20.0 - 2802 Pearce Rd — original pdf

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20 – 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS FEBRUARY 7, 2024 PR-2023-158329; GF-2023-161497 2802 PEARCE LANE Demolish a ca. 1910 house and outbuilding. ARCHITECTURE PROPOSAL RESEARCH One-story rustic cabin with a Craftsman-style, shingle-clad front gable; deep front porch supported by simple posts atop massive, tapered stone piers; 6:6 wood windows; and rustic stone cladding throughout. The lot also contains a small, windowless stone outbuilding, consistent in appearance with Texas vernacular smokehouses or springhouses. As the property was annexed in 1982, historic-age research is largely unavailable from public sources. However, TCAD records indicate that the building’s legal description is Lot 1 of the Leigh Subdivision, with the plat filed in 1968, and that Mrs. Amelia Leigh, wife of the late Horage R. Leigh, owned the property. During the 1940s, the Leighs lived in Gonzales, and during the ‘50s, they lived across the river bend on Mt. Barker Drive. The building is directly adjacent to the Ski Shores marina. Aerial photographs show that the building was associated with small-scale farmland into the 1940s, though TCAD records indicate it was built in 1910. PROPERTY EVALUATION 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, but research on its occupancy and associations is incomplete: a. Architecture. The building is a good example of Texas vernacular architecture, combining classic Craftsman styling with rough rustic stone and unpainted woodwork. b. Historical association. The property was not able to be evaluated for its associations due to limitations on c. Archaeology. The property was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human available public research materials. history or prehistory of the region. d. Community value. The property was not evaluated for its ability 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. e. Landscape feature. The property was not evaluated for its ability to possess a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Either encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse but release the demolition upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package, or postpone the public hearing to March 6, 2024, to allow time for additional research. LOCATION MAP 20 – 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 20 – 3 Google Street View, 2023 20 – 4 20 – 5 Demolition permit application, 2023 20 – 6 Tree inspection, 2023 Google Street View, August 2019 Occupancy history and City permits not available. Historical Information 20 – 7 20 – 8 1940 aerial photograph showing adjacent associated farmland 1965 aerial photograph showing early marina at Ski Shores 20 – 9 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 15 Oct 1944: 12 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 18 Dec 1946: 8. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 05 Mar 1968: 9. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 12 Apr 1968: 7. 20 – 10