33.0 - 2102 Bowman Ave — original pdf

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33 – 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS NOVEMBER 2, 2022 PR-2022-137252; GF-2022-154584 2102 BOWMAN AVENUE PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1940 house and detached garage. ARCHITECTURE One-story stone veneer house with side-gabled replacement metal roof, partial-width front porch, exposed rafter tails, and 6:6 wood windows. RESEARCH 2102 Bowman Avenue was constructed by and for Thomas A. G. Graham, secretary-treasurer of the Enfield Realty & Home Building Company and founding member of Graham-Lundgren & Company, an insurance agency. Graham was a grandson of Governor Pease and a son of R. Niles Graham, founder of Enfield Realty, who constructed the Enfield, Westfield, Westenfield, and Tarrytown neighborhoods.1 2102 Bowman Avenue’s vernacular limestone styling is similar to company president Margaret Graham Crusemann’s Tarrytown dwelling, approved for demolition in 2022.2 According to a 2014 staff report by Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky, “Tom Graham was a book-keeper and accountant for the Enfield Realty and Home Building Company; he later became more active in the real estate aspect of the family businesses, and eventually branched out into insurance with other family members, forming the Enfield Agency, all located in offices at the Tarrytown Shopping Center on Exposition Boulevard.”3 In addition to his businesses around Austin, Graham served on the City Planning Board, and later on the school board after selling the home in the early 1950s.4 The Grahams’ later home at 2500 Galewood Place was approved for demolition in 2014.5 During the 1950s, the home was occupied by Margaret J. Harris, an elementary and high school teacher. PROPERTY EVALUATION Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high to moderate 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 a vernacular style favored by the Tarrytown branch of the Crusemann and Graham families, who developed the area. b. Historical association. The property is associated with the developers of the Tarrytown area, with Thomas A. G. Graham as secretary-treasurer of the Enfield Realty and Home Building Company. However, his aunt Margaret Graham Crusemann, who served as president of the company, was more immediately associated with development in Austin. Margaret Graham Crusemann’s similar home at 2505 Indian Trail was approved for demolition in September 2022. Thomas A. G. and Mary Graham’s later home at 2500 Galewood was approved for demolition in December 2014. 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. 1 Pease-Graham-Niles papers, Austin History Center, courtesy of Old Enfield.Org. http://blog.old-enfield.org/category/people/ 2 Staff report, Historic Preservation Office. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=391285 3 Staff report, Historic Preservation Office. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=223403 4 “Official Candidates Elected To Board of Education Posts.” The Austin American (1914-1973); 04 Apr 1954: A1. 5 Staff report, Historic Preservation Office. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=223403 STAFF RECOMMENDATION Strongly encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse but release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. 33 – 2 LOCATION MAP 33 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 33 – 4 Google Street View, 2022 33 – 5 33 – 6 33 – 7 Demolition permit application, 2022 Occupancy History City Directory Research, September 2022 Margaret J. Harris Margaret J. Harris, owner Teacher, Westbourne Kindergarten Nursery School Margaret J. Harris, owner Teacher, Austin High School 33 – 8 Thomas A. and Mary B. Graham, owners Secretary-treasurer, Enfield Realty & Home Building Company Incorporated (R. Niles Graham, vice-president, Tarrytown Shopping Center, 2415 Exposition Boulevard) Thomas A. and Mary B. Graham, owners Secretary-treasurer, Enfield Realty & Home Building Company Incorporated (R. Niles Graham, vice-president, Tarrytown Shopping Center, 2415 Exposition Boulevard) Thomas A. and Mary B. Graham, owners Graham-Lundgren & Company Secretary-treasurer, Enfield Realty & Home Building Company Incorporated Thomas A. and Mary B. Graham, owners Graham-Lundgren & Company Secretary-treasurer, Enfield Realty & Home Building Company Incorporated 1959 1955 1952 1949 1947 1944 1941 Historical information 33 – 9 https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=223403 “Official Candidates Elected To Board of Education Posts.” The Austin American (1914-1973); 04 Apr 1954: A1. 33 – 10 https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=223403 33 – 11 Old West Austin National Register Historic District Nomination, Texas Historical Commission: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/NR/pdfs/03000937/03000937.pdf Pease-Graham-Niles papers, Austin History Center, courtesy of Old Enfield.Org. http://blog.old- enfield.org/category/people/ Permits 33 – 12 Sewer service permit, 1940 Water service permit, 1940 Sanborn map, 1962 Maps Building permit, 1940