C.4.0 - 1012 Shelley Ave — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICTS NOVEMBER 15, 2021 HR-2021-160026 WEST LINE NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT 1012 SHELLEY AVE. C.4 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Demolish rear addition on ca. 1915 house and demolish detached garage; construct new rear addition and garage with accessory dwelling unit. 1) Reopen previously enclosed section of the front porch. Remove infill between and restore historic box columns. 2) Repair and selectively replace siding and trim. Install a new stucco foundation skirt and new concrete steps to the porch. 3) Install new fiberglass-clad 1:1 wood windows in an existing opening on the front (east) elevation, under the restored porch, and in enlarged openings on the south elevation. Install three mulled awning windows on the north elevation. Install a new glazed front door with a transom window; replace a secondary door from the porch with a window. 4) Replace composition shingles with standing-seam metal roofing. Install a skylight on the south side of the roof. 5) Demolish existing rear addition and construct a new two-story rear addition. The addition has a low-pitched, standing- seam metal gabled roof with deep overhangs and exposed rafter tails. Cladding is fiber-cement siding, with lap siding on first floor and board-and-batten on the upper floor. The addition has fiberglass-clad casement and awning windows. 6) Construct a detached two-story garage and garage apartment at the rear of the parcel. The building has a similar design to the addition, with lap and board-and-batten siding, casement and awning windows, and a low-pitched gabled roof. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH One-story pyramidal-roofed Classical Revival house clad in horizontal wood siding. A portion of the integral partial-width porch has been infilled with matching siding between the box columns, leaving a central, recessed entrance. Two doors open from the porch, with a transom over the primary door. Windows are 1:1 wood sash. Wood moulding at the tops of the box columns and window trim lends refinement to the otherwise simple house. The house at 1012 Shelley Ave. was constructed around 1915. City directories record early occupants as the families of an employee of the Austin Street Railway and a lieutenant in the Austin Fire Department. During the 1920s, John H., Jr. and Grace Grist owned the house. Their son John R. Grist also is listed as living in the home upon reaching adulthood. John Grist, Jr. was superintendent of production plant of the E.L. Steck Company, a prominent office supply dealer and print shop. He also was an active Mason and a prize-winning competitive shooter. Between 1932 and 1941, Roy David and America Lenora Davis owned the home. Roy Davis was the service manager of Thomson Motor Company. 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 districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Repair and alterations 3. Roofs While there is no known precedent for metal roofing of this house, Standard 3.1 indicates that metal roofs are acceptable in historic districts. Skylights are not specifically addressed in the design standards; however, the proposed skylight is toward the rear of the side-facing roof slope and will not appreciably change the appearance of the house from the street. 4. Exterior walls and trim The teardrop siding and window trim will be retained and selectively replaced, either due to condition or to accommodate modified window openings. C.4 – 2 5. Windows, doors, and screens Standards in this section emphasize retaining intact historic windows and pursuing selective replacement only when absolutely necessary due to deterioration. Per the applicant, the windows merit replacement based on their deteriorated condition. Standard 5.5 indicates that window and door openings visible from the street should not be enlarged, moved, or enclosed. The project entails wholesale window replacement and reconfiguration of multiple openings. The new design includes paired windows on the front and south elevations, whereas historic windows are arranged singly. The grouping of three awning windows on the north elevation will be visible from the street and do not match the historic windows in their size and proportion, operation, or arrangement. Replacement of the side door on the porch with a window also does not match the historic configuration. 6. Porches Standard 6.4 encourages maintaining the open nature of front porches. The project will remove the existing infill to restore the porch’s open configuration. The historic box columns will be retained and repaired. 10. Accessory Buildings The project entails demolition of the existing garage to accommodate the addition and new garage. Like the house, the garage is contributing to the West Line Historic District. Residential additions 1. Location The proposed addition is to the rear of the house and will not appreciably affect the view of the house from the street, per Standard 1.1. Standard 1.3.a indicates that additions that add a story to a historic building should be set back 15’ or more from the front wall, which the proposed design considerably exceeds. Construction will entail demolition of an existing rear addition, leaving the front portion of the house intact per Standard 1.5. The project meets these standards. 2. Scale, massing, and height While the addition does extend beyond the side wall of the house, it appears subordinate based on its placement and height, which is only slightly greater than that of the house. The historic building’s overall shape as viewed from the street remains relatively unaltered, per Standard 2.2.b. 3. Design and style While the addition has more modern elements and overall character than the historic house, it is compatible in its design, per Standard 3.1.b. 4. Roofs The roof pitch is shallower than that of the house, and the roof form is gabled rather than hipped. Paired with a lowered first floor level, the low slope of the roof serves to limit the addition’s overall height to close to that of the historic house. Roofing will be standing-seam metal to match the replaced roof on the house. The project meets these standards. 5. Exterior walls The addition will be clad in a combination of horizontal and board-and-batten fiber-cement siding, which is a differentiated but compatible material, per these standards. 6. Windows, screens, and doors The window and door on the street-facing elevation of the addition are of a different design but similar proportion to those of the historic house. Residential new construction 1. Location 2. Orientation Standards 1.3 and 2.3 indicate that new garages should follow the historic location, setback patterns, and orientation of similar buildings within the district. While the existing garage is accessed with a driveway from Shelley Ave., the new garage apartment is at the back of the lot facing the alley. Both patterns are prevalent within this block. Other standards regarding new construction are not applicable, as the garage apartment will not be visible from the street. Its design is similar to that of the proposed addition, and it is likewise compatible with the historic house. Summary The design of the proposed addition and garage apartment largely meets the standards, but demolition of the contributing outbuilding and reconfiguration of window openings does not. The project will restore the porch to its historic configuration. In response to staff feedback, the applicant has revised the proposed design to retain and repair the porch’s historic box columns rather than install a single round column at the corner. This work will restore one of the house’s most significant character-defining features. C.4 – 3 STAFF COMMENTS The house and garage are contributing to the West Line National Register District. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high 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 a good example of a pyramidal cottage, with modest Classical Revival and Craftsman influences, but it is not architecturally distinguished as compared with other houses of a similar era and building form in the vicinity. 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 Comment on and release the plans. LOCATION MAP C.4 – 4 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.4 – 5 C.4 – 6 Source: Applicant, 2021 C.4 – 7 Occupancy History City Directory Research, November 2021 Robert L. Bynum, owner No return Robert L. and Winnie M. Bynum, owners Accountant James E. and Eliz Maberly, renters Student, University of Texas Eugene G. Cuenod, owner Secretary, Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles Gilbert R. Grant, renter Vacant Roy D. and America L. Davis, owners Service manager, Thomson Motor Co. Roy D. and America L. Davis, owners Service manager, Thomson Motor Co. Roy D. and America L. Davis, owners Service manager, Thomson Motor Co. Roy D. and America L. Davis, owners Service manager, Thomson Motor Co. Roy D. and America L. Davis, owners Service manager, Thomson Motor Co. John, Jr. and Grace Grist, owners Superintendent, E.L. Steck Co. 1927 John, Jr. and Grace Grist, owners Superintendent, E.L. Steck Co. John R. Grist Carpenter John Grist Carpenter John Grist John, Jr. and Grace Grist, owners Superintendent, E.L. Steck Co. John, Jr. and Grace Grist, owners Superintendent, E.L. Steck Co. Mart B. and Martha Turner, renters Lieutenant, Hose Co. No. 6, Austin Fire Department John W. and Donie L. Rodgers, owners Trainman, Austin Street Railway 1916 Address not listed 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 1947 1944 1941 1939 1937 1935 1932 1929 1924 1922 1920 1918 Biographical Information C.4 – 8 John Grist, Jr. was a prize-winning competitive shooter; see The Austin Statesman, 10/24/1919 and 6/29/1927 C.4 – 9 Obituaries for John H., Jr. and Grace Grist, The Austin Statesman, 8/22/1936 and 3/21/1949 C.4 – 10 Obituary for Roy D. Davis, The Austin Statesman, 2/23/1969 Building permit for stucco underpinning, 1944 Permits C.4 – 11 Water service permit, 1941