18.0 - 400 W Live Oak St — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS MAY 1, 2024 DA-2024-025871; GF-2024-043939 400 WEST LIVE OAK STREET, BUILDINGS A-G 19 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Demolish 7 buildings associated with St. John’s Lutheran Church (1950-1966) and the Mary Lee School. The 1951 church building is cross-gabled and clad in structural clay tile. Deep eaves frame its largest front-facing gable, and Tudor Revival-style woodwork ornaments the smaller gablet above the entryway. Windows have been replaced and some openings altered, though the original windows that remain appear to be multi-light steel casements. Later buildings B, D, and E are constructed of red brick, with gabled rooflines and vertical wood accents. Fenestration has been heavily altered. Buildings C and F are clad in horizontal vinyl siding and have replacement windows. Building G is a non-historic-age portable structure. The main church building on the property was constructed in 1951 for the St. John’s Lutheran Church congregation. It served as the Church’s South Austin campus until 1966, when a new sanctuary was commissioned at 301 West Ben White Boulevard. In 1966, the campus was purchased by Charlene Crump, owner and director of the Mary Lee School. Crump founded the school in 1963 as a “halfway house” and vocational training facility for girls and women with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The program quickly outgrew the one-story house in which it began,1 and 31 students moved into the former church campus in 1966.2 Though other branches of the Mary Lee School were established elsewhere throughout the 1960s and 1970s, 400 West Live Oak remained its headquarters; the original branch focused on rehabilitating women with IDD so that they could live independently, a groundbreaking model for the time.3 By 1973, the school had 81 students, who each lived there an average of 18 months.4 Later that year, the Mary Lee School’s rural ranch outside Manchaca came under fire for allegations of abuse, health hazards, segregation, and other violations of its pupils’ safety by Representative Lane Denton, chairman of a Texas House subcommittee investigating Texas childcare facilities. However, the 400 West Live Oak campus was declared “in good order” by Denton, and no formal investigation of the ranch facility was ever conducted.5 The organization weathered further hiring and abuse lawsuits in 19756; details on their resolutions are limited in the archival record. By 1985, the Mary Lee Foundation had grown to encompass seven residential facilities for children and adults.7 In 2013, the Mary Lee Foundation and Charlene Crump were honored by the Texas State House of Representatives for the organization’s 50th anniversary.8 PROPERTY EVALUATION The property is within the boundaries of the 2016 Bouldin Creek Neighborhood survey, but no recommendation was made. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The buildings are more than 50 years old. 2) The buildings appear to retain moderate integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and 1 Harvick, Mary Ellen.  The Austin American (1914-1973); 03 Mar 1963: C7. 2 The Mary Lee Foundation, https://www.maryleefoundation.org/about 3 Ibid. 4 Fries, Jane.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 22 June 1972: B21. 5 Shipp, Dixie. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 18 July 1973: 1. 6 The Austin American-Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; 07 Feb 1975: 17; Choyke, Bill.  The Austin American - Statesman (1973- 1980), Evening ed.; 24 Aug 1975: A15. 7 "Mary Lee foundation built on a lifetime of love" Newspapers.com. Austin American-Statesman, November 10, 1985. https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-mary-lee-found/32080758/. 8 https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/83R/billtext/pdf/HR00433I.PDF 19 – 2 determined that it does not meet two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. Building A is a mid-century ecclesiastical building with simplified Tudor Revival detailing; however, it does not appear to be architecturally distinct and has been altered. b. Historical association. The property is associated with St. John’s Lutheran Church and the Mary Lee School, an early example of a rehabilitative vocational facility for children with IDD established by Charlene Crump. 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 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 convey a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse for Building A, but release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package for that building. LOCATION MAP 19 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos Photo map, site plan exemption application, 2024 19 – 4 19 – 5 19 – 6 Building A, site plan exemption application, 2024 Building B, site plan exemption application, 2024 19 – 7 Building C, site plan exemption application, 2024 Building D, site plan exemption application, 2024 Building E, site plan exemption application, 2024 19 – 8 Building F, site plan exemption application, 2024 Building G, site plan exemption application, 2024 Occupancy History City Directory Research, March 2024 1959 1955 1952 1949 St. John Lutheran Church St. John Lutheran Church St. John Lutheran Church Address not listed Historical Information The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 02 Jan 1951: 10 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 06 June 1964: 9. 19 – 9 HARVICK, MARY ELLEN.  The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 03 Mar 1963: C7. 19 – 10 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 30 Jan 1966: A4. 19 – 11 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 05 Dec 1968: A33. Service, American-Statesman.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 26 June 1969: B10. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 13 July 1969: A2 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 10 Jan 1970: 46.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 18 Nov 1971: B21. 19 – 12 19 – 13 JANE FRIES.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 22 June 1972: B21. 19 – 14 DIXIE SHIPP Capitol Staff.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 18 July 1973: 1. 19 – 15 CRISPIN JAMES Staff Writer.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 19 July 1973: A6. 19 – 16 WAYNE JACKSON Staff Writer.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 25 July 1973: 1. 19 – 17 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 28 July 1973: A10. LARRY WRIGHT Staff Writer.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 30 July 1973: 1. 19 – 18 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 27 Sep 1973: A13. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 02 Oct 1973: 7. 19 – 19 The Austin American - Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; Austin, Tex.. 03 Aug 1974: 11. 19 – 20 The Austin American - Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; Austin, Tex.. 07 Feb 1975: 17. Choyke, Bill.  The Austin American - Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; Austin, Tex.. 24 Aug 1975: A15. 19 – 21 "Mary Lee foundation built on a lifetime of love" Newspapers.com. Austin American-Statesman, November 10, 1985. https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-mary-lee-found/32080758/. 19 – 22 19 – 23 https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/83R/billtext/pdf/HR00433I.PDF 19 – 24 The Mary Lee Foundation, https://www.maryleefoundation.org/about Permits 19 – 25 19 – 26