D.5.0 - 1806 Travis Heights Blvd — original pdf

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D.5 - 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION NOVEMBER 16, 2020 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS GF-2020-140147 1806 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Partially demolish and construct an addition to a ca. 1930 house. 1) Reconfigure and replace windows and doors. Proposed fenestration includes an added French door at main façade. Glazing replacements include double-hung, awning, and fixed aluminum-clad, divided-light windows. 2) Construct a 2-story addition to the rear of the house. The proposed addition, clad in horizontal fiber-cement siding, features a gabled roof with slope to match existing roofline, 4:4 double-hung aluminum-clad windows capped by standing-seam shed awnings, and a rear dormer with metal shed roof, mulled 4-light windows, and exposed rafter tails. 3) Construct a second-story dormer at the east (main) elevation. The proposed dormer is clad in horizontal fiber-cement siding. It features a standing-seam metal shed roof with exposed rafter tails and 4-light aluminum-clad ribbon windows. 4) Add a wraparound deck with metal guardrail to the main, north, and west elevations. Main elevation deck will replace existing concrete stoop. 5) Repair existing brick and stone. Salvage stone from enlarged front façade opening. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH One-story Tudor Revival house clad in stone, brick, stucco, and horizontal wood with a cross- gabled roof. It has mulled and single double-hung 1:1 wood windows, a stone veneer chimney, and exposed rafter tails at the front and rear elevations. The gable features a steeply sloped roofline with deep eaves, extending downward to meet the gable’s flared stone detailing. 1806 Travis Heights Boulevard was constructed between 1926 and 1930 by the Stussy Realty Company. Its first occupant was contractor William A. Woolsey. Woolsey also constructed a garage apartment on the property, then rented out one building while he occupied the other. By 1944, he had sold the house. A series of short-term occupants lived there until 1952, when it was purchased by Neil D. and Louetta R. Galbraith. Neil Galbraith worked as a pharmacist and later managed a dry- cleaning company; Louetta Galbraith worked as a clerk and manager at several women’s clothing stores. STAFF COMMENTS The building is recommended contributing to a potential Travis Heights National Register Historic District; however, the district nomination has not completed the federal designation approval process. 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 criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352).  D. 5 - 2 a) Architecture. The house is constructed in the Tudor Revival style. b) Historical association. The building does not appear to have 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 alterations to historic properties. Applicable standards may 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. Alteration of historic fabric is required for fenestration changes and dormer additions. One of the house’s most distinctive character-defining features, its brick and stone masonry, will be retained and repaired in keeping with Preservation Brief 2: Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings. No coatings will be applied. 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 alterations are differentiated from the existing historic building by their use of modern materials, window lighting patterns, and shed roofs. The rear addition and dormer are compatible with the existing structure; the front-facing dormer and fenestration pattern changes at the main elevation are less compatible. 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 rear and side alterations were removed in the future, the essential form of the historic building would be unimpaired. Installation of a glass door with sidelights will require removal of three mulled windows and some stone but will not increase the width or height of the existing opening. The stone will be salvaged, making this change potentially reversible. The proposed project somewhat meets the applicable standards. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION The committee indicated their primary concerns as the proposed coating of historic masonry with stucco and whitewash, and the loss of the mulled windows on the front façade. The applicant has revised the plans to eliminate the masonry coatings and instead perform repairs in keeping with applicable National Park Service Preservation Briefs. The proposed front door and sidelights remain unchanged. STAFF RECOMMENDATION 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.  LOCATION MAP D. 5 - 3  PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos D. 5 - 4  D. 5 - 5 Source: Zillow.com, 2019  D. 5 - 6  D. 5 - 7 Occupancy History City Directory Research, 2020 Note: Post-1959 directory research is unavailable due to facility closure. Source: Applicant, 2020 1959 Neil D. Galbraith, owner 1957 Neil D. and Lou Galbraith, owners Manager, Capitol Laundry & Cleaning Co., Substation No. 5 Clerk, Buttrey’s D. 5 - 8 Note: listed as Dudley Neil and Louetta Reed Galbraith on death certificates 1955 Neil D. and Lou Galbraith, owners Manager, Laga No. 2 Clerk, Buttrey’s 1952 Neil D. and Lou Galbraith, owners Department manager, prescription laboratory 1949 Chester L. and Golda C. Allen, owners Builder Rear: John L. Sibler, renter 1947 Chester L. and Golda C. Allen, owners Rear: Richard and Mary M. Harris, renters UT student UT student 1944 Walter and Gladys Booth, owners 1941 George I. and Virginia Sanchez, renters Professor, UT Rear: William A. Woolsey 1939 G. H. Thomson, renter 1937 Not listed 1935 1932 W. A. Woolsey, owner Rear: George Pitts, renter W. A. Woolsey, owner Contractor Rear: George Pitts, renter 1930 W. A. Woolsey, owner Contractor 1929 Not listed Biographical Information The Austin American: Feb 21, 1926  D. 5 - 9  D. 5 - 10 The Austin Statesman: Jun 2, 1954  D. 5 - 11 The Austin Statesman: Jul 18, 1955  D. 5 - 12 The Austin Statesman: Jun 9, 1960 Building Permits Garage apartment remodel permit, 7-2-46  D. 5 - 13 Sewer tap permit, 1930 Garage apartment sewer tap, 11/28/1930