22.0 - 407 E 7th St — original pdf

Backup

HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS NOVEMBER 6, 2024 PR-2024-125740; GF-2024-138551 407 E. 7TH STREET 22 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Demolish a ca. 1932 commercial building, damaged by fire in February of 2024. Two-story commercial building clad in stucco, with multi-light aluminum casement windows, a flat roof, and a symmetrical plan. The building at 407 East 7th Street was constructed between 1922 and 1932, with commercial occupancy beginning in 1932 when well-known merchants Abraham and Amelia Nassour opened a general store in the building. The Nassour family business, which centered in East 6th Street during the early part of the twentieth century, was headed by brothers Abraham and Joseph Nassour. Born in Beirut, the brothers were part of a larger community of Syrian and Lebanese merchants who helped to establish 6th Street as a bustling business district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the time he and his family opened the shop at 407 East 7th, Abraham Nassour, known as Abe, had already helped to establish a successful saloon and a shoe store on 6th Street and Congress Avenue. The Nassours also lived on the property and rented rooms to tenants, including a seamstress and a newsagent, during the 1940s. By the ‘50s, they had sold the property. After a brief stint as a realty office and a loan company, it was converted into a hotel in 1961 and remained a lodging facility for the remainder of the period of significance. PROPERTY EVALUATION Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate to low integrity. Interior fire damage has compromised the building’s structure, and exterior alterations appear to have taken place in the 1980s. 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 does not appear to convey architectural significance. b. Historical association. The property is associated with merchant Abraham Nassour but does not appear to have the same degree of significance as Nassour’s properties on East 6th Street. 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 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. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP 22 – 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 22 – 3 Google Street View, March 2024 Demolition Permit Application, September 2024 Occupancy History City Directory Research, September 2024 1984 Under construction 1983 Vacant 1982 California Hotel 22 – 4 1980 Vacant 1970 California Hotel, Mrs. Corraine Smith – manager 1968 California Hotel, Juanita L. Ricks – manager 1964 California Hotel, Mrs. Corraine Smith – manager 1961 Ebonaire Hotel & Coffee Shop, Robert and Mrs. Billie VanZandt - owners 1957 Great Western Loan &Trust Co No.2, C. M. Taylor - manager 1952 Suber Less Realty, Lester N. Suber - owner 1949 Abraham “Abe” Nassour – proprietor, Abe’s Place 1939 Dallas Morning News Agency, David R. Lilienstern – agent, news director 1937 Mrs. Rowena Lytle, renters – seamstress Travis County Sewing Room 1935 Abraham “Abe” and Amelia Nassour Reyes and Clotilde Olvera 1932 Abraham “Abe” and Amelia Nassour – general merchandise 1929 John P. and Jessie Teberg, renters – mechanic at Patton Transmission Co; nurse Helen Teberg - nurse 1924 Chas I. and Lela Robertson, renters – carpenter 1922 Address not listed Historical Information 1935 Sanborn map 22 – 5 "Soviets Blast Rumanian Oil." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jul 19, 1941. "FIGHTERS for FREEDOM." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jan 20, 1943. "FIGHTERS for FREEDOM." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Apr 29, 1943. "Landlord Wins Rent Suit." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Apr 29, 1947 "Battle of Bus Rider Benches Won by Advertiser as Permit Ordered." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Oct 21, 1948. 22 – 6 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 24 Mar 1946: 9. "Marriage Announcement 7 -- no Title." The Austin American (1914-1973), Aug 12, 1951. "Classified Ad 2 -- no Title." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Apr 12, 1954. "Mrs. Nassour's Service Slated here Tomorrow." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), May 07, 1957. "Deaths and Funerals." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), May 08, 1957. 22 – 7 "Death Takes City Merchant in Hospital." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Aug 21, 1957. "DEATHS---FUNERALS." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Aug 23, 1957. "Elks Pay Recognition to Youths." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Jul 16, 1969. "Classified Ad 4 -- no Title." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973),1971 "Man Held in Slaying at Hotel." The Austin Statesman (1921-1973), Dec 11, 1972 22 – 8 Wyatt, Tommie L. The Villager (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, May 29, 1981, newspaper, May 29, 1981; Austin, Texas. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu . Permits 22 – 9 Water Tap Permit, May 31, 1930 \