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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS JUNE 1, 2022 GF-2022-050222 1100 EAST 5TH STREET D.2 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE Demolish a compound Quonset hut warehouse erected on or moved to the lot ca. 1948. 1100 East 5th Street is an example of a rare multiple Quonset hut composed of five connected barrel-arch units, all of corrugated steel paneling. Roll-up metal bay doors provide access at the vault ends. A corrugated metal hood protects the western entrance, while the eastern portion of the site has been redeveloped into outdoor event space. Quonset huts are generally accepted as a historically significant building typology within preservation industry standards. An example context statement from The City of Los Angeles describes Quonsets “as an important World War II-era building type and method of construction, notable for its simple construction, distinctive shape, and use of prefabricated materials, and flexible interior plan. Intact examples represent the design and development of a low-cost and highly-versatile structure by the U.S. Navy for military use during World War II, and its adaptive reuse for housing and other uses during the postwar years.”1 In a 2003 historic thematic resource survey for the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, principal historian Adam Thomas notes that “[The Quonset hut] is one of the most unique American building forms ever created.” 2 “[It] was an engineering marvel,” asserts John Vara in the Journal of Light Construction. “It could be shipped anywhere and…assembled by a 10- man crew in one day, using only hand tools. Throughout World War II, the Quonset became the standard military utility building of all regions and climates…At the end of the war, […] Quonsets were everywhere, from homes to churches and auto dealerships […] Quonsets are now a rarity.”3 In 2015, Preservation Austin honored 1100 East 5th Street with a Merit Award for outstanding rehabilitation and adaptive reuse by Thoughtbarn and Delineate Studio. “Austin's most iconic Quonset hut on East Fifth might well have been demolished for parking, or an apartment complex had not a development team led by Richard Kooris and Dennis McDaniel stepped in to transform it into Fair Market, hands down one of the most stunning event spaces in the city.”4 RESEARCH The warehouse at 1100 East 5th Street was constructed in 1948-1949 by Ben H. Powell, Jr. Powell purchased the land from the nearby railway, which had previously used the lot for storage,5 and rented it out to the Steck Company. Powell, son of a prominent Austin judge, became an attorney after attending Virginia Military Institute, the University of Texas, and Harvard University in the 1930s,6 then worked in military defense in Washington before returning to Austin in 1945 to practice law.7 As a lieutenant colonel in the Army, Powell received a Legion of Merit award for his work in internal security, War Department policy development, and protection of foreign P. O. W.s.8 Powell later became general counsel, then executive vice president and director of Houston engineering firm Brown & Root, as well as the chairman of the American National Bank of Austin.9 Ben Powell, Jr. and his wife, Kitty King Powell, began the Powell Foundation in 1967 to provide charitable funds to the arts, education, conservation and healthcare.10 When considering warehouse construction, Powell’s background in the Armed Services likely led him to the economic 1 City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, 2015. “Sub-theme: The Quonset Hut, 1941-1965.” Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement. 2 Thomas, Adam. 2003. Soldiers of the Sword, Soldiers of the Ploughshare: Quonset Huts in the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area Historical Context and Survey Report. Advance Planning Department, City of Fort Collins, Colorado. 3 Vara, John. 2010. A Brief History of Quonset Huts. www.jlconline.com /how-to/roofing/a-brief-history-of-quonset-huts_o 4 “News.” Delineate Studio. http://www.delineatestudio.com/newsupdates/2015/12/10/delineate-studio-project-fair-market-part-of-2015- preservation-austins-merit-awards 5 "Other 7 -- no Title." 1946.The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Feb 22, 7. 6 "Ben Powell Takes Honors at V. M. I." 1936. The Austin American (1914-1973), Jun 21, 1. 7 "Ben Powells have Guests: Family to Visit for Holidays." 1941.The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Dec 23, 12. 8 "Col. Powell Arrives in Time for Holidays." 1945.The Austin American (1914-1973), Dec 30, 2. 9 "2 Austinites New Directors of Federated." 1975.The Austin American Statesman (1973-1980), Jun 29, 1. 10 https://www.powellfoundation.org/history D.2 – 2 wartime surplus from Central Texas military bases, the Austin-based Tex Building Equipment Co.,11 or Houston-based National Steel Products when considering warehouse construction. Survey L.A.’s thematic context statement on Quonset huts and architect-historian team Chris Chiei and Dr. Julie Decker’s Quonset: Metal Living for a Modern Age define clues to 1100 E. 5th Street’s potential origin. “Private manufacturers continued to produce Quonset huts in a limited capacity after the war…for housing, storage, commercial, or light industry uses. However, the United States military found itself with a surplus of Quonset huts which it sold to the public for approximately $1,000 apiece. These huts were adapted for a wide variety of everyday peacetime uses and functioned as housing, churches, supermarkets, barns, retail spaces, restaurants, garages, and industrial factories.”12 The “Multiple Utility Building,” measuring 82 feet by 102 feet, could be modified to extend in set increments in both directions. “It accomplished larger spans by introducing a rectilinear steel frame upon which arched roof segments were joined one to the other with low, sloping valley gutters,” remark Chiei and Decker. “It was possible to add an endless number of modules in increments of 61'-6" in one direction and 100' in the other…In the years following World War II, National Steel Products exceeded this by construct[ed] their Houston headquarters from an assemblage of units covering more than five full acres.13 Thus, it is possible that the structure at 1100 E. 5th Street was purchased from a nearby military installation or from a nearby manufacturer, then erected on-site. The building originally housed the Steck Company’s Warehouse No. 1 and remained in use until the company’s purchase and dissolution in the mid-1960s. According to the Hart Graphics collection at the Austin History Center: The Steck Company began as the Christian publishing house Firm Foundations. Firm Foundations started in the late 19th century in Austin and published weekly bulletins and songbooks for the Church of Christ. In 1912, E. L. Steck took over the printing side of the business from his father and founded the E. L. Steck Company, which continued to publish works for Firm Foundations well into the 1920s. In 1921 they dropped the ‘E. L.,’ changing the name to the Steck Company, and continued to prosper as a general line commercial printing company selling printing, lithographing and stationery to cities, schools, counties, banks and commercial accounts in Texas. In 1928 the Steck Company facilities moved to 9th and Lavaca streets, where it prospered for many years. In 1937, it produced the first four-color process on newsprint in the U.S.14 Steck’s business soared after World War II, becoming a major employer in Austin as GIs returned home. In a 2004 zoning change report for E. L. Steck’s landmarked home, Steck—Austin’s first city manager—incorporated the Steck Company in 1932, served as president until 1947, and then chairman of the board, building the company into one of the largest publishing concerns in the Southwest.15 The 1928 Steck Company headquarters at 9th and Lavaca are still extant, although modified; other known midcentury production and warehouse facilities on Steck Avenue and Shoal Creek Boulevard have been demolished.16 After the Steck Company changed hands and moved its facilities elsewhere, the building at 1100 E. 5th Street served a variety of businesses, including a sailboat company, an office furniture warehouse, a rock and crystal store, and an event space. PROPERTY EVALUATION The 2016 East Austin Historic Resource Survey lists the property as not eligible for local designation, as it does not recognize the Quonset hut as a distinct building style. The 2005 Saltillo District survey lists the property as a medium priority. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high to moderate integrity. The bay doors have been replaced, though the openings themselves do not appear to have been modified to an extent compromising the building’s overall integrity of form; the leftmost bay door appears to have been extended to the ground from the original loading-dock height to allow accessibility from the street. Wood bay door panels have been removed, though they may not have been original to the 11 "Quonset." 1946.The Austin American (1914-1973), Apr 21, 17. 12 City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, 2015. “Sub-theme: The Quonset Hut, 1941-1965.” Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement. 13 Chiei, Chris and Julie Decker. Quonset: Metal Living for a Modern Age, http://quonsethuts.org 14 Hart Graphics, Inc. Records, 1915-2003. Austin History Center. https://txarchives.org/aushc/finding_aids/00169.xml 15 Sadowsky, Steve. “Zoning Change Review Sheet: C14H-04-0007.” Apr 26, 2004. 16 Hudgins, Matt. “Hart Graphics Site for Sale.” Austin Business Journal, Apr 29, 2001. https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2001/04/30/story4.html D.2 – 3 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and building. determined that it may meet two criteria: a. Architecture. The building is a good example of a multi-bay Quonset hut and may be the last remaining five- bay specimen in Austin. The Quonset hut was originally intended to be a temporary building type, but this particular building has gained recognition over the years in Austin. Preservation Austin named it “Austin's most iconic Quonset hut” in 2015 when its rehabilitation received the organization’s Merit Award. b. Historical association. The property is associated with Lt. Col. Ben H. Powell, Jr, and with the Steck Company, a major influence on Austin’s economy during the time of its construction. The original 1928 Steck Company headquarters at 9th and Lavaca are extant, though the production building’s fenestration has been somewhat modified. No other midcentury Steck warehouse facilities exist. E. L. Steck’s 1921 home at 305 E. 34th Street is landmarked, though it is more strongly associated with Steck’s development of the E.L. Steck Addition in the 1920s. 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; however, the Commission may consider the building’s role as an example of Austin’s changing identity as development bridged the gap between World War II and the postwar commercial boom. 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 If the Commission feels that the warehouse’s associations are individually significant, along with its clear architectural merit, consider initiation of historic zoning. Should the Commission decide against initiation, approve the application upon receipt of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP D.2 – 4 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos D.2 – 5 Google Street View, 2022 https://www.pinterest.com/fairmarketatx, n.d. D.2 – 6 Street View showing the eastern entrance, added concrete steps, and bay door heights. “A one-of-a-kind…unique community space housed in an iconic Quonset-hut-style building and surrounded by the vibrant character of East Austin.” https://www.austintexas.org/listings/fair-market/7331/#details. Interior photographs showing existing structural components from https://vimeo.com/672366943 and https://www.thoughtbarn.com/projects/fair-market/ Pre-rehab, the building was TOPS Furniture Warehouse and Nature’s Treasures. https://www.loopnet.com/property/1100-E-5th-St- Austin-TX-78702/48453-191769/ D.2 – 7 Aerial view, https://www.pinterest.com/fairmarketatx/ Occupancy History City Directory Research, April 2022 Steck Co. (warehouse No. 1) Steck Co. (warehouse No. 1) Steck Co. (warehouse No. 1) Steck Co. (warehouse) Address not listed 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 Permits Sewer service permit, 1948 Water service permit, 1948 D.2 – 8 Building permit, 1968 1958 aerial photograph showing proximity to rail lines and previously constructed storage warehouses D.2 – 9 Steck Company headquarters at 9th and Lavaca, 2022, Google Street View D.2 – 10 Douglass, Neal. [The Steck Co. building], photograph, March 21, 1948; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth62787/m1/1/: accessed April 28, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Douglass, Neal. Steck Company Building, photograph, January 4, 1950; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth63103/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. D.2 – 11 "Ben Powell Takes Honors at V. M. I." 1936. The Austin American (1914-1973), Jun 21, 1. "Ben Powells have Guests: Family to Visit for Holidays." 1941.The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Dec 23, 12. D.2 – 12 “Quonset Hut Layouts,” https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Online%20Reading%20Room/Manuals%20and%20Publications/Manuals /Quonset%20Huts/QH%20layouts.pdf "Mrs. Ben Powell, Jr., to Return to Arlington." 1943.The Austin American (1914-1973), Aug 08, 1. "QUONSET BARN." 1945.The Austin American (1914-1973), Nov 04, 10. D.2 – 13 "Col. Powell Arrives in Time for Holidays." 1945.The Austin American (1914-1973), Dec 30, 2. "Other 7 -- no Title." 1946.The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Feb 22, 7. D.2 – 14 "QUONSET." 1946.The Austin American (1914-1973), Apr 21, 17. "Display Ad 57 -- no Title." 1947.The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jan 02, 17. "Apartments Scheduled Near UT." 1948. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jul 08, 18. D.2 – 15 "Display Ad 4 -- no Title." 1968.The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), May 13, 3. "2 Austinites New Directors of Federated." 1975.The Austin American Statesman (1973-1980), Jun 29, 1.