C.6.0 - 84 Rainey St — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS JANUARY 24, 2022 HR-2021-207562 RAINEY STREET NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 84 RAINEY STREET C.6 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS 2) Rehabilitate the house. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Relocate the ca. 1905 contributing house at 84 Rainey St. adjacent to and behind the contributing house at 78 Rainey St. 1) Relocate the house at 84 Rainey St. behind the bungalow at 78 Rainey St. The house will be oriented along a new east- west pedestrian paseo. It will face north, a 90° rotation from its current east-facing orientation. One-story L-plan Folk Victorian house. The house has a cross-gabled roof with cornice returns and is clad in wood siding. The inset corner porch has turned posts and decorative spindlework. Windows are 2:2 wood sash, with round windows at the gable ends. The house at 84 Rainey St. was built around 1905. The first recorded occupant was Eugene H. Gatlin, a salesperson, who lived in the house between 1906 and 1909. Subsequent residents held a variety of working-class jobs and included a printer, bookkeeper, clerk, oil refinery superintendent, and meat cutter. Between 1929 and 1939, brothers Louis and Leonard Hartung lived in the house. Louis was married to Kathryn Fritts Hartung; after her death in 1932, he was remarried to Mazie Seppa Hartung. Leonard was married to Lena Rumsey Hartung. Louis Hartung was a porter at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel and later a salesman for 7-Up. Leonard Hartung worked for the City Street & Bridge Department for over 25 years. The next long-term owners were Eric J. and Elise M. Lind, who moved into the house around 1947. Eric Lind worked as a roofer. The Linds lived at 84 Rainey St. until their deaths in 1966 and 1970. 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 in National Register districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Demolition and relocation 1.1 Do not demolish or relocate a historic building. 1.2. If demolition or relocation is necessary, ensure the safety of the building and any adjacent properties before, during, and afterwards. The project proposal does not include specifications for the relocation. Effort should be made to minimize damage and maximize retention of historic building materials. For instance, if the porch is removed for the relocation, the turned posts, railing, spindlework, and brackets should be salvaged for reinstallation. Further, the proposal indicates there will be minor modifications and material replacement at the new location. The house appears to be in good condition. Historic materials should be retained and repaired to the greatest extent possible, and selective, in-kind replacement should be performed only for features deteriorated beyond repair. More broadly, maintaining historic buildings in place is generally preferable to relocation. Moving a historic building impacts the integrity of its location and setting. However, high-rise development has vastly impacted and eroded the overall integrity of the Rainey Street National Register district. The proposed project entails preservation of both 78 and 84 Rainey St. While 84 Rainey will be rotated and will no longer address Rainey St., it will continue to have a relationship to the neighboring property behind which it will be located. The paseo will provide a pedestrian connector to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, creating a new street-like frontage for the house. In developing the details of the house’s siting and landscaping, attention should be paid to creating a similar spatial relationship with the paseo as the house currently has with the street. C.6 – 2 PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to the Rainey Street 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 Folk Victorian house. b. Historical association. While the home’s residents were representative of general demographic patterns within the Rainey Street district, the property does not have specific 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 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. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK The applicant presented plans for the project at the January 10, 2022 Architectural Review Committee meeting. Committee members appreciated that the project team sought an alternative to demolition for the houses at 78 and 84 Rainey St. in conjunction with development of a high-rise tower. The location and setting off of Rainey St. will impact the integrity of 84 Rainey St., but committee members agreed the gap between high-rise buildings and creation of a street-like pedestrian paseo will be positive features of the proposed development. Committee members recommended incorporating historical information on Rainey Street in the art at the site. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Release the relocation permit. LOCATION MAP C.6 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.6 – 4 Application, 2022 C.6 – 5 Occupancy History City Directory Research, January 2022 1959 Eric H. Lind, owner 1955-57 Eric H. Lind, owner Roofer 1952 1949 1947 1944 1941 1939 1937 1935 1929 1927 1924 1920 1916 1912 1909 1906 Eric J. and Elsie Lind, owners Mechanic, Little & Goslin Eric J. and Elsie Lind, owner Roofer Eric J. and Elsie M. Lind, owners Roofer, Kuntz Sternberg Jesse E. and Viola Cain, renters Milk sampler, Austin-Travis County Health Unit Frank W. and Delma L. Bradshaw, renters Plumber Louis A. and Mazie Hartung, renters Salesman, 7-Up Bottling Louis A. and Mazie Hartung, renters Porter, Stephen F. Austin Hotel Leonard A. and Lena Hartung, renters Maintenance, City Street & Bridge Department Louis A. Hartung, renter Woodrow C. Hartung, renter 1932 Leonard A. and Lena Hartung, renters Maintenance, City Street & Bridge Department Louis A. and Kath Hartung, renters Porter, Austin Hotel Louis A. and Kath Hartung, renters Shipping clerk, Brown Cracker & Candy Co. Thomas H. and Viola White, renters Meat cutter, Washington Market Robert E. and Dona Witter, owners Superintendent, Gulf Refining Co. Edward R. and Dona Witter, renters Clerk, Murchison-Lee Co. Joseph Burton Bookkeeper, Woman’s Toggery Shop Frank B. Livaudias Printer Eugene H. Gatlin City salesman, John Orr Eugene H. Gatlin City salesman, Deen & Walling 1903 Address not listed Biographical information C.6 – 6 Eugene H. Gatlin rented out a house at 87 Rainey St. while living at 84 Rainey St. Austin Statesman, Aug. 4, 1907, 6. Obituary for Kathryn Hartung, Austin Statesman, Dec. 3, 1934, 2. Obituary for Leonard Hartung, Austin Statesman, May 22, 1964, 18.  Permits C.6 – 7 Left, obituary for Eric H. Lind, Austin Statesman, Oct. 26, 1970, A10. Right, obituary for Elise M. Lind, Austin Statesman, Nov. 26, 1966, 10. Sewer service permit, 1917 Water service permit, 1963  C.6 – 8 Building permit, 1979 Building permit