C.9.0 - 1314 Westover Road — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS APRIL 26, 2021 HR-2021 050043 OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 1314 WESTOVER ROAD C.9 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Demolish a ca. 1938 contributing building and construct a new building. 1) Demolish existing residence. 2) Construct a new building. The proposed residence is two stories, clad in stucco, and capped by a compound hipped and side-gabled roof clad in standing-seam metal. Its garage is front-facing, and the east elevation features a partial-width covered porch supported by Classical columns. Fenestration is irregular throughout and consists primarily of 3-pane casements and single-pane fixed windows. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH One-story hipped-roof house with brick veneer and stucco siding. It has 1:1 and fixed windows, deep eaves, and an inset entryway. The house at 1314 Westover Road was constructed in 1938 by Eugene H., Jr. and Vallie K. Gatlin. Eugene Gatlin worked as a supervisor for the state highway department and for Nelson Davis & Son; Vallie Gatlin was a clerk for the Texas Secretary of State. Between 1944 and 1947, the Gatlins sold the property to their renters, Clarence L. and Henrietta Cline. Clarence Cline was an English professor at the University of Texas, where he served as chair of the English department for two terms. He translated and published throughout his career, specializing in Victorian literature. In 1981, the University of Texas created the Cline Room at the Harry Ransom Center in his honor and established the Dr. Clarence L. and Henrietta F. Cline endowment to support English scholars. STANDARDS FOR REVIEW The City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards (March 2021) are based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and are used to evaluate projects in National Register Historic Districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Demolition and relocation 1.1 Do not demolish or relocate a historic building. The proposal includes demolition of a contributing building. Residential new construction 1.1 Set back a new primary building from the street in line with nearby historic buildings. 1.2 Locate a new building to maintain the rhythm of contributing buildings on the street. The proposed new building is set back 31’-9” from the street. There are no other contributing buildings on the block face. The existing building is approximately 32’ from the street, as are the contributing buildings across the street. 2.1 Orient a new building to be consistent with the predominant orientation of contributing buildings on the same block. 2.2 Orient a new building towards the primary street. 2.3 For detached garages, match the predominant garage orientation found on the block’s contributing properties. Do not use front-loaded garages on blocks where rear or alley-loaded garages historically were present. The proposed new building is oriented toward the primary street, as are surrounding contributing buildings. The proposed new building uses a front-loaded garage, while the existing house has a rear detached garage. 3.1 Design the height of new buildings to respond to nearby contributing buildings and the dimensions of the lot. C.9 – 2 3.2 Design the massing of new buildings to reflect the character of nearby contributing buildings. 3.3 Use step-downs in building height, wall-plane offsets, and other variations in building massing to provide a visual transition when the height of new construction exceeds that of adjacent contributing buildings by more than one-half story. The proposed building is two stories in height. Nearby contributing buildings are a combination of one- and two-story buildings. The proposed massing is complex and does not reflect the character of nearby contributing buildings. Some visual transitions are present in the single-story entry portico, porch, and eastern and western bays. There are no adjacent contributing buildings. 4.1 Design the proportions of new buildings to be compatible with those of contributing buildings on the same block. There are no contributing buildings, other than the existing building on this lot, of the same orientation on this block face. The proportions of the new building deviate from those of the existing building. 5.1 Design new buildings to be compatible with the character of the primary building, historic district, and/or historic landmark in terms of scale, massing, proportions, patterns, materials, and architectural features. 5.2 Design new buildings to be differentiated from historic buildings. 5.4 If designing a building in a modern style, use corresponding modern architectural details. 5.5 Do not combine character-defining features from different architectural styles unless similar eclectic buildings were historically present in the historic district. The proposed new building is differentiated from nearby contributing buildings, and its modern architectural details correspond to its modern form and style. However, its architectural details, compound roofline, and inset porch display a complexity and eclecticism that is not present in the simple forms and details of surrounding contributing buildings. 6.1 Design simple roof forms that reflect the character of the roofs on contributing buildings. 6.2 Any roof details such as dormers, eave detailing, and bargeboards must correspond to the form and architectural style of the new building. 6.3 Select roof materials that match or are compatible with the roofs on contributing buildings, particularly buildings with a similar form and architectural style to the new building. a. Metal roofs in a historic district may be appropriate, depending on the type of metal proposed. Contributing hipped-roof buildings exist nearby, though they do not display the complexity of form of the proposed roof. Roof details appear consistent with the modern, eclectic style of the proposed new building. It is not likely that metal roofs were historically present in the district; however, other contributing buildings nearby have metal replacement roofs. 7.1 Use exterior wall materials that are compatible with the character of the historic district in scale, type, material, size, finish, and texture. 7.3 Do not use vinyl or aluminum siding. 7.4 Make the use, pattern, and arrangement of secondary materials compatible with the character of the district. 7.5 Avoid windowless walls visible from a street, unless such walls are a character-defining feature of the historic district. There is one stucco-clad contributing building in the proposed new building’s vicinity. The proposal does not use vinyl or aluminum siding; there are no visible secondary materials or windowless street-facing walls. 8.1 Design street-facing facades to have similar window and door opening patterns as nearby contributing buildings. 8.2 Select windows that are compatible with nearby contributing buildings in terms of size, configuration, and profile. 8.4 Locate front doors of new primary buildings so that they are visible from the street, unless another entrance location is a character-defining feature of the historic district. 8.5 Match the style, proportions, and materials of the front door to the building’s style and design. The proposed new building does not have similar window patterns or designs to nearby contributing buildings. The front door is visible from the street and appears to match the proportions and style of the building. 9.1 Include a porch in the design of new primary buildings if the majority of contributing buildings on the same block have porches. 9.2 Design new porches that reflect and continue the size, proportions, placement, depth, and rhythm of porches on contributing buildings within the district. There are no contributing buildings of a similar orientation on the block. The proposed side porch does not reflect the size, proportions, placement, or depth of other contributing buildings nearby. 11.1 In historic districts, construct a new attached garage at the front only if it matches the predominant garage location and orientation found on the block’s contributing properties and is appropriate to the building’s form and style. 11.2 Set attached garages and carports back from the front wall of the building to minimize their visual prominence. The proposed garage is front-facing and attached to the primary building. There are no contributing properties of the same orientation on the block. It is set back behind the projecting portico, but not the main wall of the façade. C.9 – 3 The project meets some of the applicable standards. STAFF COMMENTS The building contributes to the Old West Austin National Register Historic District. 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 criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it does not meet two criteria: a. Architecture. The building is an early Ranch-style house. b. Historical association. The property does not appear to have significant historical associations. c. Archaeology. The property was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d. Community value. The property 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 omit the arched dormer and choose simpler massing and rooflines for the new building. LOCATION MAP C.9 – 4 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.9 – 5 Source: applicant, 2021 C.9 – 6 1955 Munsey and Alberta Wilson, renters Wilson & Cottingham Construction Engineers (828 Brown Building) Occupancy History City Directory Research, April 2021 1959 Hugh C. Blodgett, owner 1957 Hugh C. and Yvonne Blodgett, owners Professor at UT Carol Blodgett, renter Student 1952 Clarence L. and Henrietta Cline, owners Associate professor at University of Texas 1949 Clarence L. and Henriette F. Cline, owners Associate professor at University of Texas 1947 Clarence L. and Henriette Cline, owners Professor at University of Texas 1944 A. Eugene H., Jr. and Vallie Gatlin, owners Clerk Clerk, Secretary of State B. Clarence L. and Henrietta Cline, renters Instructor at University of Texas 1941 Eugene H. Jr., and Vallie K. Gatlin, owners Supervisor, Nelson Davis & Son 1939 Eugene H. Jr. and Vallie K. Gatlin, owners Division supervisor, State Highway Department Secretary Smith, Goldsmith, and Bagby Biographical Information The Austin American, Apr 17, 1938 and Statesman, May 4, 1951 C.9 – 7 The Austin Statesman, Jun 21, 1955 and Aug 31, 1955 The Austin Statesman, Dec 23, 1959 C.9 – 8 Austin Statesman, May 5, 1961 The The Austin American, Jul 22, 1962 C.9 – 9 The Austin Statesman; Dec 2, 1965 and Nov 10, 1969 The Austin Statesman, Jun 6, 1971 https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/default/files/offices/board-of-regents/files/historical-regents-rules- regulations/PartOne/RRRPOneNamingsMO.pdf Permits C.9 – 10 C.9 – 11