D.2.0 - 1202 E. 6th St. — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS MARCH 28, 2022 PR 2022-023217; GF 2022-028967 1202 E. 6TH STREET D.2 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE Demolish a circa 1940 single-family residential structure. 1202 E. 6Th Street is a one-story stucco bungalow with a front gable roof and Craftsman reminiscent style. It has a full-width porch, and four tapered, square columns support the low pitched roof. The roof has an unenclosed overhang. It has a centrally placed door surrounded by two window assemblies each composed of two 1:1 windows. All windows appear to be 1:1 vinyl replacement windows with the lower sash covered by metal protection bars. According to City Directory records, this is likely a rear unit, often referred to as a back house. Back houses are single‐family residences located behind a main house, typically at the rear of the lot. While most back houses open onto the alley and allow for parking along the alleyway, some houses only provide access from the main street, forcing the occupant to pass by the main house in order to reach the back house. Backhouses served multiple purposes, including lodging for servants or as rental property to bring in extra income. There is an additional entrance door on the East elevation with alley access. The addition of a stucco veneer, and a fenced front lawn that some may consider to simulate the feel of the traditional Hispanic courtyard house plan could be interpreted as an example of how the Mexican American aesthetic was applied to the Craftsman Bungalow in East Austin, and provides a historical narrative of the neighborhood. RESEARCH The primary house at 1202 E. 6Th Street was built circa 19041. Its first occupant was Samual W. Scott, a laborer who lived in the home until 1912. Then Edwin C. and Ethel Overstreet rented the home for approximately five years from 1920-to 1925. Edwin and Ethel were listed as plasterers in the City Directory. George H. and Barbara E. Theilen, proprietors of East Austin Bakery, lived in the house in 1927. Their bakery was one of many to operate out of the historic Clements Market/The Sport Bar building next door at 1200 E. 6th Street2. After this time, the house was a popular home for renters in the service industry: such as tailor Romulo and his wife Blasa Santa Ana, watchmaker Jose and Josephine Siliceo; barber Jesus and Marie Castillo, Maria Gomez, a maid, and Mary Rico, who worked in hosiery repair. Between the 1935 and 1962 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, a rear unit was constructed on the lot. Beginning in the mid- 1940s, City Directories list two families at the address, and by 1952, directories clearly call out the rear unit. By 1955, Marie Rico, a dishwasher for the Driskill Hotel, was listed as the owner of the rear unit and remained the owner, according to Travis County tax records, until 1986. The 1202 E. 6th street residence was developed during a time of rapid expansion in East Austin outlots. Many previously unplatted areas were developed to meet the continuing demand for residential neighborhoods. The new electric‐powered streetcar system provided an alternative means of intra‐city travel that enabled residents to work and conduct business in the downtown core but live in more remote areas. The streetcar system also allowed East Austin residents a means to travel to other neighborhoods for domestic‐related jobs and it ran directly in front of this residence. The openness and inclusiveness of this transportation mode changed when the City of Austin passed an ordinance in 1906 that required Black patrons, many of whom lived in East Austin, to enter public streetcars from the back door and sit in the rear. This local implementation of Jim Crow laws spurred a short‐lived boycott of the streetcars.3 1 East Austin Survey, 2016 2 Kristina Kupferschmid, HHM & Associates, Inc., National Register of Historic Places nomination for Clement’s Market/The Sport Bar, 2021, https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/Austin%2C%20Clements%20Meat%20Market_The%20Sport%20Bar%20NR%20SBR%20 Draft.pdf. 3 East Austin Survey, 2016. D.2 – 2 PROPERTY EVALUATION The East Austin Historic Resources Survey (Hardy Heck Moore, Inc., 2016) lists the property as contributing to a potential East 6th Street Historic District. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate 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 does not appear to convey architectural significance due to loss of context from demolition of the front house and lack of a clearly distinguishable architectural style. 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 significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, then relocation over demolition, but release the permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP D.2 – 3 Property Information Photos D.2 – 4 Demolition permit application, 2022 Occupancy History City Directory Research, March 2022 1959 1957 Vacant Rear – Marie Rico, owner Dishwasher Driskill Hotel Mary Rico, renter Hosiery repair 802 ½ Congress Ave Beatrice Contreras, renter Rear – Marie Rico, renter Brigida Rico, renter (widow of Luis) Mary Rico, renter Hosiery repair 9 Grand Silver Office building D.2 – 5 1955 1952 1949 1947 1944 1941 1939 1937 1935 1932 1929 1927 1924 1920 1916 1912 Manuel and Beatrice Contrado, renters Mechanic CB Smith Motors Rear – Marie Rico, owner Mary Rico, renter Hosiery repair 802 ½ Congress R9 Manuel and Beatrice Cantiloas, renters Mechanic US Body Shop Rear - Connie Rico, renter Operator Hausman Beauty Shop Mary Rico, renter Hosiery repair 9 Grand Silver Office building Address not listed Amaro Gomez, renter Maria Gomez, renter Maid Felipe Gusman, renter John and Delores Olivo, renters Painter Dill’s Paul and Mary Cruz, renters Helper Russell C. Faulkner Inc. Vacant Jesus and Marie Castillo, renters Barber Jose and Josephine Siliceo, renters Watchmaker Grace Johnson, renter Romulo C. and Blasa Santa Ana, renters Tailor George H. and Barbara E. Theilen, renters Proprietor East Austin Bakery Edwin C. and Ethel Overstreet, renters Plasterer Edwin C. and Ethel Overstreet, renters Plasterer Thomas Simpkins, owner Cook Samuel W. Scott Expressman 1909 Samuel W. Scott Laborer 1905 Address not listed D.2 – 6 The electric streetcar in East Austin at the corner of Waller and East 6th Streets. Source: Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, Austin, Texas Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps D.2 – 7 Sanborn map, 1935 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, May 1962, vol. 2, sheet 207 Permits D.2 – 8 Water service permit, 1943 Sewer service permit, 1947 Building permit, 1947 D.2 – 9