C.3.0 - 1700 W 32nd St — original pdf

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C.3 - 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS OCTOBER 26, 2020 HR-20-144852 1700 W. 32ND STREET OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1952 house and construct a new residence. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS 1) Demolish the existing building and salvage stone for reuse. 2) Construct a new primary building. The proposed 2-story house will be clad with salvaged masonry and stucco. It has a metal roof with compound roofline and varying slopes. The north elevation features a partial-width flat-roofed porch with steel columns, covered entryways, and an inset balcony. Its irregularly placed windows are undivided and fixed. The south elevation contains a similar covered entryway, a protruding picture window, and a single central undivided window at the second floor. The east elevation features a full-width porch with steel columns, sliding doors, and flat-roofed dormer with fixed windows. The west elevation has a shallower roofline with flat- and shed-roofed dormers, with fixed windows of varying sizes scattered throughout. 3) Construct a detached auxiliary building. The proposed 2-story garage apartment has a metal roof with “wounded dove” roofline. It is clad in stucco and features fixed irregularly placed windows to match the primary building. Its east elevation contains a large flat-roofed dormer, while its south elevation contains a double entryway covered by a flat metal roof with steel supports. ARCHITECTURE 1700 W. 32nd Street is a single-story Ranch-style house with an L-shaped plan, a cross-gabled and hipped roof with deep eaves, and coursed ashlar masonry veneer. Its main elevation features large multi-light metal picture windows, while its secondary elevations contain multi-light metal casement windows. RESEARCH The house at 1700 W. 32nd Street was constructed in 1952 by Jack Birge, who also constructed the building next door at 1702 W. 32nd Street. Its first occupants were Mark and Bertha Wentz, who lived in the home until at least 1959. The Wentzes moved to Austin in 1954 after Mark Wentz was appointed as a fire commissioner to the State Board of Insurance Commissioners. As Fire Commissioner, Wentz was involved in a series of reassignments, internal investigations, and statewide oversight that spanned the mid-1950s, as Governor Price Daniel proposed sweeping reorganizations of the State Board of Insurance Commissioners that would remove his predecessor’s appointments from the board—including Wentz. The Wentzes lived in the home until at least 1959. By 1964, it had become the Peter Pan School, which offered preschool, kindergarten, and daycare services. STANDARDS FOR REVIEW The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation are used to evaluate new construction projects in National Register historic districts. Applicable standards include: 2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. The proposed project involves demolition of an intact historic-age building. 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.  C.3 - 2 The new building is differentiated from its surroundings by its two-story height, its compound massing, its exterior materials, its undivided windows, and its compound rooflines. Overall, the buildings’ massing, materials (stucco, metal roofing), and architectural features (fixed undivided windows, shed- and flat-roofed dormers, irregular fenestration patterns) are not compatible with the surrounding contributing buildings in the district. However, the applicant has made some changes to promote rhythm and regularity to the secondary elevation fronting Jefferson Street. 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. Should the buildings be removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the district would be unimpaired. STAFF COMMENTS The house is listed as noncontributing to the Old West Austin National Register Historic District; however, the noncontributing status appears to have been assigned based on the presence of a removable play structure. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2- 352). The property may demonstrate significance according to City Code: a. Architecture. The house is constructed in the Ranch style. b. Historical association. The house is associated with State Board of Insurance Commissioner Mark Wentz. Wentz’s tenure in the home past 1959 is unknown. 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 Comment on and release the demolition 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. Comment on the plans for new construction.  LOCATION MAP C.3 - 3  PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.3 - 4 Source: Google Street View, 2019  C.3 - 5 Source: Applicant, 2020 Occupancy History City Directory Research, 2020 Note: Post-1959 directory research is unavailable due to facility closure. 1959 Mark and Bertha R. Wentz, owners Mark Wentz Insurance Agency, 127 ½ E 7th Street, R3 Mark and Bertha R. Wentz, owners Commissioner, State Board of Insurance Commissioners Mark and Bertha R. Wentz, owners Commissioner, State Board of Insurance Commissioners 1957 1955 1952 Not listed  Biographical Information C.3 - 6 The Austin Statesman: Apr 18, 1952 The Austin Statesman: May 12, 1954  C.3 - 7 The Austin American: Dec 18, 1955 The Austin American: Feb 17, 1957 C.3 - 8 The Austin Statesman: Apr 30, 1957  C.3 - 9 The Austin Statesman: May 1, 1957  C.3 - 10 The Austin Statesman: May 2, 1957  C.3 - 11 The Austin American: Apr 7, 1957 The Austin Statesman: Jun 17, 1958  C.3 - 12 The Austin American: May 30, 1964 The Austin Statesman: Mar 8, 1970 The Austin Statesman: Apr 6, 1973  Permits C.3 - 13 Building permit, 4-16-52 Remodel permit, 9-18-64  C.3 - 14 Sewer tap permit, 7-18-52 Water tap permit, 5-23-52