D.12.0 - 4310 Rosedale Avenue — original pdf

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D.12 - 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DECEMBER 14, 2020 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS HDP-2020-0494 4310 ROSEDALE AVENUE PROPOSAL RESEARCH Demolish a garage of undetermined age and construct a new garage. ARCHITECTURE The garage is a one-story, square-plan, pyramidal-roofed frame structure. This the home that Kenneth and Mildred Threadgill lived in from around 1945 until around 1984. Kenneth Threadgill was a legend in Austin’s music history, as the proprietor of a gas station/beer joint on North Lamar Boulevard, where he hosted jam sessions among Austin’s musicians, including the young Janis Joplin, who made her stage debut at Threadgill’s before moving to San Francisco. This application is to provide the Commission with an opportunity to review changes to the site with an eye on a potential recommendation for landmark designation for the Threadgill house. STAFF COMMENTS  The house is beyond the limit of any city survey to date. Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that the house meets the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: D.12 - 2 a. Architecture. The house is a 1930s stone-veneered cottage that embodies a vernacular style and material that is increasingly rare in Austin. The original part of the house is intact, but it does have a dormer addition to the front roof that is compatible with the design of the house, as well as a two-story addition to the rear which is not visible from the street and does not affect the historic appearance of the house. Despite the modifications, the house satisfies the criterion for architectural significance. b. Historical association. The house was the long-time home of Kenneth and Mildred Threadgill, who lived here from the mid-1940s until the mid-1980s. Kenneth Threadgill is an icon in Austin music history as the proprietor of a service station and beer joint that offered music and provided an opportunity for young singers, such as Janis Joplin, to perform. The house qualifies for landmark designation for its associations with Kenneth Threadgill. 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 Approve the application to demolish the existing garage and construct the new garage, and consider initiation of a historic zoning case to preserve the house and help commemorate the contributions of Ken Threadgill to the history of Austin.  LOCATION MAP D.12 - 3  D.12 - 4 4310 Rosedale Avenue ca. 1939 February, 2019 view  D.12 - 5 View showing the dormer and rear additions to the house (2019) OCCUPANCY HISTORY 4310 Rosedale Avenue Vacant Terry F. Pruitt, renter No occupation listed City Directory Research, Austin History Center By City Historic Preservation Office May, 2018 1992 1985-86 1981 1977 1973 1968 J. Kenneth Threadgill, owner Retired J. Kenneth Threadgill, owner Retired J. Kenneth and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s (not listed in the directory) J. Kenneth and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s, beer, 6416 N. Lamar Boulevard. D.12 - 6 1965 1961 1957 1953 1949 1947 1944-45 1941 1940 1939 J. Kenneth and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s, beer, 6416 N. Lamar Boulevard. John K. and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s, beer, 6416 N. Lamar Boulevard. Kenneth and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s, beer, 6416 N. Lamar Boulevard. Kenneth and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s, filling station, 6416 N. Lamar Boulevard. Kenneth and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s Service Station, 6416 Georgetown Road. John K. and Mildred G. Threadgill, owners Proprietor, Threadgill’s Service Station, 6302 Georgetown Road. R.D. and Alma Swearingen, owners Instructor NOTE: Kenneth and Mildred Threadgill are not listed in the directory. Walter E. and Alma P. Willmon, renters Pipefitter Walter E. and Alma P. Willmon, renters Pipefitter The address is not listed in the directory. NOTE: Walter and Billie Willmon are listed at 1106 Rose Street, Apartment B. He was a pipefitter. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES: Walter E. and Alma P. Willmon (ca. 1940 – ca. 1943) The 1940 U.S. Census shows Walter E. and Alma P. Willmon as the renters of the house at 1103 Taylor Street in Austin. Walter E. Willmon was 29, had been born in Texas, and was a plumber doing construction work. Alma P. Willmon was also 29, had been born in Texas, and had no occupation listed. They had no children listed with them. Walter E. Willmon’s 1954 death certificate shows that he was living in El Paso, Texas, where he was a plumber. He died from a gunshot wound in his chest in what was described as an apparent suicide. Kenneth and Mildred Threadgill (ca. 1945 – ca. 1984) Kenneth Threadgill appears in the 1920 U.S. Census as the 10-year old son of John E. and Lou Threadgill of Beaumont, Texas. Kenneth had been born in Texas, and was the 3rd of John E. and Lou’s four children listed, all sons. John E. Threadgill was a Mississippi-born minister of the gospel. Lou Threadgill was born in Texas and had no occupation listed. Kenneth's two older brothers worked in the oil industry, the oldest as a boilermaker at a refinery, and the next as a laborer in the oilfield.  D.12 - 7 Kenneth and Mildred Threadgill are listed in the 1930 U.S. Census as Joe and Mildred Threadgill. They were living with Mildred’s mother, Mrs. Ida S. Johnson, at 2202 Lindell Avenue in Austin, a house she owned. Joe [sic] Threadgill was 20, had been born in Texas, and was a surveyor. Mildred Threadgill, 19, had been born in Texas and had no occupation listed. They had no children listed with them. The 1940 U.S. Census shows John K. and Mildred E. Threadgill living in a house they owned in Justice Precinct 4 of Travis County; their house was worth $2,800. John K. Threadgill was 30, had been born in Texas, and was the proprietor of a filling station. Mildred E. Threadgill was 29, had been born in Texas, and had no occupation listed. They had two daughters: Kay E., 8; and Rebecca L., 6. Both girls had been born in Texas. Mildred Elizabeth Threadgill was living in this house at the time of her death in 1976. She was born in 1910 in Austin and was a housewife. John Kenneth Threadgilll was born in Peniel, Hunt County, Texas in 1909 and died in Austin in 1987. Kenneth Threadgill with Janis Joplin (1970) Kenneth Threadgill From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kenneth Threadgill (September 12, 1909 – March 20, 1987) was a country singer and tavern owner, who mentored the early Austin folk music scene that included Janis Joplin. He also lent his name to two nationally famous restaurant/bar venues. Early Life & Yodeling Born John Kenneth Threadgill in Peniel, Texas. His father was an itinerant minister who worked between Hunt County, Texas and New Mexico. The family lived in Beaumont and in 1923 moved to Austin, where Threadgill attended Austin High School. Later he met mentor and idol, Jimmie Rodgers  D.12 - 8 while working at the Tivoli Theater in Beaumont. Backstage, Threadgill impressed Rodgers with his yodeling and eventually Threadgill incorporated yodeling into his country singing act to create his own popular style. Threadgill's Tavern In 1933 he moved back to Austin and began working at a Gulf service station on North Lamar Boulevard. In December when Prohibition ended Threadgill bought the establishment, secured the first post-Prohibition beer license in Austin and opened it as Threadgill's Tavern. Threadgill and his wife, Mildred (Greer), ran the restaurant and tavern until World War II, when they closed for a few years. While Threadgill worked as a welder for the war effort, the music did not totally stop. When Hank Williams came through Austin and did a show at the Dessau Dance Hall, northeast of Austin, Threadgill was there. Hank was late, so Kenneth took the stage and was singing "Lovesick Blues" when Hank arrived. Hank came onstage and finished the show. By the mid forties Threadgill was selling soft drinks and beer while his friends played and sang hillbilly blues. In the mid fifties groups of local musicians were coming every week to play, and Threadgill would pay them with two rounds of free beer. This tradition of paying singers with tavern fare was echoed later in the 'Sitting and Singing for Supper' sessions. In the beginning there was no stage and performers played sitting amongst the customers. A microphone connected to a little amp would be passed around to performers. Eventually Threadgill installed a sound system and musicians would wait in the back for their turn. Post World War II & Janis Joplin After World War II Threadgill’s Tavern reopened and UT students came to the tavern to hear Threadgill and his Hootenanny Hoots play. Threadgill’s open-mic nights became popular and helped form the basis of the fledgling singer-songwriter community in Austin. Two musicians from the Hootenanny Hoots, encountered Janis Joplin while driving in Austin and invited her to Threadgill's. She came and sang[ and soon Joplin became the star attraction for the Wednesday open-mic. Eventually she became a close friend of Kenneth and his wife Mildred. In 1970 a concert near Oak Hill was held to celebrate Threadgill's birthday. Janis Joplin, who by this time was a major star, had been in Hawaii the day before, canceled a $15,000 appearance to fly to Austin for the occasion. Joplin and Threadgill sang and danced for the crowd. Threadgill's birthday picnic was noted in the Congressional Record when Congressman J.J. Pickle called Threadgill the "Father of Austin Country Music".[2]After Mildred's death in 1974, Threadgill closed the club and later sold it to Eddie Wilson, the owner of the Armadillo World Headquarters. Wilson reopened Threadgill’s as a restaurant on December 31, 1981. As late as June 1983 Threadgill continued to entertain at the restaurant, singing and yodeling on most Wednesdays evenings. Music and Movie In the early 1980s, Threadgill and Willie Nelson appeared together and sang in the movie Honeysuckle Rose. In September 1981 "Silver Haired Daddy" with Renee Best, Steve Mendell, Bill and Bonnie Hearne and Johnny Gimble was released on Armadillo Records. It was recorded at Onion Audio and produced by Michael J. Osborne and Hank Alrich.[7] His work showed the early influences of Jimmie Rodgers ballads and Al Jolson movies, which could be seen in his singing and dancing. Some of his best-known songs were "Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine," and "T for Texas, T for Tennessee." Death and legacy Threadgill died of a pulmonary embolism on March 20, 1987, at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin.[ The city of Greenville (which annexed Threadgill's hometown of Peniel in 1957) hosts the Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series in his honor. He was inducted into the Austin Music Memorial in 2010. A second Threadgill's opened as a restaurant by Eddie Wilson in 1996.[ Kenneth Threadgill's reputation  for good food and great music continues in Austin according to Austin Chronicle music writer, Margaret Moser.[ D.12 - 9 AUSTIN WOULDN'T BE AUSTIN WITHOUT THREADGILL'S Let’s face it. No one ever would have said “Keep Austin Weird” if Threadgill’s hadn’t made it weird in the first place. When bootlegger and country music lover Kenneth Threadgill opened his Gulf filling station just north of the Austin city limits in 1933, he had more on his mind than just pumping gas. After all, just months before he had stood in line all night to be the first person to own a beer license in the county. And soon after, his joint would become a favorite for traveling musicians interested in grabbing a drink after their gigs. The quintessential beer joint continued to flourish into the sixties, and changed with the social climate of the era by inviting the folkies, hippies and beatniks to his Wednesday night singing sessions with open arms. Threadgill’s love for people and music smoothed out the conflicts that usually occurred when longhairs crossed paths with rednecks, and because of this, a new culture tolerance emanated from the tavern, which had a profound effect upon its patrons and the music that came from it. Not to mention it was here that Janis Joplin developed her brassy style that would propel her to become the first female rock and roll superstar. After nearly succumbing to the wrecking ball, the original Threadgill’s site was saved by legendary Austin City Councilman Lowell Lebermann Jr., and purchased by Eddie Wilson, owner of the Armadillo World Headquarters. Wilson’s idea, however, was to make Threadgill’s a Southern style restaurant, based on the success of the menu that he offered at his kitchen at the Armadillo. So, on New Year’s Eve 1980, the Armadillo closed, and on New Year’s Eve 1981, Threadgill’s opened as a restaurant. It was an instant success. THREADGILL'S WORLD HEADQUARTERS In 1996, Threadgill’s World Headquarters was opened in south Austin, right beside the residence of the Armadillo Headquarters. Wilson has made a distinction between the two locations: the original location on North Lamar has the theme of Austin between the 1930’s and the 1960’s. The south location celebrates the history of the Armadillo and its salad days of the 1970’s. The memorabilia of the Headquarters  represents the hey-day of this era from the juke box which contains many of the artists who played the Armadillo, to the piano that hangs from the ceiling which has been played by artists as diverse as Jerry Lee Lewis to Captain Beefheart. D.12 - 10  D.12 - 11  D.12 - 12  D.12 - 13  D.12 - 14  D.12 - 15  D.12 - 16  D.12 - 17  D.12 - 18  D.12 - 19  D.12 - 20  D.12 - 21 Story on the life and career of Kenneth Threadgill Austin American-Statesman, July 5, 1970 Death notice for Mildred Threadgill Austin American-Statesman, November 8, 1976 Building permit for the construction of this house (1939)  D.12 - 22 Water service permit for this address (1939) City records indicate a permit to construct second-story additions and other modifications to the house in 1993 and in 2008. D.12 - 23 The stone-veneered house appears on the 1962 Sanborn map. Earlier maps do not show this section of the neighborhood.