D.9.0 - 909 W Annie St — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 PR-2021-130003 909 W. ANNIE STREET D.9 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Partially demolish a 1939 house, construct a two-story addition, and replace windows and siding. 1) Construct a rear and second-story addition. The addition extends the height of the ridge of the side-gabled roofline and adds a shed-roofed dormer and balcony over the front porch. Roofing will be standing-seam metal. 2) Replace 1:1 wood windows with new windows. Windows are to be installed in existing openings on the front of the house, but windows on the sides will be reconfigured. Replace the existing front door with a new door and sidelights. Replace wood siding with new lap siding. Window, door, and siding materials are not specified. One-story, side-gabled bungalow clad in wood siding. The house has a central gabled porch with box columns and partial height square piers at the front steps. The porch is flanked on both sides by paired 1:1 windows with decorative screens. Side elevations have paired windows at the first floor and single 1:1 windows at the attic level. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH The house at 909 W. Annie St. was owned throughout the historic period by Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso. Cecil Kelso (1907–1988) worked as a projectionist in Austin movie theaters for at least 45 years, beginning in 1927. He served on a Motion Picture Board, an advisory body to City Council, during the 1950s. In an interview in the Austin Statesman in 1972, Kelso remarked, “The modern films aren’t for me. My favorites are Walt Disney and family types” and classic films. Dorothy Kelso (1916–2010) was a teacher at Allison and Webb elementaries. Their son Gordon Kelso (1941–2018) was a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. While a student at the University of Texas and working for a local television station, he filmed broadcast footage of the UT tower shooting. DESIGN STANDARDS 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 at potential historic landmarks. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Repair and alterations 3. Roofs The standards indicate that metal roofing is generally acceptable within historic districts but should only be installed on landmarks if there is historic precedent. The house currently has composition shingle roofing and likely had wood shingles originally. 4. Exterior walls and trim Standard 4.1 calls for repair rather than replacement of historic wall materials. The project entails replacement of existing siding across the house and addition. 5. Windows, doors, and screens Standard 5.1 emphasizes retention of historic windows, doors, and screens, whereas the project calls for replacement of these elements. The windows on the front elevation will be replaced in the same size and configuration, but sufficient detail is not included to evaluate how closely the new windows will match, per Standard 5.3. Windows on the side elevations that are visible from the street will be reconfigured, contrary to Standard 5.5. Additionally, the front door will be replaced with a new, modern door with sidelights, which was not the historic configuration. Residential additions 1. Location The addition adds to the rear of the house but also increases the overall height of the roof and introduces a front dormer. D.9 – 2 2. Scale, massing, and height Standards 2.2 and 2.3 emphasize minimizing the appearance of the addition from the street. The large front dormer and replacement of the gabled roof of the porch with a balcony do not meet these standards. 3. Design and style Additions should be differentiated but compatible with the historic building, per Standard 3.1. The proposed addition reclads and reconfigures the house in a way that does not differentiate old from new. Standard 3.3 indicates that dormers should not be added on front-facing roof slopes. 5. Exterior walls Standards 5.1 and 5.2 indicate that exterior wall materials for additions should be differentiated but compatible with those on the historic building. While the proposed horizontal lap siding on the addition is compatible, siding on the house will also be replaced to match. 6. Windows, screens, and doors The addition has some windows that match the house and are compatible. Those of the front-facing dormer are horizontal fixed windows that do not relate to the historic window types and proportions. 7. Porches and decks Standard 7.1 indicates that porches or decks should not be added to the front of a historic building except to replace missing historic features. Replacement of the porch roof with a balcony does not meet this standard. Summary Modifications to the façade and wholesale replacement of windows and siding do not meet the applicable standards. PROPERTY EVALUATION The Bouldin Creek Neighborhood: Historic Resources Survey and Assessment (Preservation Central, Inc., 2016) lists the property as contributing to a potential Becker School Historic District, recommended as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and as a local historic district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building retains a high degree of integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (Land Development Code §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it does not appear to meet two criteria: a. Architecture. The house is a good example of a later bungalow with modest Craftsman influences. b. Historical association. The house has a longstanding association with the Kelso family. Cecil Kelso was a projectionist, and Dorothy Kelso was a teacher. While of interest, the family does not appear to have had a lasting impact on Austin’s history. 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 the applicant to consider design changes to reduce the impact on the house, namely retaining the gabled roof on the front porch, reducing the size of the dormer, and retaining the original windows and siding on the façade; but release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package, consisting of 8 x 10” photographs of all elevations printed on photographic paper, a dimensioned sketch plan, and a narrative history for archiving at the Austin History Center. LOCATION MAP D.9 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos D.9 – 4 Applicant, 2021 Occupancy History City Directory Research, Historic Preservation Office, 2021 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 1947 Cecil E. Kelso, owner Occupation not listed Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Service manager, Texas Educational Aids Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Projector operator, Ritz Theatre Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Serviceman, Visual Education Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Projectionist, Ritz Theatre Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Projectionist, E. W. Hegman 1944 1941 Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Projectionist Cecil E. and Dorothy B. Kelso, owners Film operator, Ritz Theatre 1939 Address not listed Historical Information D.9 – 5 Excerpt from “Many Advisory Groups Ready to Help Council,” The Austin Statesman, 12/5/1955; see also “Austin Citizen Groups Prove Able Advisors in Time of Need,” The Austin American, 8/19/1951.  Cecil Kelso served as a pallbearer at theater owner J. J. Hegman’s funeral. The Austin Statesman, 2/17/1953. D.9 – 6 D.9 – 7 “Old-Time Projectionists Don’t Watch the Movies These Days,” The Austin Statesman, 4/16/1972 D.9 – 8 Dorothy Kelso Friday, December 10th, when the sun came up and the morning clouds parted, God's Heavenly Quilters scooted over one place making room for Dorothy Beulah Emily Bluhm Kelso. Ninety-four years and forty-two days of an exceptional life of dedication to her Lord and Savior, her family, her community, and her countless treasured students softly came to a close as she passed from this life to the assurances of God's kingdom and grace. Born October 30, 1916 in Yorktown, Texas, Dorothy was the fourth child of William and Augusta (Boldt) Bluhm's six children... three boys, three girls... all deceased with the exception of one older brother (aged 96), Earl Bluhm, Sr. of Austwell, Texas. She was an extraordinarily motivated student, became high school valedictorian, and rewarded with an academic scholarship to Southwest Texas State Teacher's College (now Texas State). Dorothy earned her teacher's certificate two years later and began her teaching outreach in a tiny, South Texas, one-room school house. Shortly after establishing herself as an ingenious and accomplished teacher, she returned to her Austwell home to assist her grieving family in coping with the untimely death of her baby sister, Lucille. It was during this period she met and later married (November 12, 1939) Cecil E. Kelso of Milam County and moved together to their new home at 909 West Annie Street, South Austin. Once settled, the young couple chose Grace United Methodist Church (East Monroe) as their spiritual home where Dorothy was instantly recruited into a career of divinely guided children's Sunday-school instruction. September, 1941, Dorothy gave birth to her only child, a son, Gordon W. Kelso who she actively supported in all things imaginable from Cub Scout Den Mother, to Little League practice pitcher, to the loudest and proudest sideline Mom... always there, always giving of the deepest mother's love and devotion, examples of which are endearingly recorded in the Book of Holy Scripture. In the '50s, Dorothy and Cecil became charter members of Fidelis Chapter 963, Order of Eastern Star where she received, not long ago, her 50-year service award. In the mid-'60s, she returned to Texas State to earn her bachelor's of elementary education and re-entered the teaching profession at Allison Elementary School. After retiring from AISD's Webb Elementary, Dorothy's long commitment as one of Grace Church's celebrated Quilters, produced, with other equally creative Ladies, countless works of sewing art currently found and enjoyed in homes throughout Austin. A devoted UT sports fan, many a doily and colorful afghan were crocheted throughout the years as she listened to and cheered her favorite Longhorn teams to victory. The Spurs, Cowboys, Astros and UT Women's Basketball teams were an endless joy for her up to and including her last days... no truer sports fan has ever lived. Dorothy Kelso was pre-deceased by her parents, her siblings (with the remarkable exception of an older brother), and her husband of 49 years, Cecil (5-23-88). She is survived by son Gordon, his wife Rita, a granddaughter, Gwendolyn Anne Kelso (currently a graduate student at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.), numerous nieces, nephews, and their children throughout Texas and Virginia. The family wishes to thank the staff of Heart to Heart Hospice; specifically, nurses Lana Vincik and Catherine Fales and daily caregivers Teresa Cruz and Reyna Pettengill. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 2:00 p.m., Sunday, December 19, 2010 in the Chapel of Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home with Reverend Linda Kessie officiating. Interment will follow at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Memorial Park. Instead of flowers, the family would appreciate contributions be made in Dorothy's honor to Grace United Methodist Church, 205 E. Monroe, Austin, Texas, 78741 for their several special ministries and / or the Scottish Rite Children's Theatre [a 501.c3 charity providing Austin area children with quality, wholesome, and traditional lifetime theatre memories], 207 W. 18th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701. Obituary for Dorothy Kelso, The Austin American-Statesman, 12/15/2010 KELSO, Gordon Wayne Austin native Gordon Wayne Kelso laid down his earthly working tools on Saturday July 21. His lengthy battle with the ravages of diabetes is over. Gordon was born Sept. 20, 1941, to Cecil and Dorothy (Bluhm) Kelso. His formative years were spent in South Austin, where he was a member of Grace Methodist Church, the Boy Scouts and attended Becker, Fulmore, and Travis High School. Gordon was proud of his Texian heritage as members of his mother's family came to Texas from Germany in 1843.Gordon's parents preceded him in death. He met and married the former Rita Ann Dunlap of Philadelphia while she was a principal skater for the Ice Follies and Gordon was the sound engineer. Gordon and Rita have been married D.9 – 9 for 48 years and have one daughter, Gwendolyn Ann, of New York City and Austin. Following high school, Gordon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, attaining the rank of corporal where he used his keen eye as a photojournalist. He returned to Austin to the University of Texas. During his time at UT, he was employed by the fledgling KHFI-TV, Channel 42. On duty the day of the infamous UT Tower shooting, Gordon brought up one of the station's heavy video cameras, trained its telephoto lens on the Tower and sent exclusive live coverage to NBC in New York City. Shortly thereafter, what is now Channel 36 became the NBC affiliate in the Austin area. Later he was the first production stage manager for the Frank C. Erwin Center. Gordon became a Master Mason in 1969. He served as Worshipful Master of Austin Lodge 12 and of Texas Lodge of Research. His writing skills earned him the James D. Carter Literary Excellence Award. He also became a member of the Austin Scottish and York Rites of Freemasonry and Ben Hur Shriners. He was General Secretary of the Austin Scottish Rite. For all his fraternal and civic efforts, he was made a 33rd Degree, Inspector General, Honorary. He also served as Sovereign of Saint Austin Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine. Gordon was very proud to have been appointed an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy by then Texas Gov. Rick Perry. He was a founder of the Anson Jones Chapter of the Texas Navy. The family gives special thanks to Compassionate Care Hospice. Visitation will be Thursday, August 02, 2018 at the chapel in Austin Peel and Son Funeral Home from 3:00P.M - 8:00P.M. 607 E Anderson LN Austin Texas, 78752 Masonic and military burial services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday at Central Texas Veteran's Cemetery in Killeen. Obituary for Gordon Kelso, Austin American-Statesman, 8/1/2018 Permits Building Permit, 1939 Sewer Connection Permit, 1939