B.3.0 - 2300 Windsor — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS MAY 4TH, 2022 HR-2022-050309 McCrummen-Wroe House 2300 WINDSOR RD B.3 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Remove non-original porch & patio construction, doors, and windows from the addition and replace them with a new compatible design. 1) Remove the non‐historic semi-circular back porch and change doors on the non‐original wing (addition). a. New porch to be steel wood wrapped to minimize connections to the existing porch. The roof is to be tin. b. Replace existing doors on wing addition for steel doors painted white with true divided lights of compatible c. Light well on the rear elevation of house to be covered by new porch but remain accessible for grill pattern. maintenance. d. Railing around lightwell to be removed (not historic), but brick capping on light well to be left in place, and there will be a removable concrete pad placed over the light well to maintain access. 2) Remove the corner porch in the backyard. a. Corner porch does not match the historic design and is not original construction. b. Interior of the existing stone column is hollow and does not house original columns (per ARC request for internal column investigation). 3) Close off existing non-original door access to the back yard from entry at the back, corner porch. a. Historical Plan indicates a widow originally in the plan at this location. b. New window sill to match existing brick sills. c. Window to match the approved replacement wood, double-hung Marvin windows, and muntin pattern in historic application from window replacements done in 2012. 4) Open the bricked-off wall section under the corner porch to restore the original historic door opening. a. The historic plans for the house indicate a doorway to the backyard under this location. b. New door to be steel and painted white to match the color of existing windows. Lights will be true divided lights. Light proportion is designed to match existing light proportions. 5) Remove steps to the non‐original front patio addition and relocate access to the opposite side of the patio. (East elevation) a. Existing rectangular patio on the front of the house is non original and built after 1961. (see Sanborn map) b. Style of the wall does not match the original historic wall. See Appendix 5. c. Demo portion of existing low wall and replace with new steel iron gate to match back gate (see detail) d. Re. A0.3 Site Plan, A0.5 Demo plan, A1.1 Floor Plan, A3.2 Elevation. 6) Replace existing garage doors with new doors to resemble historic doors. a. Re. Architectural Drawings: A 3.3 b. Re. Appendix 6. 7) Existing historic doors on the front façade to be restored or painted as needed (East elevation) 8) Remove the awning and french doors on the front façade (wing addition). Replace with a new steel door system painted white with a compatible muntin pattern that fits within the existing door opening and a new fabric awning. ARCHITECTURE Two-story rectangular-plan Adamesque-style Colonial Revival side-gabled brick house with a symmetrical façade consisting of a central entry with two window bays on each side. The house has a prominent semi-circular portico on Corinthian columns and a leaded-glass fanlight above the door. Paired glazed doors open onto the balcony above the portico. The house consists of a two-story 5-bay central block with a two-story section on each side; the section to the left of the central block contains an attached garage with double doors opening to the side of the house. The house is ornamented with quoins at the corners of the central block and corners of the house, along with dentil work at the cornice and ornamental keystones above the first-floor windows. Fenestration consists of 9:9 Colonial Revival-style windows on the first floor and B.3 – 2 6:6 Colonial Revival-style windows on the second floor, and secondary bays on each side of the central block. Roy L. Thomas, a prominent Austin architect, designed the house for Dr. Thomas D. and Elizabeth Wroe McCrummen in 1935. The Adamesque form of the Colonial Revival style refers to more elaborate detailing and ornamentation than that found on many Colonial Revival houses of the 1930s, which were noted for their almost severe style. Inside and out, Adamesque houses also featured many more rounded surfaces, including details such as the semi-circular portico prominently featured on the McCrummen-Wroe House. The style takes its name from Robert Adam, a Scottish builder, and designer in the late 1700s, who combined softer elements of the Baroque and Rococo styles of the early 1700s with the rectangular lines of the Georgian styles of his own time. Adam was also noted for integrating the interior design with the exterior and for using classical motifs such as garlands, urns, and medallions on buildings. The Adamesque form of Colonial Revival resulted in more ornate and varied detailing on otherwise symmetrical Colonial Revival houses. It was popular in the design of high- end buildings from the 1890s through the mid-1930s. Historical Associations: The house was built in 1935 for Dr. Thomas D. and Elizabeth Wroe McCrummen and was designed by prominent local architect Roy L. Thomas. Dr. McCrummen was a native of Paris, Texas, but grew up in Austin and graduated from the University of Texas and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He returned to Austin in 1927 and established his practice in the Norwood Building. Dr. McCrummen was Austin’s first pediatric specialist and practiced until he died in 1954. His wife Elizabeth was the daughter of H.A. Wroe, a prominent wagon and buggy dealer and one of Austin’s first automobile dealers. She was active in many civic and charitable organizations, including the Settlement House and Junior League. After her husband’s death, she remained in the house until 1963, when she and her son Thomas D. McCrummen, Jr. sold the house to Ed R.L. Wroe, Jr., and his wife, Frances. Thomas D. McCrummen, Jr., born in Austin in 1934, grew up in this house. He attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and graduated from the University of Texas in 1955 with a business finance degree. He graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking in 1960. During the summers, he had worked part-time while he was in school at the American National Bank, which George Littlefield had founded and run by his grandfather, H.A. Wroe, in its early years. After graduation, he rose through the bank’s ranks, becoming cashier, vice-president, president, and vice-chairman of the board. He also served on the State Securities Board in the late 1960s. Ed R.L. Wroe, Jr., and his wife Ammon, purchased the house in 1963 from Elizabeth Wroe McCrummen. Wroe was born in Austin, graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in business administration, and began work at the American National Bank. He became president of the bank in 1961 upon his father’s death (his father was Elizabeth Wroe McCrummen’s brother). They sold the house to corporate attorney J. Gaylor Armstrong and his wife Kathy in 1981. The Armstrongs lived here for 17 years, then sold the house in 1997 to the current owners, David, and Kimberly Hood. DESIGN STANDARDS The ca. 1935 McCrummen-Wroe House is a local historic landmark that meets the criteria of architectural and historical significance. It is an excellent example of Adamesque Colonial Revival architecture designed by prominent local architect Roy L. Thomas. It is associated with Dr. Thomas D. McCrummen, Austin’s first pediatric specialist, and with two prominent leaders of Austin’s banking community, both at American National Bank: Thomas D. McCrummen, Jr., and Ed R.L. Wroe, Jr., who both served as presidents of the bank during periods of significant expansion in the 1960s and 1970s. 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 historic landmarks. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Repair and alterations 1. General standards The rear porch design is compatible in scale massing and height while not creating a false sense of historicism. Windows and doors utilize historic openings, and only non-historic windows or doors are replaced with compatible materials. 5. Windows, screens, and doors The design restores historic door and window openings and infills a non-original door opening on a rear wall. It replaces doors in an addition section with steel doors painted white with compatible grill patterns and restores and paints original doors only as needed. Replacement and new windows and doors are compatible in design, material, and grill pattern. The B.3 – 3 design is appropriate and meets the design standards. 5.5 Do not enlarge, move, or enclose historic window or door openings that are highly visible from a front or side street. It may be appropriate to restore historic door or window openings that have been enclosed. 5.6 If adding windows or doors is necessary, create new openings on a wall not visible from the front street 5.8 If a historic window or door is missing, replace it with a new unit based on documentation of the historic feature. If no documentation exists, use a new design compatible with the historic opening and the historic character of the building. 5.13 Do not enlarge, move, or enclose any historic window or door openings unless required by an addition. If an opening is being used to connect to an addition, retain the size and configuration of the opening to the greatest extent possible. 5.14 New door or window openings must be limited, appropriate for the building, and compatible with the architectural character. 8. Attached garages and carports The design calls for replacing existing garage doors with new garage doors to resemble the historic doors from the original plans. The design is compatible with the design standards. 8.2 If replacement of character-defining features is necessary, select replacements that match the original as closely as possible in material, texture, size, and finish. Residential additions Porches The new side porch consolidates two porches, neither original construction. Although the corner porch is visible on the Sanborn maps, there is no evidence of its original materials left upon investigating the interior of the masonry columns per ARC request (See photos). The semi-circular porch is thought to date to a 1980s or later addition and therefore not historically significant, although this date could not be verified through building permits. Since neither porch is original construction, their removal and replacement with new construction of a compatible design are appropriate according to the design standards. 7.1 Do not add porches or decks to the front of a historic building unless physical, photographic, or plan evidence exists that the feature was historically present. 7.2 If new back porches and decks will be visible from the street, design them to be compatible with the historic building in terms of size, style, materials, and proportions. Summary The project meets the applicable standards. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK The ARC Committee agreed that the semi-circular back porch addition likely dates from the 1980s or later and is not significant. ARC requested the investigation of the back, corner porch--specifically to open present masonry columns looking for evidence of the original wood porch columns inside. If any original material were found, this historic fabric would need to be retained. The applicant investigated the columns and provided evidence that the original wooden porch columns were not inside. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approve and release the plans as proposed. LOCATION MAP B.3 – 4 PROPERTY INFORMATION B.3 – 5 www.zillow.com, 2022 B.3 – 6 Application, 2022. Documenting non-original construction of rear corner porch. 1961 Sanborn Map, Volume 1, Sheet 54