06.0 - 1908 Kenwood Ave — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS FEBRUARY 5, 2025 PR-2024-149032 TRAVIS HEIGHTS-FAIRVIEW PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT 1908 KENWOOD AVENUE 6.0 – 1 PROPOSAL Enclose carport and construct a second-story addition. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Construct an enclosure of the existing carport located at the west side of the building, which will house a screened porch and two car garage. This enclosure will slightly expand the footprint to the west, but existing exterior cladding is to be retained. The upper-floor addition will be located within the area of new construction and will project above the peak of the existing roof. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH DESIGN STANDARDS This 1934 house is described in the Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register as being asymmetrical in plan and having no overarching stylistic influences. The façade is clad on all sides in buff and tan brick, with wood fascia and gable ends. Due to local elevation, the house reads as one-story from Mariposa Street and two-stories from Kenwood Avenue. On the latter façade, a second-floor porch is present that spans two thirds of the façade, with a projecting ground-floor gable at the right. A front entry is located on the Mariposa Street elevation, which is fronted by a winding walkway from the street. As a whole, the house retains good integrity and not much alteration is apparent. After being constructed in 1934, the house at 1908 Kenwood Avenue was owned by Earl and Caroline Howell. They raised their daughter Carolyn in the house, where she graduated from the University of Texas. By the 1960s, they had moved out and Mr. and Mrs. J.K. Green owned the house, where they welcomed a daughter of their own. There is little known information about what line of work these owners did during these years. The City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards (March 2021) are based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and are used to evaluate projects in National Register districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Residential additions 1. Location By using existing covered carport space, the enclosed addition is located in an area to one side of the house, towards the rear alley. Its visual impact is minimized by using this location, as recommended by Standard 1.1. However, the addition adds a story to the building at the front wall, which is not a recommended location per Standard 1.3, though the upper-story addition is minimal in footprint. 2. Scale, massing, and height The addition encloses space that is already being used as a carport, with a slight further extension towards the rear alley. With the exception of the upper-floor addition, the building’s overall shape and appearance is retained. The height of the addition may appear out of place when viewed from Mariposa Street, though it is less impactful from Kenwood Avenue, which is the official front of the property. 3. Design and style Exterior brick cladding of the rear carport wall is proposed to be retained and reused in construction of the enclosure. Hardie plank is proposed for the upper-floor addition, which is patterned to mimic material at the gable ends of the original house. No additional style is being proposed that would look out of place at this property. 4. Roofs Roofing material is proposed to be replaced throughout the house, with original and new construction matching with a light color. Roof pitch will also match, both at the enclosure and the upper-floor addition. 5. Exterior walls Exterior wall cladding is proposed to match, with the upper-floor addition to be clad in Hardie board on all sides that appears similar to the wood at the original house’s gable ends. 6. Windows, screens, and doors The screened porch facing Maricopa Street will feature large, arched openings with glazing the will match the topmost window at the upper-floor addition. Though there is no language for this shaped opening on the rest of the house, it does not appear out of place at the property or in the district. 7. Porches and decks The proposed screened porch will be held under the addition’s roof and will not project out towards the street. 6.0 – 2 9. Attached garages and carports Proposed garage occupies a similar footprint to the existing carport. Summary The project meets some of the applicable standards. PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high integrity. 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: a. Architecture. The building is a good example of an asymmetrical domestic residence. 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 Concern that proposed addition would create a slight false historicism and recommend that the wall, using existing brick, be inset slightly to visually distinguish it from the original house. The additional floor for a screened porch may present an issue when viewed from Mariposa Drive, though this is a side view and likely will not be visible from the front on Kenwood Avenue. No concerns about demolition of the carport section due to existing deterioration, STAFF RECOMMENDATION Comment on plans. LOCATION MAP 6.0 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos Front (top) and side (bottom), application, 2024 Occupancy History City Directory Research, December 2024 1942 1937 Earl & Caroline Howell, owners Same as above 6.0 – 4 Historical Information 6.0 – 5 Permits The Austin American: July 27, 1958 Water service permit, 1936