C.4.0 - 1601 Woodlawn Boulevard — original pdf

Backup

PERMITS WITHIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DECEMBER 14, 2020 GF-20-171451 1601 WOODLAWN BOULEVARD OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT C.4 - 1 PROPOSAL RESEARCH Demolish a ca. 1934 house and construct a single family residence in its stead. ARCHITECTURE The existing house is a one-story, roughly rectangular-plan, side-gabled frame cottage with a slightly projecting front-gabled bay to the left of the entry block; single 1:1 fenestration with a larger 1:1 window in the projecting front-gabled bay, which also features cornice ornamentation; hipped-roofed over-door hood; synthetic siding. The house was built around 1934 for Einer and Henrietta Juul, who lived here until around 1948. Einer Juul was a native of Denmark. At the time that he and Henrietta moved into this house from another house on Woodlawn Boulevard on the south side of Enfield Road, he was a teller at the American National Bank. In 1939, he resigned from the bank and opened his own real estate development firm with offices in the Littlefield Building. Einer Juul was the developer of Theodor Low Heights in South Austin, which was originally designed to be an upper-middle class residential neighborhood on the hills overlooking downtown far to the north. Theodor Low Heights was later subdivided into smaller lots and was fully developed in the 1940s and 1950s. Einer Juul was also renowned as a local bowler; many newspaper articles in the 1940s and 1950s noted his skills on the alley. The Juul family was related to the family of Dewitt C. Greer, long-time and prominent head of the Texas Highway Department. From this house, Einer and Henrietta Juul moved to a house on Spring Lane in Tarrytown. This house was then rented out, to a school teacher, and later to a professor who had previously worked as an engineering consultant to the Portland Cement Association. STAFF COMMENTS The house was listed with no priority for research in the Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey (1984) and is listed as non-contributing to the Old West Austin National Register Historic District, although staff does not agree with that determination as this house retains its essential form and materials. Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that the house does not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a. Architecture. The house is a 1930s cottage that exhibits what appears to be an amalgam of styles, but does not reflect any architectural distinction to warrant individual designation as a historic landmark under the criterion for architectural significance. b. Historical association. The house was the home of Einer and Henrietta Juul for many years; Einer Juul was a prominent businessman in Austin and the developer of a large subdivision in South Austin, but otherwise 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. C.4 - 2 NEW CONSTRUCTION The applicant is proposing a new two-story house in the place of the existing house. The proposed house will have a combination of stucco siding on the ground floor and painted wood siding on the second floor with a gabled standing seam metal roof. The proposed house will have screened porches on several elevations, and a green roof. The design is contemporary but has its inspiration in traditional house design and appears to be compatible with the character of the historic district. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards do not specifically apply to new construction in a historic district. Design principles for new construction in historic districts generally address size, scale, materials, fenestration patterns, relation to the street, and compatibility with the contributing houses within the district, and more specifically, on the same block as the proposed new construction. Common recommendations include: New construction should be compatible with contributing buildings in terms of front set-back, orientation to the street, building form, massing, proportions, and roof forms. New buildings should not stand out from or overwhelm the contributing buildings within a historic district; they may have a traditional style, but should not replicate a historic style to avoid creating a false sense of history. New construction should have window-to-wall area ratios, floor-to-floor heights, fenestration patterns, and bay divisions compatible with those on contributing buildings. Select materials for new construction that will be compatible with those on contributing buildings within the district. Do not use an exterior cladding material that is not otherwise found in the district. Use windows in new construction that reflect the profile and configuration of windows in contributing buildings within the district. Avoid the use of false muntins attached to or inserted between insulated glass panels. Design roofs with simple forms that are present on contributing buildings within the district. Avoid overly busy roof forms. Design window and door openings to be compatible with spacing patterns on contributing buildings within the district. New construction should be in scale with contributing buildings on the block. Consider a front porch if porches are common on contributing buildings within the district. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The proposed new house meets the recommendations for new residential construction with the following exceptions: The proposed new house has no front porch, although porches or porticos in this historic district are common on contributing buildings; the proposed siding is stucco, a material not generally found in this historic district among contributing buildings, and the proposed roof is metal, also not a traditional roof material in this historic district. The majority of buildings within this historic district are one- or two-story with Colonial  C.4 - 3 Revival styles appearing to be the most common. The building just to the north of this house is currently under construction, and is a three-story structure. Looking north; the existing house is at the right side of this photograph from March, 2019. Looking south from the existing house (March, 2019) STAFF RECOMMENDATION 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 of the existing house for archiving at the Austin History Center, and release the plans for the new construction with the recommendation to reconsider stucco as a primary exterior wall material. The house does not meet the criteria for individual designation as a historic  C.4 - 4 landmark, and the proposed new construction mostly conforms to historic district design principles.  LOCATION MAP C.4 - 5  C.4 - 6 1601 Woodlawn Boulevard ca. 1934 December, 2020 view - photo by staff March, 2011 view from Google Streetview shows the house with less vegetation.  C.4 - 7 OCCUPANCY HISTORY 1601 Woodlawn Boulevard The address is not listed in the directory. City Directory Research, Austin History Center By City Historic Preservation Office October, 2020 1959 1957 1955 1953 William E. and Ruth Barker, renters Professor, University of Texas Vacant William E. and Ruth B. Barker, renters Teacher 1949 1947 1944-45 1941 1939 1937 1935 1932-33 Joe C. and Eleanor Rude, renters Teacher NOTE: William E. and Ruth Barker are listed at 3216 Gilbert Street; he was a highway engineer for the Portland Cement Association, 1301 Capital National Bank Building, 114 W. 7th Street. NOTE: Einer and Henrietta Juul are listed at 2513 Spring Lane; neither had an occupation shown. Einer and Henrietta Juul, owners No occupation listed Einer and Henrietta Juul, owners No occupation listed Einer and Henrietta Juul, owners No occupation listed Einer and Henrietta Juul, owns Proprietor, E. Juul Company, developer of Theodor Low Heights; office, 317 Littlefield Building. Einer and Henrietta Juul, owners Assistant cashier, American National Bank, 601-05 Congress Avenue. Einer and Henrietta Juul, owners Teller, American National Bank, 601-05 Congress Avenue. The address is not listed in the directory. NOTE: Einer and Henrietta Juul are listed at 1313 Woodlawn Boulevard; he was a teller at the American National Bank, 601-05 Congress Avenue. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES: Einer and Henrietta Juul (ca. 1933 – ca. 1948) His 1917 World War I draft registration card shows Einer Pederson Juul was living on Caswell Avenue in Austin at that time. He was born in 1893 in Denmark and was a naturalized citizen. C.4 - 8 He worked as a book-keeper and cashier for Ben M. Barker (an auto dealer). He was single and had 5 years of military service as a corporal in the Infantry. He was short and stout with blond hair and blue eyes. Einer P. Juul married Henrietta Marie Cordy in Travis County January 12, 1926. Einer and Henrietta C. Juul appear in the 1930 U.S. Census as the owners oof the house at 1313 Woodlawn Boulevard; that house was worth $10,000. Einer Juul was 36, had been born in Denmark, and was a bank teller. Henrietta C. Juul was 27, had been born in Missouri to a Danish- born father and a Norwegian-born mother, and had no occupation listed. They had 2 daughters: Dorothy E., 3; and Nancy A., 1. Both girls had been born in Texas. The 1940 U.S. Census shows Einer and Henrietta Juul as the owners of this house, which was worth $8,500. Einer Juul was 47, had been born in Denmark, and was in real estate. Henrietta Juul was 39, had been born in Missouri, and had no occupation listed. They had 5 children: Betty, 13; Nancy, 11; and Einer C., 6. All the children had been born in Texas. Henrietta Juul was born in Missouri in 1902 and died in August, 1986. Einer Juul was born in Denmark in 1893 and died in September, 1986. They are buried in Oakwood Cemetery. News story on Einer Juul’s resignation from the American National Bank to open his own agency handling real estate, rentals, livestock and collections Austin American-Statesman, January 1, 1939 NOTE: The right side of this article is cut off in the original. C.4 - 9 Building permit to Dr. Joe Rude to do foundation work to the house, demolish the garage, and construct a frame addition to the rear of the house and a carport (1971)