20.0 - 4700 S Congress Ave Bldg 10 — original pdf

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20– 1 HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS JUNE 5, 2024 PR-2024-022957; GF-2024-043958 4700 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE #10 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1930 building comprising two Calcasieu cottages moved onto the lot between 1940 and 1958. ARCHITECTURE Two one-story Tudor Revival Calcasieu cottages connected to form one building. These cottages were designed and built by the Calcasieu Lumber Company of Austin in the late 1920s and 1930s. The cottages are small, one-story, rectangular- plan frame structures with signature steeply pitched hipped roofs and an ornamental, flared front-gabled section at the doorway with false half-timbering in the tympanum of the gable.1 RESEARCH Merle Goodnight opened the Goodnight Tourist Courts in 1941 to capitalize on the increasing tourist traffic in the corridor from Austin to San Antonio, a section of pre-Interstate road known as the Meridian Highway. In the Winter 2017 edition of Preservation Austin’s quarterly newsletter, TxDOT architectural historian Rebekah Dobrasko writes: Although no remnants of the original road itself remain in Austin, there are small pockets of roadside businesses that still tell the story of the Meridian Highway through our city… Early motels typically took the form of motor courts, with an office out front and individual buildings accommodating travelers needing a bed. As demand rose, these tourist courts morphed into motel styles more typical of today. Some motels along the Meridian Highway in Austin include …the Austin Motel “Tourist Court” (c. 1940, 1220 S. Congress Avenue) …and Hill’s Café (1941, 4700 S. Congress Avenue).2 Building 10 appears to be composed of two Calcasieu cottages combined to form a roughly L-plan structure, located directly behind the former Hill’s Café building. The cottages were moved onto the lot shortly after the construction of Hill’s, according to aerial photographs, and appear to have been used as support structures and storage for the popular dining spot. PROPERTY EVALUATION Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate integrity. Though the buildings retain their original Calcasieu cottage detailing, the connection of the two cottages reduces their integrity of form; however, this modification appears to have taken place during the historic period. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it does not meet two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The building is a good example of Calcasieu cottage detailing. b. Historical association. The property does not appear to have significant historical associations. 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 Consider relocating the building to another location on the site. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Concur with Committee feedback. Encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, then offsite relocation over demolition, but release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. 1 https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=241491 2 Dobrasko, Rebekah for Preservation Austin. Preservation Austin, March 17, 2021. https://orb-chicory.squarespace.com/news/2021/3/17/the- meridian-highway. LOCATION MAP 20– 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 20– 3 Occupancy History City Directory Research, July 2022 1959 4702: Goodnight Motel 4700: Hill’s Café Applicant, 2023 1955 1952 1949 Goodnight Motel (tourist cts) Hill’s Café Merle and Hazel Goodnight, owners Address likely listed as 4700 San Antonio Hwy Goodnight Court (Merle Goodnight) *Address likely listed as 4700 San Antonio Hwy* Goodnight Court (Merle Goodnight) 1947 Address not listed 20– 4 1940, 1958 aerial photos (City of Austin CTM and Addressing) 1965 aerial photos (City of Austin CTM and Addressing) 20– 5 1997, 2022 aerial photos (City of Austin CTM and Addressing, Nearmap.com) Historical information The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 20 Oct 1938: 19. 20– 6 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex. [Austin, Tex]. 18 Jan 1942: A18. The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 18 Jan 1942: A18 20– 7 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 18 Jan 1942: A18. The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 10 Mar 1946: 8. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 28 Oct 1948: 1. 20– 8 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 10 June 1952: B9. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 01 Oct 1954: 10. “FLAMES GUT HILL’S CAFÉ SATURDAY” Austin American Statesman (1921-1973), Jan 25, 1958 1 20– 9 MIKE COX Staff Writer.  The Austin American - Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; Austin, Tex.. 19 Sep 1976: B1. 20– 10 Charles Merle Goodnight Obituary, https://funeralinnovations.com/obituaries/view/317224/2/, 2010 Austinchronicle.com. “Austin Landmarks on the Menu,” 2015. https://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2008-09-12/austin-landmarks- on-the-menu-hills-cafe/. 20– 11 Austinchronicle.com. “Is it "Goodnight" for iconic Hill's Cafe?,” 2013. https://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2013-01- 18/food-o-file/. Permits None available.