4.0 - 610 Baylor St - C14H-2024-0171 - Perry House — original pdf

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ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET CASE NUMBER: C14H-2024-0171 HLC DATE: January 8, 2025 PC DATE: CC Date: APPLICANT: Hayes & Jessica Barnard, owners HISTORIC NAME: Elton & Lucy Perry House WATERSHED: Lady Bird Lake, Shoal Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 610 Baylor St. ZONING CHANGE: MF-4-HD-NP to MF-4-H-HD-NP COUNCIL DISTRICT: 9 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the proposed zoning change from Multifamily- moderate density-historic district -neighborhood plan (MF-4-HD-NP) combining district to Multifamily- moderate density-historic district-historic landmark-neighborhood plan (MF-4-HD-H-NP) combining district. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION: architecture, community value, and historical associations. HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: CITY COUNCIL ACTION: CASE MANAGER: Austin Lukes, 512-978-0766 NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS: Austin Independent School District, Austin Lost and Found Pets, Austin Neighborhoods Council, Friends of Austin Neighborhoods, Homeless Neighborhood Association, Neighborhood Empowerment Foundation, Old West Austin Neighborhood Association, Old West Austin Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, Preservation Austin, SELTexas, Save Historic Muny District, Save Our Springs Alliance, Shoal Creek Conservancy, Sierra Club, Austin Regional Group DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The property at 610 Baylor Street is listed as contributing to both the West Line Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places and the City of Austin’s Castle Hill Local Historic District. BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: § 25-2-352(3)(c)(i) Architecture. The property embodies the distinguishing characteristics of a recognized architectural style, type, or method of construction; exemplifies technological innovation in design or construction; displays high artistic value in representing ethnic or folk art, architecture, or construction; represents a rare example of an architectural style in the city; serves as an outstanding example of the work of an architect, builder, or artisan who significantly contributed to the development of the city, state, or nation; possesses cultural, historical, or architectural value as a particularly fine or unique example of a utilitarian or vernacular structure; or represents an architectural curiosity or one-of-a-kind building. The Perry House, along with its neighbor at 608 Baylor, which was built by the same owners, is set at a high elevation overlooking downtown Austin. Constructed in 1903 of masonry and standing two-and-a- half stories tall, the residence would have been visible from a distance upon its completion. It embodies the Queen Anne style, with details such as Palladian gable windows and ornate brackets enhancing the grand wraparound porches on two floors, as well as the grand stair up from the street level to the main entry. The pyramidal roof is set at a moderate-to-steep pitch, which creates an even more imposing physical appearance. While the architects and builders of the Perry House could not be identified, the architectural detailing and overall form exemplify the Queen Anne style in Castle Hill and the broader West Line Historic District. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(ii) Historical Associations. The property has long-standing significant associations with persons, groups, institutions, businesses, or events of historical importance that contributed significantly to the history of the city, state, or nation or represents a significant portrayal of the cultural practices or the way of life of a definable group of people in a historic time. The Perry family originally had ties to Colonial America, specifically Rhode Island, and the maritime industries. Elton Perry moved with his family to Galveston, then in the Republic of Texas, as a young child around or slightly before 1838. There, his father James B. Perry served for many years in the Custom House and gained notoriety and influence, given the port city’s importance at that time. Elton’s older sister, Sarah Catherine Perry, married George Ball, who would amass a large estate in the banking and commission industries. With their fortune, the couple would give generously to local charities and would later establish a public high school in Galveston, which would serve as George’s legacy upon his death in 1884. During this time, Elton Perry married Lucy Ann Smith, a minister’s daughter, which required the family to consistently move cities. The couple married in Galveston, and shortly thereafter moved to Harrisburg, now within the city limits of Houston. Shortly after their first daughter was born, the couple moved to Austin, possibly to be closer to Lucy’s family, who had set up the Austin Collegiate Female Institute, a highly regarded private institution of learning for girls and young women. During this time, Elton’s sister Sarah Ball would donate heavily to this and other religious institutions in Austin. Upon her passing in 1904, much of her estate went to Elton and Lucy, a portion of which they would use to construct the houses at 608 and 610 Baylor St. Elton Perry, who had previously worked as a machinist in Galveston and Harrisburg, served as an engineer for the Washington Fire Company, the second fire station in Austin. He would work closely with the city, including at one point being the engineer of the steam engine responsible for putting out the Texas capitol in 1881. After this, he advocated for and worked with bringing fire hydrants and infrastructure to levels citywide that were already established in other population centers across Texas and the rest of the United States. Through their lives, the Perry family has had strong connections with the maritime and banking industries in Texas, and specifically the religious, educational, and fire protection sectors of the city of Austin during the 19th century. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(iv) Community Value. The property has a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, a neighborhood, or a particular group. The two houses at 608 and 610 Baylor Street are two notable and prominent examples of the development of Austin west of downtown generally and the Castle Hill neighborhood specifically. During the period slightly before, but especially after, the Civil War, more lots were subdivided and infrastructure was built to allow easier passage across Shoal Creek and, as a result, more single-family houses were constructed in the area. This development would eventually reach areas being occupied by Freedman’s towns such as Clarksville, but many of the more prominent family lots were located at higher points such as Baylor Street or Pemberton Heights to the north. Upon completion of the house in 1903, this area of the city was connected to the core by the city’s first streetcar line, and the property embodies the type and style of construction that was occurring at that time in West Austin. The property, along with the Perry family who constructed it, embody the types of residents moving to the Texas capitol at the time, as well as some of the difficulties that the community would need to address to be able to provide services such as reliable fire protection and education for families of means who may require moving to the city. PARCEL NO.: 0108010658 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: PERRY-TAYLOR ADDN BLK A LOT 3 ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX EXEMPTION (homestead, capped): AISD $7,755.64 COA $8,045.30 TC $5,498.07 TC Health $1,817.18 Total $23,116.19 APPRAISED VALUE: $4,500,000 (Land: $1,781,250; Improvement: $2,718,750) PRESENT USE: Single-family residential DATE BUILT/PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE: 1903 INTEGRITY/ALTERATIONS: PRESENT OWNERS: Hayes & Jessica Barnard ORIGINAL OWNER(S): Elton & Lucy Perry OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: West Line National Register Historic District, contributing; Castle Hill local historic district, contributing