D.5.0 - 1304 Bob Harrison Street — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS APRIL 26, 2021 HR-2021-044151 1304 BOB HARRISON STREET D.5 – 1 PROPOSAL Partially demolish a ca. 1924 house; construct a rear addition. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS The proposed project involves ten parts: 1) Replacement of the front porch. The new porch will have a slightly larger footprint with full-width steps leading to a concrete deck and a flat metal roof supported by clad-wood steel members at the corners. 2) Replacement of all vinyl-sash windows with single-hung clad-wood windows in existing window openings. 3) Replacement of the existing door with a fully glazed wood door and a sidelight. 4) Replacement of the asphalt shingle roof with a metal roof. 5) Addition of skylights on the front (north) and secondary (west) roof slopes. 6) Repair and paint existing wood siding, trim, and rafter tails. 7) Demolition of side and rear additions. 8) Demolition of a rear deck. 9) Construction of a rear addition with a footprint of 600 square feet. The addition consists of 2-story and 1-story portions clad in vertical metal siding and capped by flat roofs. Windows are casement and fixed aluminum-sash. It is set back behind the historic portion of the existing building, nearly 30’ from the front wall. 10) Construction of a concrete deck behind the addition. One-story house clad in board and batten wood siding and capped with a pyramidal roof with exposed rafter tails. Features include vinyl-sash windows, a flush wood replacement door, and two pipe chimneys. A partial-width entry porch has a shed roof covered in corrugated metal and supported by square columns. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH 1304 Bob Harrison was built by Samuel and Clara Posey between 1922 and 1924, replacing two small rental houses on the same lot. Two generations of the Posey family lived in the house for more than 45 years, until at least 1969, and appraisal district records show that the Poseys sold the house in 1998, after 75 years of ownerships. Samuel Smith Posey was born in 1860 in Texas. By 1870, he was living with his family in Travis County, where his father worked as a field laborer. Samuel worked as a laborer for the Austin Gas Light Co. in 1909, then later for the Kuntz- Sternenberg Lumber Co. as a stacker in the 1920s. He married Jennie Stamps in 1893, and the couple had at least six children. In 1900, the family was living with two lodgers in a house they owned at 502 E. 13th Street (redeveloped after 1965 into a Capitol parking garage). Jennie died in 1905. Census records note that Sam Posey remarried Lizzie Posey by 1920, though she is not listed in the 1922 City directory and the 1930 Census lists Sam Posey as a widower again. He moved from the E. 13th Street house into 1304 Bob Harrison by 1924. In 1940, he was living in the house with three lodgers and a young child (possibly one of the lodger’s). Samuel Posey died in 1941 in Austin. City directories list Clara (or Sarah) Posey as Samuel Posey’s wife beginning around 1924 until at least 1937. This conflicts with Census records showing remarriage and a second widowerhood. No additional information was found about Ms. Posey. Two of Samuel Posey’s grown children, Eva and Eddie, occupied the house from around 1947 until at least 1969, moving from the house where they had grown up on E. 13th Street. Eva Lee Posey was born in 1898 in Austin. She worked as a cook for a family in 1920, then as a servant in a family home in 1930 and 1940. She lived with her father, then her brother Leon and his family, on E. 13th Street before moving to Bob Harrison to live with her brother Eddie. She died in 1968 in Austin. Eddie Posey was born in 1906 in Austin. A graduate of Huston-Tillotson College, he served as vice president of the local alumni chapter. Later, he attended People Business College and was one of five “outstanding citizens” honored at the 1955 graduation. Posey worked as a porter at the State Capitol (1940-1947, 1959) and a shoe shiner (1920, 1952). He was active in community life as a Mason and a trustee in Wesley Methodist Church. Eddie Posey died in 1969 in Austin. D.5 – 2 STANDARDS FOR REVIEW Repair and Alterations The City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards are based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and are used to evaluate projects on historic landmarks. The following standards would apply to the proposed project if the property were designated as a landmark: General Standards 1.1 Do not remove intact historic material from the exterior of a building. 1.2 Always attempt repair first. Replacement should only be undertaken when absolutely necessary, and for the smallest area possible. 1.3 When historic material must be replaced due to damage or deterioration, replacement material should look the same, perform reliably within the existing construction, and, in most cases, be made of the same material. The proposed project repairs and retains historic wood siding and trim, but it also proposes the replacement of historic porch material with new material of a different design. The project partly meets these standards. 1.5 When demolishing additions or features that were built after the building’s period of significance, minimize damage to the building. The proposed project replaces a rear addition with a new addition. The project meets this standard. Roofs 3.1 When replacing roof material, use a material that is appropriate to the building’s history and character. 3.5 Owners of landmark properties must replace roofs with material that approximates the appearance of the historic or existing roof material. d. Standing seam metal roofs, despite their historic look, are generally not acceptable for historic landmarks unless the owner can document that the building historically had a standing seam roof. The proposed project replaces an asphalt shingle roof with a metal roof. This is in keeping with the building’s character, as well as the character of modestly scaled vernacular houses nearby. Additional research into contemporary vernacular houses in the area would be useful to ensure the roof material is appropriate. 3.2 When replacing roof material, retain the configuration; pitch; soffit detailing; character-defining features such as chimney, gutters, and ventilation systems; and design, configuration, and detailing of eaves. The proposed project retains the roof form and character-defining features, but it adds skylights to the front (north) and secondary (west) roof slopes. The project partly meets this standard. 3.3 Retain and repair historic decorative roof elements. The proposed project retains the exposed rafter tails and meets this standard. 3.4 Do not add decorative roof elements that were not historically present. The proposed project retains the simple design of the roof and does not add decorative roof elements. The project meets this standard. Exterior Walls and Trim 4.1 Repair, rather than replace, historic material, unless it is deteriorated beyond the point of stabilization or restoration. The proposed project repairs existing wood siding and meets this standard. 4.7 Obtain historic approval before changing exterior paint colors or painting unpainted masonry. 4.8 Do not remove or replace exterior cladding and trim for additional insulation. This information was not collected as part of the initial project application. If the Commission finds that the house is potentially eligible for historic designation, staff will obtain this information. 5.1 Repair, rather than replace, historic windows, doors, and screens; and their trim, surrounds, sidelights, transoms, and Windows, Doors, and Screens D.5 – 3 shutters, unless they are deteriorated beyond the point of stabilization or restoration. Retain windows if 50% or more of the wood or metal sash members are intact. The existing windows and doors are replacements. Existing trim will be retained and repaired. The project meets this standard. 5.7 If replacing a non-original door, identify the historic style of the door through research, or look to nearby similar properties to guide the choice of a replacement. The non-original flush wood door is proposed to be replaced with a fully glazed wood door. If the Commission finds that the house is potentially eligible for historic designation, additional documentation should be sought and/or historic doors on nearby similar properties identified as potential models. The project does not currently meet this standard. 5.8 If a historic window or door is missing, replace it with a new unit based on documentation of the historic feature. If no documentation exists, use a new design compatible with the historic opening and the historic character of the building. The proposed project replaces vinyl-sash windows with single-hung clad-wood windows in the existing window openings. No known documentation exists, but the design is compatible with the historic openings and historic character of the building. See standard 5.7 for discussion of the door. The project partly meets this standard (for windows). 5.13 Do not enlarge, move, or enclose historic window or door openings unless required by an addition. If an opening is being used to connect to an addition, retain the size and configuration of the opening to the greatest extent possible. 5.14 New door or window openings must be limited, appropriate for the building, and compatible with the architectural character. The proposed project retains historic window openings. It adds an opening adjacent to the front door for a new sidelight, a prominent change not in keeping with the existing building’s historic character. The project partly meets this standard. Porches 6.1 Repair, rather than replace, historic porch decking, piers, columns, railings, skirting, and trim, unless they are too deteriorated. The proposed project removes the porch decking, columns, and railings. If the Commission finds that the house is potentially eligible for historic designation, documentation of deterioration would be needed before removal was approved. 6.2 If it is necessary to replace historic elements, use compatible material with matching dimensions and details. Compatible materials include wood, rot-resistant material, or matching masonry and concrete. 6.3 Maintain porch dimensions and height. The proposed project replaces the concrete porch deck with a slightly larger concrete porch deck, though the applicant has indicated they are willing to retain the existing porch dimensions. The four square columns will be replaced with two clad- wood steel columns at the corners only. The project currently does not meet this standard. 6.4 Maintain the open nature of front porches. The proposed project does not enclose the front porch; it meets this standard. 7.1 If the chimney is a character-defining feature of a building, it must be repaired or replaced with a matching design, elements, and materials. The proposed project retains one of two chimneys and partly meets this standard. Chimneys Residential Additions Location 1.1 Locate additions to the rear and sides of historic buildings to minimize visual impact. 1.3 If an addition adds a story to the historic building, set it back from the front wall to minimize visual impact. a. If the historic building has a side-gabled, cross-gabled, hipped, or pyramidal roof form, set the addition behind the roof ridgeline or peak. The proposed addition is located at the rear of the existing building and preserves the building’s form. The project meets this standard. 1.5 Minimize the loss of historic fabric by connecting additions to the existing building through the least possible invasive location and means. D.5 – 4 The proposed addition is connected to the rear of the existing building, where non-historic additions are currently located. The project meets this standard. 1.6 Additions are not appropriate for all historic landmarks and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Staff believes that the location, scale and massing, design, and materials of the proposed addition are compatible with and differentiated from the building. Scale, Massing, and Height 2.1 Design an addition to complement the scale and massing of the historic building, including height. The addition must appear subordinate to the historic building. 2.2 Minimize the appearance of the addition from the street faced by the historic building’s front wall. a. If the addition connects to the historic building’s rear wall, step in the addition’s side walls at least one foot (1’) from the side walls of the historic building. b. The historic building’s overall shape as viewed from the street must appear relatively unaltered. The proposed addition recognizes the one-story height and rectangular massing of the existing building. Though it includes a double-height portion, it is only slightly taller than the ridgeline of the house. It will be visible from the sides, but appears subordinate to the building through its rear location—entirely behind the historic-age portions of the existing house and 30’ from the front wall—and slight setback on the east side of the south (rear) wall. The western side of the addition extends slightly past the rear wall; if the Commission finds that the house is potentially eligible for historic designation, staff recommends discussing this element with the Architectural Review Committee. The project partly meets this standard. Design and Style 3.1 Design additions to be compatible with and differentiated from the historic building, if they are visible from the street. a. Design proportions and patterns such as window-to-wall area ratios, floor-to-floor heights, fenestration patterns, and bay divisions to increase compatibility. b. Do not replicate the design or details of the existing building to a degree that the addition might be mistaken as historic. The proposed addition is generally compatible with and differentiated from the existing building, with similar window-to- wall area ratios on the side walls visible from the street. If the Commission finds that the house is potentially eligible for historic designation, staff recommends discussing floor-to-floor heights with the Architectural Review Committee to ensure maximum compatibility. The project somewhat meets this standard. 3.2 No particular architectural style is required for addition design. Designs in both traditional and contemporary styles can successfully achieve compatibility and differentiation with historic buildings. The proposed addition is designed in a modern style, with boxy massing, flat roofs, metal cladding, and ornamentation limited to minimal trim. Its vertical metal cladding references the historic board and batten wood cladding on the existing house. The project meets this standard. 4.1 If an addition will be visible from a street on the front or side, design its roof form and slope to complement the roof on the historic building. The roof of the proposed addition is flat. This minimizes the height of the addition and is compatible with the simple geometric pyramidal form of the existing house. The project meets this standard. 4.2 Use roof materials that match or have similar color, texture, and other visual qualities as the roof on the historic building. Not applicable, as the materials of the addition roof will not be visible. 5.1 If an addition will be visible from a street on the front or side, use exterior wall materials that are compatible with those on the historic building in scale, type, material, size, finish, and texture. 5.2 Differentiate the exterior wall materials of the addition from those of the historic building. This could be accomplished by using different materials, using the same materials with different dimensions, or changing trim type or dimensions. Roofs Exterior Walls The vertical metal cladding on the proposed addition is a modern, close-textured reference to the historic board and batten siding and is both compatible with and differentiated from the existing building. The project meets this standard. Windows, Screens, and Doors 6.1 If an addition will be visible from a street on the front or side, use windows that are compatible with those on the existing building in terms of material, fenestration pattern, size, proportion, configuration, and profile. Windows on the addition’s side walls have header heights that match those of the existing window openings, and the first- floor window on the addition’s east wall matches the adjacent opening on the existing building. The window proportions on the addition’s west wall could better reference the window openings on that wall of the existing building. If the Commission finds that the house is potentially eligible for historic designation, more information would be needed about the proposed trim. The project partly meets this standard. D.5 – 5 6.2 Do not use windows with false muntins inserted inside the glass. The addition windows will not use false muntins; the project meets this standard. Porches and Decks 7.2 If new back porches and decks will be visible from the street, design them to be compatible with the historic building in terms of size, style, materials, and proportions. The concrete deck at the rear southwest corner will be set back nearly 39’ from the front wall and minimally visible from the street. It will have a low profile, without railings or cover, and will be very subordinate to the historic building. The project meets this standard. STAFF COMMENTS The house was recommended as a contributing resource to a potential historic district by the East Austin Historic Resource Survey (2016). 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain a moderate to 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 may meet the criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a) Architecture. The building embodies the distinguishing characteristics of the National Folk style and may be significant under this criterion. b) Historical associations. The house was owned and occupied by Samuel Posey and his adult children Eva and Eddie Posey between 1924 and 1969. The Posey family does not appear to have contributed significantly to the history of the city, state, or nation, though readily accessible archival material on African American Austinites is limited; and more research may reveal additional information. However, the Poseys appear to represent working-class African Americans who purchased and maintained a home for decades at a time when few financial, policy, and legal resources were available, and may be significant as an example of a definable group of people in early- to mid-20th century Austin. 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 appear to 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 Consider whether the house meets the criteria for historic landmark designation. If so, postpone the case to May 24, 2021, or initiate historic zoning to allow additional research and conversations with the property owners; and refer the proposed project to the Architectural Review Committee for feedback. If the Commission does not believe the house meets the criteria for landmark designation, release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP D.5 – 6 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos D.5 – 7 Source: Google Street View, July 2019 Source: Zillow.com, ca. 2011 D.5 – 8 Benjamin Norris (colored), renter (listed as 1204 E. 14th Street) Fred and Ella Jones (colored), renter (listed as 1204 E. 14th Street) Laborer, Butler Brick Works Samuel and Clara Posey, owners (listed as 1204 E. 14th Street) No occupation listed Samuel and Clara Posey (colored), owners (listed as 1204 E. 14th Street) Stacker, Kuntz-Sternenberg Lumber Co. Samuel Posey (colored), owner (listed as 1204 E. 14th Street) Laborer, Kuntz-Sternenberg Co. Jesse and Meddie Amos, owners Porter, Texan Hotel (Jesse); Maid, Texan Hotel (Meddie) Benjamin Norris (colored), renter Laborer, no employer listed Address not listed Benjamin Norris (colored) Laborer, no employer listed Occupancy History City Directory Research, March-April 2021 1914 1916 1920 1922 Existing house likely constructed around 1924 1924 1927 1929 1932 1935 1937 1939 1941 1944 1947 1949 Edward I. Posey, renter Porter, State Capitol Samuel Posey, owner Occupation not listed Samuel Posey, owner Occupation not listed Samuel Posey, owner Occupation not listed Eva L. Posey, owner Occupation not listed Eva L. Posey, owner Occupation not listed Samuel and Sarah Posey, owners Occupation not listed Beulah Crayton + 4 children, renters Maid, employer not listed D.5 – 9 Eva L. Posey, owner Occupation not listed Eddie Posey, owner Occupation not listed Eddie Posey, owner Occupation not listed Eddie I. Posey, renter Shoe shiner, employer not listed 1952 1955 1957 1959 1969 Note: City directories are not currently available for online research past 1959, but the death certificate for Eddie Posey lists his home address as 1304 Bob Harrison. A 1979 building permit lists Leon Posey (Samuel’s son and Eddie’s brother) as the applicant; it is not known if he lived in the house. Leon’s son Odie (Otis) G. Posey sold the property in 1998; it is not known if he lived in the house at any time. (Con’t on next page) Eddie Posey, owner Janitor, State Capitol Building Eva Posey, renter Occupation not listed Eddie Posey Biographical Information D.5 – 10 “Business College Graduation Slated,” The Austin American, 3/13/1955  D.5 – 11 Death announcement for Eddie Posey, The Austin Statesman, 7/13/1969 Permits and Maps Water service permit, 8/27/1974 Building permit issued to Leon Posey, 11/1/1979 City records also include a 1998 building permit for a remodel. No plans or other details are included.  D.5 – 12 1922 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, sheet 82 (then called Walnut Street) 1935 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, sheet 204 (Bob Harrison Street) 1962 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, sheet 204 (Bob Harrison Street)