23.0 - 1704 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS JUNE 5, 2024 PR-2024-043844; GF-2024-058061 1704 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. BOULEVARD 23 – 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1916 house. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH One-story L-plan National Folk house with hipped roof, board-and-batten siding, and partial-width front porch supported by turned posts. Fenestration includes 2:2 wood windows; one of the original double entry doors has been converted to a window. The back house is a gabled, one-story building with horizontal wood siding and a partial width inset porch. The front house at 1704 East Martin Luther King, originally addressed as 1304 East 19th Street, was constructed around 1916 as rental property. Its architectural details define it as a “Hofheinz house,” distinctive National Folk houses rented to working-class East Austin families during the early years of the twentieth century by Edmund and Oscar Hofheinz. According to a 2019 Historic Preservation Office report, 11 known and 13 possible Hofheinz houses remain within the East Austin survey area,1 though several have been demolished since then. The East Austin Context Statement explains their importance: The first two decades of the 1900s were rampant with development throughout East Austin…residential construction in these new developments reflected evolving trends in domestic designs, as the eclectic tastes of the Victorian era waned and simpler styles…became more widespread…new [working-class] house types began to replace more traditional forms. The linear, one‐ room‐deep plans that featured gabled roofs…gave way to deeper, more box‐like plans and often had hipped or pyramidal roofs with inset porches. The effect created a more vertical emphasis. The rental houses of brothers Edmund (“E. J.”) Hofheinz and Oscar (“O. G.”) Hofheinz exemplified this trend. E. J. Hofheinz (ca. 1870–1949) was a real estate dealer and accountant, while O.G. Hofheinz (ca. 1880–1957) was an insurance salesman and developer. Together, the brothers subdivided land and built houses in East Austin and Clarksville. Real estate transaction articles in the Austin American Statesman indicate that the Hofheinz brothers both speculatively sold the houses that they built and retained them for rental income.2 The back house was added by E. J. Hofheinz in 1942 at the same time as the back house was constructed at 1702 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, addressed at the time as 1302 E. 19th St. Residents of the house were mostly short-term renters and single people in the early years, but by the 1940s longer-term occupants and their families began renting as veterans returned from the war. Porter Julius Roberson and his wife, Rosalee, were among these, as well as plumber Levi Holland and his wife, Ruby. PROPERTY EVALUATION The 2016 East Austin Historic Resource Survey lists the property as contributing to a potential historic district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The buildings are more than 50 years old. 2) The buildings appear to retain high to moderate integrity. Windows and doors are boarded, and one of the original double entry doors at the front house has been converted to a window. 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 for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The front building is a good example of a “Hofheinz house,” embodying the distinguishing characteristics of these buildings’ modest interpretation of the National Folk style, including a hipped roof and partial-width porch with turned posts. b. Historical association. Both houses were constructed by Hofheinz for use as a rentals and were occupied by a series of working-class African American renters. The Hofheinz brothers had a significant impact on the development of affordable rental housing in East Austin. 1 “HDP-2019-0179: 2202 E. 12th Street.” City of Austin Historic Preservation Office, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=318278 2 East Austin Context Statement. East Austin Historic Resource Survey, Vol. 1: I-40. 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 have 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, 23 – 2 cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION If the Commission feels that the building retains sufficient historical associations to meet that criterion, initiate historic zoning for the front house. If not, strongly encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, then relocation over demolition, but release the demolition permit only upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package for both houses. LOCATION MAP 23 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 23 – 4 Google Street View, 2024 23 – 5 Demolition permit application, 2024 Occupancy History City Directory Research, May 2024 1704 A: Vacant 1704 B: Levi and Rubie Holland, renters – plumber; maid at 3305 Balcones Dr. 1704 A: Henry Davis, renter 1704 B: Levi and Rubie Holland, renters – plumber 1704 A: Julius and Rosa Roberson, renters – porter at Greyhound and cook at Kappa Alpha fraternity 1704 B: Levi and Ruby Holland, renters – helper at Carl Holland Plumbing, 1807 E. 19th St. 1704 A: Julius Robinson, renter 1704 B: Thomas J. Wilson, renter 1704 C: Julius and Rosa Roberson, renters – porter 1704 A: Julius and Rosalee Roberson, renters – shoe shiner 1704 B: Thomas Wilson, renter 1704 C: L. D. Clark, renter 1959 1955 1952 1949 1944 1941 1939 1935 1932 1929 1924 1922 1920 1918 1916 1914 Beulah Clark, renter Beulah Clark, renter – cook Elizabeth Moore, renter Clint Boggs, renter Clint and Pearl Boggs, renters Arthur Durse, renter William Wilson, renter William Wilson, renter George Williams, renter Joseph Gibson, renter Address not listed Historical Information 23 – 6 The Austin Statesman (1902-1915); Austin, Tex.. 13 Nov 1913: 2. Draft card for Julius Roberson, Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui- content/view/19386148:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=17276b94-c936-4158-8543- c45a77ee494b&_phsrc=JfX4&_phstart=successSource The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 02 May 1962: A8. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 17 July 1964: 16  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 06 May 1967: 34. Death certificate for Julius Roberson, Ancestry.com https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui- content/view/1623436:2272?tid=&pid=&queryId=17276b94-c936-4158-8543- c45a77ee494b&_phsrc=JfX4&_phstart=successSource Permits 23 – 7