C.9.0 - 1505 Alameda Dr — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS FEBRUARY 28, 2022 HR-2022-006510 TRAVIS HEIGHTS-FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 1505 ALAMEDA DR. C.9 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Demolish a ca. 1947/1982 contributing house. Construct a new single-family residence with a pool. 1) Total demolition of a ca. 1947/1982 contributing house. 2) Construction of a Contemporary-style single-family house with an attached rear carport. The proposed house is two full stories plus a penthouse and rooftop deck. The house has a flat roof with overhanging eaves; various siding materials including vertical wood, stucco, and metal panels; large, fixed windows with casement and hopper sashes; and a screened front porch. The carport opens onto the alley. 3) Installation of an in-ground pool in the front yard, behind a privacy wall. ARCHITECTURE Two-story, irregularly shaped stucco house that shows influences of the International style. A one-story portion of the house is capped by a steeply pitched shed roof. To the right, the second story projects to the front and side of the house, with the overhangs supported by pipe columns. This second-story volume has a flat roof with wide eaves. The front porch consists of a stoop with a flat-roofed overhang. Windows are steel casements. Note that the 1962 Sanborn map shows a small one-story residence on this lot. A building permit record from 1982 notes “addition to residence to create a two-story residence,” but the accompanying permit and drawings are not available. RESEARCH DESIGN STANDARDS The house at 1505 Alameda Dr. was built around 1947 for Marion Storm by contractor C. Ben Hibbetts. Mrs. Storm was the director of the Texas Social & Legislative Conference. She died in a car crash in 1950.1 Subsequent occupants included the proprietor of the Famous Café, a member of the U.S. Air Force, a clerk at the State Highway Department, and an assistant attorney at the State Attorney General’s Office. 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: Residential new construction 1. Location Alameda Dr. curves along the front of the lot. The proposed house is set back 25’ at its nearest point from the property line. Neighboring properties have irregular setbacks, with some set closer to the street as it bends along Blunn Creek. 2. Orientation 11. Attached garages and carports The house faces the street, with the carport behind the house at the alley. This follows the historical patterns on the street. 3. Scale, massing, and height The proposed house is three-stories in height, including the penthouse and roof deck. This parcel is adjacent to a row of two- and three-story noncontributing houses. Contributing houses in the vicinity are single-story. 4. Proportions While the house has a relatively narrow width and greater height than neighboring properties, the penthouse and roof deck are stepped back from the front, giving the main façade more balanced proportions. 1 “Mrs. Marion Storm, Three Others Die in Central Texas Car Wrecks,” Austin Statesman, July 3, 1950, 1. C.9 – 2 5. Design and style The proposed building’s design and style are not compatible with nearby contributing buildings. However, it is within a row of noncontributing buildings of various styles, including modern designs. 6. Roofs While the new house will replace a flat-roofed house, other contributing buildings in the vicinity have gabled roofs. 7. Exterior walls While the new house will replace a stucco house, other contributing buildings in the vicinity have horizontal wood siding. The vertical wood siding, in combination with two other siding materials, is more complex and not compatible. 8. Windows and doors The large windows of the new house do not reflect the fenestration patterns of nearby contributing buildings. Sites and streetscapes 1. Walls and fences The proposed privacy wall at the front of the property does not reflect the development patterns within this neighborhood. It also will be over 4’ in height and will not have a high degree of transparency. Summary The project meets few applicable standards. PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to the Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain low integrity. A permit record indicates the second story was added in 1982. 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: historic alterations. a. Architecture. The house shows International-style influences but is not architecturally significant due to non- b. Historical association. The property does not 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 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 Comment on and release the plans, and release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP C.9 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos C.9 – 4 Photograph from Zillow.com, 2022. Occupancy History City Directory Research, February 2022 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 Linward P. Shivers, renter Assistant attorney, State Attorney General Office Glen and Yvonne Cochran, renter USAF Glen and Yvonne Cochran, renters Glen – USAF Yvonne – Clerk, State Highway Department Mrs. Jimmie Woodham, renter Famous Café, 513 W. 5th St. Marion B. Storm, owner (widow of Joe) Director, Texas Social & Legislative Conference 1947 Address not listed Historical information C.9 – 5 “Lead Present Voters’ League,” Austin American, Sept. 16, 1945, A2. “Mrs. Storm to Talk to Voters Group,” Austin Statesman, May 7, 1947, 11; and “Mrs. Marion Storm,” Austin Statesman, July 5, 1950. C.9 – 6 “For Harry and Alben,” Austin Statesman, Oct. 5, 1948, 6. Excerpt from “Building Permits Issued,” Austin Statesman, Apr. 4, 1947, 15. Permits Building permit, 1947 C.9 – 7 Water service permit, 1947 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps Sewer service permit, 1947 The 1962 Sanborn map shows a small one-story tile residence on this site. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1935-1962, vol. 2, sheet 225, accessed via Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/.