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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS JANUARY 25, 2021 GF-2020-171512 1517 MURRAY LANE OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT C.4 - 1 Demolish a ca. 1928 contributing house and construct a new residence, pool, and shed. PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS 1) Demolish existing contributing house. 2) Construct a new two-story building. The proposed new house will be clad in stucco with decorative galvanized metal screens, galvanized metal downspouts and gutters, fixed-pane undivided windows, and a compound roof clad in composition shingles. 3) Construct a swimming pool at the rear of the lot. 4) Construct a new shed. The shed will be clad in stucco. ARCHITECTURE One-story house with horizontal wood siding, side-gabled roof, wood windows with decorative screens, eyebrow dormers, and a partial-width covered porch with curved pediment and Classical columns. RESEARCH The house at 1517 Murray Lane was constructed in 1927-28 by William H. and Delle M. Morley. Morley was the son of W.J. Morley, proprietor of Morley Brothers Druggists, the oldest continuously operating pharmacy and wholesale drug manufacturer in Austin at the time. W.J. Morley and his brother famously employed author Sidney Porter (pseudonym O. Henry), in the latter half of the 19th century. The Morley Brothers Building at 209 East 6th Street is a City of Austin Landmark. S.K. Morley’s house at 510 Baylor Street is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is also an Austin landmark. S.K. Morley, William H. Morley’s uncle, does not appear to be associated with the Morley drug manufacturing business after the sale of the 6th Street drugstore in the early 1930s. However, William H. Morley continued to run the drug manufacturing and wholesale business from his home at 1517 Murray Lane. Morley’s products were sold under multiple manufacturer names, including Cactus Line Products, Morley Drug Company, and W.H. Morley Wholesale. After his death in 1948, William Morley’s widow Delle Mayne Morley continued to live in the home, adding on to the main structure and renting out the former manufacturing facility to tenants. Delle Morley sold the house in 1961, and it was occupied by a series of short-term owners and renters until at least 1992. 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 existing contributing building will be demolished and replaced with a noncontributing 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  C.4 - 2 shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. The proposed new house is differentiated from the surrounding historic buildings by its two-story scale, modern materials, and fixed undivided fenestration. Its setback and regular fenestration pattern is compatible with the surrounding historic district. The front-facing garage, “row house” massing, stucco cladding, and decorative metal accents and projecting gutters 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 proposed new building were removed in the future, the historic district would be unimpaired. The proposed projects meets some of the standards. STAFF COMMENTS The house contributes to the Old West Austin National Register Historic District. The HLC approved a rear addition and remodel in February 2020. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high 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 displays Colonial Revival and Craftsman influences. b. Historical association. The house is associated with William H. Morley, long-term Austin drug manufacturer and business owner. While S.K. Morley’s house is landmarked and individually listed on the National Register, there is no landmarked house associated with either W.J. or W.H. Morley. 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. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK STAFF RECOMMENDATION Take design cues from Austin neighborhood rather than other places, reworking the “row house” aesthetic of the proposed building to be more compatible with the historic district. Redesign gutters in consideration of neighboring properties. If the Commission feels that the home is an essential part of the Morleys’ family business legacy, consider initiation of historic zoning. Otherwise, comment on plans for new construction and release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. The Commission may also consider a 180-day demolition delay for the contributing house.  LOCATION MAP C.4 - 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.4 - 4  C.4 - 5 Occupancy History City Directory Research, Austin History Center, March 2020 Source: Historic review application, February 2020 1992 Laurie T. Miesch, renter Interior decorator 1985- 86 Laurie T. Miesch, renter Interior decorator 1981 No return 1977 1973 1968 1965 Tom Fairey, renter Employee, John Deere Leah B. Andrews, owner Retired Leah B. Andrews, owner Retired Richard D. Harris, renter Trucker The directory indicates that Harris is a new resident. Rear: James H. Andrews, renter Retired 1962 Leah B. Andrews, owner Rear: James W. Hall, renter 1959 Mrs. Delle M. Morley, owner (wid. W.H.) Rear: Mrs. Eloise Weatherford, renter Employee, State Employment Bureau Mrs. Delle M. Morley, owner (wid. W.H.) Mrs. Delle M. Morley, owner (wid. W.H.) Mrs. Delle M. Morley, owner (wid. W.H.) William H. and Delle Morley, owners Morley Drug Company 1955 1952 1949 1947 Rear: Morley Drug Company, medicine manufacturers 1944- 45 William H. and Delle Morley, owners Morley Drug Company Rear: Morley Drug Company, medicine manufacturers 1941 William H. and Delle Morley, owners Morley Drug Company  1939 1937 1935 1932- 33 1929 C.4 - 6 Rear: Morley Drug Company, medicine manufacturers Note: The house is listed as 1317 Murray Lane in 1941 and earlier directories. William H. and Delle Morley, owners Medicine manufacturers William H. and Delle Morley, owners Proprietor; Morley Drug Company, 1717-19 East 6th Street; Cactus Line Product Company and W.H. Morley Wholesale Drugs, 1815-19 East 6th Street William H. and Delle Morley, owners Proprietor, Cactus Line Product Company William H. and Delle Morley, owners Proprietor, Morley Drug Company; President, Austin Wholesale Drug Company William H. and Delle Morley, owners Proprietor: Morley Drug Company, 209 East 6th Street 1927 Address not listed. Morley family listed at 304 West 9th Street. Biographical Information The Austin Statesman: Apr 5, 1948 and Oct 1, 1951  C.4 - 7 The Austin Statesman: Jun 10, 1924  C.4 - 8 The Austin Statesman: Aug 12, 1931 The Austin Statesman: Dec 16, 1933  C.4 - 9 1976 staff report materials for Morley Brothers Drug Store zoning case C.4 - 10 The Austin American Statesman: Oct 29, 1977 Lotions, Potions, and Deadly Elixirs: Frontier Medicine in the American West by Wayne Bethard, p. 197 Permits Building permit for apartment (1-27-49) and addition/remodel (12-22-71)