a plan for the rehabilitation of the house that will preserve the look and character of the house from the street. The owners have complied with the recommendations of the Architectural Review Committee, and have presented a plan (attached) that maintains the existing proportions and horizontal lines of the existing house, including decorative features such as the perforated brick walls and the clerestory windows, and plan to replace asbestos panels in the house with a less-toxic synthetic spandrel material that will present the same look as existing. Windows will be replaced in the existing frames with double-insulated glass. The owner’s proposal is very sensitive to the historic character of the house and the importance and context of the neighborhood. With this plan, staff is very comfortable in recommending against historic zoning because the house will be preserved; the appearance and character of the house from the public view will remain intact. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION: Architecture, historical associations, community value. HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: July 27, 2020: Initiated historic zoning. Vote: 7-2-1 (Jacob and Papavasiliou opposed; McWhorter off-dais. August 24, 2020: Postponed at the owner’s request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The house is beyond the bounds of any City survey to date. CITY COUNCIL DATE: ORDINANCE READINGS: 1ST 2ND 3RD CASE MANAGER: Steve Sadowsky NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: Allandale Neighborhood Association PHONE: 974-6454 ACTION: ORDINANCE NUMBER: A.1 - 2 BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: Architecture: One-story, rectangular -plan, shallow front-gabled mid-century Modern-styled wood frame house with rectangular asbestos panels set into a metal framing system on the front and back, and wood siding on secondary elevations. The house has fixed-sash and horizontal- sliding fenestration with a row of clerestory windows bridging the space between the asbestos panel section and the slightly-pitched roof, which is notable for its deep eaves. There is a pop-up, shed roofed section in the middle of the roof, that opens onto a side elevation. The house has a shed-roofed double carport with exposed beams and columns; the carport figures prominently into the impression of the house from the street and has ornamental brick walls, further identifying the house as an example of mid-century Modern design. Historical Associations: The house is located in the “Air Conditioned Village” of northwest Austin, and would be contributing to a potential historic district encompassing the remaining homes of the 22 originally built as demonstration houses to study and promote the feasibility of central air conditioning in moderately-sized and moderately-priced homes. Austin’s Air Conditioned Village was one of and the largest of several demonstration projects throughout the country in the early 1950s, at a time when central air conditioning was more common in commercial buildings and high-end residences, than in more modest houses, mostly due to the cost of installation. The National Association of Home Builders sponsored the construction of Austin’s Air Conditioned Village in 1953 as a new subdivision just west of Burnet Road in the northwestern part of the city. The next year, 22 homes were built to appeal to middle- class taste and budgets, in varying styles, but all with central air conditioning furnished by several manufacturers, including Chrysler, which provided the air conditioning for this house at 2502 Park View Drive. This house was known as the Chrysler “Air-Temp” House, and was designed by local architect Fred Day, who had been associated with several of the leading architectural firms in the city, including Fehr and Granger, noted for their mid-century Modern designs. The house was built by Wayne A. Burns, the developer of the Edgewood Subdivision, which encompassed the Air Conditioned Village. The Air Conditioned Village was a novel concept, and was part economic feasibility study and part social study. Homes in the Air Conditioned Village were all moderately-sized, but typical for middle class neighborhoods in Austin at the time. Some were designed and constructed with notable architectural features, such as the asbestos panels making up the front wall of this house, as well as the use of clerestory windows, perforated brick, and other materials and design features that came into vogue after World War II. They were all brand new homes, and priced for sale to middle class families. The first owner of the house at 2502 Park View Drive was a military man, William C. Davis, and his wife, Fern. Davis was in the U.S. Air Force and lived in this house from the time of its construction until around 1958. There is very little information about the Davis family, such as whether they had children, but they seem to be typical of the desired demographic for purchasers of houses in the Air Conditioned Village. The 1959 city directory shows this house occupied by Jerrold and Nancy R. Kelly; he was the chief engineer for the Tips Iron and Steel Company, at 300 Baylor Street. The Kelly’s lived in this house until very recently. Researchers studied air conditioning usage by the families to determine the efficiency and cost-benefit ratios of central air conditioning on a modest residential scale, making this a form of social study as well. The research included comparisons of energy costs, determining whether central air conditioning made sense for a typical middle-class budget, and looking at peak usage times and the demands on the city’s electrical grid. A.1 - 3 The homes in Austin’s Air Conditioned Village demonstrated that central air conditioning was indeed feasible for use in modest residential buildings, laying the groundwork for the development of modern air conditioning systems as essential for homes in warm climates. Using the data provided by the houses in the Air Conditioned Village, contractors and manufacturers developed systems for new and existing homes throughout the city and country. PARCEL NO.: 0234030616 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOT 17 BLK E EDGEWOOD SEC 2 ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX ABATEMENT: $5,188 (owner-occupied); city portion: $1,548. APPRAISED VALUE: $512,296 PRESENT USE: Single family residential CONDITION: Good PRESENT OWNERS: Cedar and Oak Incorporated 13330 Galleria Circle Austin, Texas 78738 DATE BUILT: ca. 1954 ALTERATIONS/ADDITIONS: Some modifications to the carport and rear of the house. ORIGINAL OWNER(S): William C. and Fern Davis (1954) OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: None. LOCATION MAP A.1 - 4 A.1 - 5 2502 Park View Drive (ca. 1954) 1954 photograph of the house when brand new A.1 - 6 Page from the Austin Association of Home Builders’ planbook showing the house at 2502 Park View Drive in Austin’s Air-Conditioned Village A.1 - 7 Advertisement for Chrysler AirTemp air conditioning and showing the model house at 2502 Park View Drive