D.9.0 - 2102 Alta Vista Avenue — original pdf

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D.9 - 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DECEMBER 14, 2020 DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS GF-20-179571 2102 ALTA VISTA AVENUE PROPOSAL Partial demolition of a bungalow to add an addition to the front. ARCHITECTURE The current house is a one-story, rectangular-plan, frame bungalow with a partial-width front-gabled partially inset porch; single and paired 1:1 fenestration. The applicant proposes to enclose the front porch and construct an addition to the left side of the house. RESEARCH STAFF COMMENTS The house was moved onto the site in 1948 from an unknown location. The occupancy history for this house through 1959 shows an IRS clerk and his wife followed by a widow, both occupying the house for a short period of time. The house is listed as contributing to the pending Travis Heights National Register Historic District. Staff has evaluated this house for designation as a historic landmark and has determined that while the house does not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code, the Commission should review this proposal, which will result in a determination that the house no longer contributes to the pending historic district: a. Architecture. The house is a simple frame 1920s bungalow with few alterations. However, bungalows like this are common in Austin and this one presents no architectural distinction to warrant consideration of landmark designation for architectural significance. b. Historical association. The house was moved onto the lot in 1948 from an unknown location so its early history is also unknown. There do not appear to be any significant historical associations based upon the occupants of the house on this site. 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 Encourage the applicants to consider a design for the addition that would retain the articulation of this house as a bungalow. If the applicant proceeds with the current plans, not only will the house be rendered non-contributing to the historic district, but it will have lost all semblance of bungalow character. If the Commission votes to release the permit, the staff recommends completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package, consisting of  D.9 - 2 photographs of all elevations, a dimensioned sketch plan, and a narrative history, for archiving at the Austin History Center.  LOCATION MAP D.9 - 3  D.9 - 4 Jennie Thomas, the widow of Charles Thomas, Sr., lived in this house in the late 1950s, but Permit to move the house onto this site (1948) it was a rental property before her occupancy.