D.6.0 - 803 W. James Street — original pdf

Backup

HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS APRIL 26, 2021 HR-2021-044071 803 W. JAMES STREET D.6 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Demolish a ca. 1935 house and non-historic accessory building (built 1999, not evaluated for significance). One-story rectangular-plan house with board and batten wood siding, side-gabled roof, partial-width porch, and 4-over-4 wood-sash windows. The house at 803 W. James Street was built around 1936 by James A. and Clara M. Hobbs (nee Polvado). James Hobbs was born around 1883 in Texas. He managed a gas station (1937) and later worked as a serviceman for the Austin Phonograph Co. (1944, 1941). James and Clara divorced in the late 1930s, and James moved out of the house by 1944. He died in Austin in 1961. Clara Mae Polvado was born in 1917 in Austin, where her father was a construction worker. In 1920 the family was living in Fort Worth. Clara married James Hobbs before 1934, and the couple had two children before divorcing in the late 1930s. Clara married Clinton Cayce in 1939; the next year, the couple was living with her parents on Haskell Street. They had at least two children together. Clara was living in Lockhart and working at the State Hospital when she died in 1964. From around 1944 until at least 1959, Robert L. and Willie Hobbs lived in the house. Robert was born in 1882 in Texas. He worked as farm laborer in Burnet (1900 and 1910) and Nueces County (1920) and a custodian at the University of Texas during the 1940s and possibly the 1930s. Robert Hobbs died in 1960 in Austin. Willie Hobbs was born in 1888 in San Saba, Texas, where her father worked as a farmer. She married Robert Hobbs around 1905, and the couple had at least eight children. In 1910, the Hobbs family was living in Burnet, where Willie worked as a laborer on their farm. By 1920, they had moved to Nueces County. In 1930, the family was living in East Austin on Willow Street, where Robert worked as a laborer and Willie worked as a janitor at a high school. They moved to W. James Street by 1944. Willie Hobbs died in 1977 in Austin. STAFF COMMENTS The house does not appear to be eligible for designation as a historic landmark. Historic landmarks must meet the following criteria: 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain a high degree of integrity. 3) Properties must meet two historic designation criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated this property and determined that the house does not meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a) Architecture. The building does not appear to convey architectural significance. b) Historical association. The building does not appear to have 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 re-use, then relocation over demolition, but release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP D.6 – 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photographs D.6 – 3 803 W. James Street. Source: Google Maps, January 2020. James A. and Clara M. Hobbs, renters Manager, Travis Co. Oil Co. Station No.3 James A. and Clara M. Hobbs, renters Serviceman, Austin Phono Co James A. Hobbs, renter Serviceman, Austin Phonograph Co. Address not listed Address not listed Occupancy History City Directory Research, March 2021 1932 1935 1937 1939 1941 1944 1947 1949 1952 1955 1957 Robert L. and Willie Hobbs, owners Helper, UT Robert L. and Willie Hobbs, owners Custodial worker, UT Robert L. and Willie Hobbs, owners Occupation not listed Robert L. and Willie Hobbs, owners Occupation not listed Robert L. and Willie Hobbs, owners Occupation not listed Robert L. and Willie Hobbs, owners Assistant, UT  1959 Biographical Information Robert L. Hobbs, owner Occupation not listed D.6 – 4 Obituary for Robert L. Hobbs, Austin Statesman 2/13/1960. Death notice for Clara Mae Cayce, Austin Statesman 2/11/1964. Permits D.6 – 5 Sewer connection permit issued to J. A. Hobbs, 4/6/1936. City records also show permits for repairs in 1981 and a detached studio in 1999.