C.1.0 - 1411 Ethridge Ave — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS JUNE 1, 2021 HR-2021-154877 OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 1411 ETHRIDGE AVENUE C.1 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Demolish a ca. 1939 contributing building and associated outbuildings. Two-story, symmetrical-plan, cross-gabled Classical Revival house with 6:6 and 9:9 wood windows, horizontal siding, and a full-width porch supported by boxed columns. Details include dentils at cornice, sidelights and transom at front door, Classical cornice returns at gable ends, and wood shutters. The house and outbuildings at 1411 Ethridge Avenue were built in 1939 for Claude A. and Clara Williams. Claude Williams served as Texas’ assistant Secretary of State at the time of the home’s construction. He went on to head the Texas Unemployment Commission. By 1949, Dr. Revace (called Sam) and Margaret Ann Swearingen had purchased the property. Dr. Sam Swearingen served as the chief of staff, chief of surgery, and chairman of the Board of Trustees at Brackenridge Hospital; he later became chief of staff at the Austin State Hospital, medical director of the Denton State School, and medical director of the San Angelo State Center. Toward the end of the historic period, in the late 1960s, the Villaseñor family moved into the house. Lois Villaseñor, along with her husband Charles, had opened Mission Funeral Home on East Cesar Chavez Street—the first funeral parlor that catered to Latinos in segregated Austin—in the 1950s. According to her obituary, Villaseñor “was one of only a handful of women to graduate from a mortuary college in Houston [in 1961]. She was the first Latino woman to serve on the Texas Funeral Service Commission as a 1989 appointee of Gov. Bill Clements. She also served on the boards of Catholic charities and Latino political groups, serving at one point as the president of the local LULAC council.”1 PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to the Old West Austin 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 may meet two criteria: a. Architecture. The building is constructed in the Classical Revival style. b. Historical association. The property is associated with Lois and Charles Villaseñor, Claude A. Williams, and c. Archaeology. The property was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human Dr. Revace Swearingen. 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 may include a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. Further landscape research may be required. 1 Price, Asher. “COVID-19 claims Texas funeral home matriarch who for decades helped Latino families cope with death.” Austin American-Statesman, August 13, 2020. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Consider initiating historic zoning. Should the Commission decide against initiation over owner objection, require completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package prior to permit release. Additionally, new construction in National Register districts must be reviewed by the Commission prior to release of the demolition permit. C.1 – 2 LOCATION MAP C.1 – 3 Photos PROPERTY INFORMATION C.1 – 4 C.1 – 5 C.1 – 6 Application, 2021 Occupancy History City Directory Research, September 2021 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 1947 Revace O. and Margaret Swearingen, owners Physician, 2 Medical Arts Sq. Revace O. and Margaret Swearingen, owners Physician, 2 Medical Arts Sq. Revace O. and Margaret Swearingen, owners Physician, 611 W 15th St. Revace O. and Margaret Swearingen, owners Physician, 611 W 15th St. Revace O. and Margaret Swearingen, owners Physician, 611 W 15th St. Claude A. and Clara Williams, owners Lawyer Claude A. and Clara Williams, owners Chairman and Executive Director, Texas Unemployment Compensation Commission C.1 – 7 Claude A. and Clara Williams, owners Assistant Secretary of the State of Texas 1944 1941 1939 Address not listed Biographical Information The Austin American (1914-1973); Jul 9, 1939 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Sep 5, 1939 C.1 – 8 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Dec 16, 1941; The Austin American (1914-1973); Jan 9, 1944 and Jan 6, 1946 C.1 – 9 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Oct 22, 1957 and The Austin American (1914-1973); Mar 18, 1962 C.1 – 10 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Jun 10, 1964 C.1 – 11 The Austin American Statesman (1973-1980); Mar 11, 1974 C.1 – 12 The Austin American Statesman (1973-1980); Mar 12, 1974 C.1 – 13 C.1 – 14 C.1 – 15 C.1 – 16 Permits Sewer Service Permit, 1939 Building Permit, 1939 Building Permit, 1957 C.1 – 17 Building Permit, 1969