C.6.0 - 1623 Waterston Ave — original pdf

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C.6 - 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS MARCH 22, 2021 PR-2021-003711 1623 WATERSTON AVENUE WEST LINE NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT Demolish a ca. 1937 contributing house and replace with new construction. PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS 1) Demolish existing house. 2) Construct a new building. The proposed building is two stories, clad in horizontal wood teardrop siding, with a compound roofline. The roof is clad in standing-seam metal and features exposed rafter tails at eaves. The main (north) elevation contains sliding glass doors and partial-width shed-roofed front porch. Fenestration is irregular throughout. It includes paired and single 1:1 windows, fixed horizontal and square single-light windows, and 1:1 sliders in various configurations. A stucco fence surrounds the side and rear yards and the easternmost portion of the front yard. A gable-roofed carport extends to the rear of the lot. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH 1623 Waterston Avenue is a two-story house with a steeply pitched gabled roof covered with stamped metal shingles, deep eaves, and a shed-roofed addition at the street elevation. The house is clad in horizontal wood siding with wood and vinyl windows and French doors at the second story, leading to a small deck atop a screened porch addition. A brick chimney adorns the main gable. The house at 1623 Waterston Avenue was constructed in 1937 for Margaret Robertson, daughter of Judge James Harvey Robertson. It served as a rental property until at least 1959. Its longest-term residents were Lewis and Lillian Mayfield. Lewis Mayfield worked as a stonemason and was known for his steadfast support of the Austin Pioneers baseball team, never missing a home game. Lillian Mayfield worked as a fitter and seamstress at Juanita Morris Hat Shop and served as president of the senior hostesses of the USO throughout the 1940s. 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 would be replaced with noncontributing new construction. 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 new building is differentiated from historic buildings in the district by its modern fenestration pattern, contemporary materials, and massing/orientation. The gables at the main elevation and the inclusion of a porch enhance compatibility at the streetscape; however, the stucco fencing and irregular fenestration pattern 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 future, the remainder of the district would be unimpaired. STAFF COMMENTS The building contributes to the West Line National Register District and is listed as a potentially contributing resource in a 2018 Clarksville-Buass-Martin neighborhood survey. C.6 - 2 Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate to low integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that the building does not meet the criteria. a. Architecture. The building does not appear to display architectural significance. b. Historical association. 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. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, then relocation over demolition, but release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. Comment on and release plans for new construction, encouraging the applicant to consider a more regular fenestration pattern and transparent fencing at the main elevation. LOCATION MAP C.6 - 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.6 - 4 Street view, 2020  C.6 - 5 Source: Application, 2021 C.6 - 6 Occupancy History City Directory Research, January 2021 Note: post-1959 research unavailable due to facility closure. 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 1947 1944 1941 1939 1937 Alfonso C. Candelas, renter John G. and Gloria Medinella, renters Draftsman, Petroleum Extension Service, UT Vacant Lewis and Lillian Mayfield, renters Lewis and Lillian Mayfield, renters Lewis and Lillian Mayfield, renters Fitter, Juanita Morris Shop Louis and Lillian Mayfield, renters Louis – rock mason Lillian – seamstress, Juanita Morris Hat Shop Louis and Lillian Mayfield, renter Stone mason T. F. and Willie Roberts, renters Meter man Address not listed Biographical Information The Austin American, Jan 2, 1938; Nov 6, 1938  C.6 - 7 The Austin American, Mar 31, 1946; The Austin Statesman, Mar 11, 1953 and Mar 12, 1953 The Austin Statesman, Mar 5, 1972 ROBERTSON, JAMES HARVEY (1853–1912). James Harvey Robertson, attorney, politician, and judge, son of J. R. and Mary (Hunt) Robertson, was born in Roane County, Tennessee, on May 2, 1853. He followed his brother, John W. Robertson, to Austin, Texas, in June 1874 and was admitted to the bar in 1875. He married Susie Marsh Townsend of Austin; they had six children. In September 1876 Robertson established a law practice at Round Rock, and in 1882 he represented Williamson County in the House of the Eighteenth Legislature. In 1884 he returned to Austin, where he became district attorney of Travis County, a post he held until 1890. James Stephen Hogg appointed him district judge in May 1891; Robertson resigned the judgeship in 1895 and worked as Hogg's law partner until 1902. From 1907 to 1911 he represented Travis County in the House of the Thirtieth, Thirty- first, and Thirty-second legislatures. He was author of the Robertson Insurance Law, which required insurance companies doing business in Texas to invest 75 percent of their reserve in the state. He died on March 2, 1912. Biography of Judge James Harvey Robertson. Connor, Seymour V. "Robertson, James Harvey." Handbook of Texas Online. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/robertson-james-harvey  Permits C.6 - 8 Remodel permit, 2-15-79 Water tap permit, 2-15-37 Sewer tap permit, 2-15-37