21.0 - 1116 W 6th St — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS AUGUST 3, 2022 DA-2022-098782; HR-2022-105301 WEST LINE 1116 W. 6TH STREET & 1114/1116-B W. 6TH STREET 21 – 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1927 contributing commercial building and ca. 1895 contributing house. Construct a multi-lot mixed use development. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS 1) Demolish the commercial building and partially reconstruct the façade at 1116 W. 6th Street. Potential materials for the reconstruction include white brick or stone, reuse of existing brick, concrete, or treated or charred wood. 2) Demolish the residential building located immediately behind the store. 3) Construct a mixed-use development spanning the block to Blanco Street. The proposed redevelopment includes multi- level structures of varying materials, with flat-roofed upper floors and roof decks stepped back from the first- and second-floor façades. ARCHITECTURE The 2005 West Line National Register Historic District nomination describes 1116 W. 6th Street as follows: One of a number of Mission Revival-style commercial buildings on the north side of W. Sixth Street, this brick two-part commercial block was built in 1927. A three-bay storefront on the ground floor consists of central double doors flanked by expansive plate-glass windows; an additional door at the end of the facade leads to stairs to the upper floor. The second-story facade, punctured by paired and triple double-hung wood windows, terminates in a shaped parapet. A suspended metal awning covers the sidewalk, and a canted clay tile roof below the parapet shades the second-floor windows. To the east side of the building, a recessed porte-cochere is surmounted by a one-room wing. Centered on the stuccoed front elevation of the wing is a cluster of three windows, and wood stairs lead to an adjacent exterior door sheltered by a metal awning.1 1116-B W. 6th Street/1114 W. 6th Street is an L-plan Folk Victorian house. It appears to be side-gabled, with traditional cornice returns, and has a board-and-batten rear addition with a hipped roof of corrugated metal. It is not visible from the primary W. 6th Street frontage. RESEARCH From 1927-1944, the building housed a grocery run by Alexander (Alex) and Annie Junck Fischer, who lived on the upper floor. The Fischers sold the building to Raymond Campi, who also owned the cluster of small commercial buildings on the other corner of the block. Campi operated Capitol Floors until 1955. The building was then occupied by Bill Bunch Flowers, a florist shop run by Gus T. Bunch. The Bunch family lived either in the upstairs half of the commercial building or in the rear house, addressed alternately as 1114, 1114 ½, and 1116-B throughout the historic period, until at least 1968. The house, which appears to be one of the oldest extant buildings on the block, appears to have been rented out by the proprietors of the commercial building since its construction in 1927. Further research may be warranted to assess its integrity. DESIGN STANDARDS 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: Commercial new construction 1. Location The proposed development appears to have first-floor structures mostly in line with the historic buildings currently on the streetscape. However, the proposed courtyard entrance does not maintain the rhythm of the streetscape. 2. Scale, massing, and height The proposed development’s massing somewhat reflects the massing of the existing streetscape; however, bay divisions are 1 Myers, Terri and A. Elizabeth Brummett. "West Line Historic District." National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form. Texas Historical Commission, Austin, October 12, 2005. https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/NR/pdfs/05001166/05001166.pdf 21 – 2 spaced regularly throughout, giving a monolithic appearance that does not reflect the streetscape’s scale. Though the buildings are multiple stories, the upper floors appear appropriately stepped back. The building’s uniform height appears monolithic. 3. Design and style The proposed development is somewhat appropriate in style, with the exception of the courtyard entrance (see 1). 4. Materials The building materials appear mostly compatible. Efforts should be made to retain and reuse historic-age brick and to retain textural details where possible. 5. Storefronts The proposed development does not contain large windows or prominent entrances, with the exception of the incompatible courtyard entrance. 6. Parking structures The proposed parking structure is located underneath the development and will not affect the streetscape. Sites and streetscapes The proposed development moves existing street parking to an underground garage and reconstructs sidewalks. It appears to remove existing curb cuts on the block, opting to route pedestrians through the 1116 W. 6th Street façade for courtyard access. The proposed project also falls within the Castle Hill Historic District. See Item B.4 for assessment under the Castle Hill Design Standards. Summary The project meets some of the applicable citywide design standards. PROPERTY EVALUATION Both buildings on the property contribute to the West Line National Register district. The district nomination recommends it as individually eligible for landmark designation. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The buildings are more than 50 years old. 2) The primary building appears to retain high to moderate integrity. The secondary building appears to maintain moderate to low integrity; however, it is not visible from the primary street frontage. 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 a good example of a Mission Revival two-part commercial block b. Historical association. The property is associated with grocers Alex and Annie Fischer. 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 a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK Retain the historic commercial building at 1116 W. 6th Street, rather than demolishing and reconstructing the façade. Maintain the rhythm of the street, using existing patterns as reference. Do not rely on plantings to enhance pedestrian experience. Do not deconstruct the building for use as courtyard entrance. Retain textural details. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Concur with Committee feedback. Consider referral to the September meeting of the Architectural Review Committee meeting for further discussion. Strongly encourage preservation and adaptive reuse, but release the demolition permits upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP 21 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 21 – 4 Google Street View, 2022 21 – 5 West Line NRHD nomination, 2005 Douglass, Neal. West Sixth Street at Blanco, photograph, January 1, 1945; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33250/m1/1/?q=%22west%20sixth%22: accessed July 19, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. 21 – 6 Occupancy History City Directory Research, July 2022 Bill Bunch Flowers Gus T. Bunch Bill Bunch Flowers Gus T. Bunch, owner 1959 1955 1952 1949 1944 1941 1937 1932 1927 1924 1920 1916 1912 1909 Capitol Floors Raymond C. and Elsie B. Campi, owners Salesman Capitol Floors Raymond C. and Elsie B. Campi, owners Proprietor, Capitol Floors Raymond Campi Grocery Raymond and Elsie B. Campi, owners Proprietors, grocery Alex Fischer Grocery Alex and Annie Fischer, owners Proprietors, grocery Alex Fischer Grocery Alex and Annie Fischer, owners Proprietors, grocery Alex Fischer Grocery Alex and Annie Fischer, owners Proprietor, grocery Alfred B. and Julia Croisdale, renters Plumber, Hayser & Linscomb J. H. and Alice Cooper, owner Frank W. and Ellen S. Murray, owners Trainman, Austin Street Railway Company Frank W. Murray Trainman, Austin Street Railway Company Frank W. Murray Conductor, Austin Street Railway Company Frank W. Murray Conductor, Austin Electric Railway Company 1906 Address not listed Permits 21 – 7 Building permit, 1959 Building permit Sewer tap, 1927 Water tap, 1927 Sanborn Maps 21 – 8 1962 1935 1922 Historical information 21 – 9 "Real Estate Transaction 1 -- no Title." The Austin American (1914-1973), Jun 05, 1927, 20. "STATE CONTEST HONORS." The Austin American (1914-1973), Jul 31, 1927, 4. 21 – 10 "Austin Groceryman Loses Fingers in Sausage Mill." The Austin American (1914-1973), Nov 29, 1931, 12. "Display Ad 26 -- no Title." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Apr 21, 1939,8” "Real Estate Transaction 1 -- no Title." The Austin American (1914-1973), Feb 06, 1944, 10 "Display Ad 51 -- no Title." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jan 07, 1948,9. 21 – 11 "LOWER CARPET PRICES OFFERED." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Oct 28, 1950, 12. "RUNDELL JOINS FLOOR FIRM." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jan 06, 1951, 10 "Raymond Campi to Head Knights." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jun 16, 1954, 8 21 – 12 "DEATHS and FUNERALS." The Austin American (1914-1973), Jan 29, 1956, A8 "Display Ad 17 -- no Title." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Mar 12, 1957,8.