14.0 - 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd - House Park — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS APRIL 2, 2025 PR-2025-142715; GF-2025-030365 HOUSE PARK 1301 SHOAL CREEK BOULEVARD 14 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Repair grandstands, make ADA improvements, and replace non-original press box at a ca.1936-39 playing field. 1) Repair failing concrete structural supports at east and west grandstands. 2) Repaint existing grandstands and walls at currently painted surfaces only. 3) Replace existing ramps at east and west grandstands with new ADA-compliant ramps in same location. 4) Demolish existing non-original press boxes (ca. 1960s; remodeled 1986) at east and west grandstands and construct a replacement freestanding press box at the east grandstand. The proposed press box is two stories in height, with a flat roof and vertical siding. Full-height fixed windows look onto the field, and a three-story staircase structure provides egress. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH DESIGN STANDARDS The existing press boxes are one-story structures with board-and-batten siding and shed roofs, attached to the east and west grandstands. House Park, originally a pasture donated to the City in 1903 by Colonel Edward House, made its official debut as the home of the Austin High Maroons in the 1930s after being used as baseball and football fields for decades. The grandstands, field house (now demolished) and ticket booth were constructed between 1936 and 19401 as part of a larger PWA-funded project initiated by AISD2, and the scoreboard and north grandstand (demolished) followed in 1947.3 The House Park grandstand and ticket booth were designed by Giesecke & Harris and built by J. R. Blackmore and Sons.4 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 at potential historic landmarks. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Institutional buildings 1.1 Ensure that the building’s historic character is preserved through careful repair and maintenance of historic materials. The proposed project includes repair and maintenance of historic concrete elements. 1.2 Additions to an institutional building may not be appropriate. The proposed new press box addition appears somewhat appropriate but may overwhelm the smaller-scale grandstands. 1.3 Locate additions to be subordinate to the historic building, keeping in mind that all sides of an institutional building may be significant. See 1.2. The size and scale of the new grandstand should be carefully considered to avoid excessive visibility, as the existing press boxes are unobtrusive in design and small in scale. Sites and streetscapes 4. Accessibility 4.1 Avoid significant alterations to building design and materials while complying with accessibility requirements. Do not modify historic entrances on the front wall of a building in a way that destroys or diminishes the architectural character of 1 https://austin.austinschools.org/ourschool/history 2 https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house-park-austin-tx/ 3 https://austin.austinschools.org/ourschool/history 4 https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house-park-austin-tx/ the entrance unless no reasonable alternative is available. The proposed ramps do not diminish the character of the building’s entrance. 4.2 Design ramps, lifts, and handrails to be unobtrusive and to complement the historic character of the building through design and materials. Though the new ramps are larger in scale than the existing ramps, they are relatively low-profile, with simple handrails. They do not appear to be obtrusive. 4.3 Design ramps and lifts so that they can removed in the future without damage to the building. The concrete ramps may be difficult to remove in the future. 14 – 2 Summary The project meets some of the applicable standards. DEPARTMENT COMMENTS The improvements to House Park were approved as part of the 2017 AISD bond program. PROPERTY EVALUATION The 2020 West Downtown Historic Resources Survey lists the property as eligible for local landmark designation, contributing to a potential historic district, contributing to a potential National Register Historic District, and eligible for individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high to moderate integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it meets two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The property is a good example of early stadium architecture associated with architects Giesecke and Harris. b. Historical association. The property is associated with Austin High School and the New Deal in Austin. 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 possesses 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 a significant designed landscape with cultural value to the city. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK STAFF RECOMMENDATION Retain original 1930s construction. Ensure that ADA additions do not compromise existing historic material. The press box replacement is appropriate, as the existing press box is not original. Reuse existing WPA signage and consider interpretive materials. Strongly encourage a one-story press box, rather than a two-story box, but concur with Committee feedback and approve the application. LOCATION MAP PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 14 – 3 Demolition permit application, 2025 Douglass, Neal. “Austin High School Maroons,” ca. 1936; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. 14 – 4 Douglass, Neal. “Austin High School Maroons -- Football Photos,” ca. 1939; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Douglass, Neal. “Austin High School Maroons -- Football Photos,” ca. 1939; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. 14 – 5 “Aerial View of House Park Dugout,” ca. 1934. [PICA-26137], Austin History Center Digital Collections, Preservica.com, 2022, https://ahc.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_648cf69e-df9e-465e-b222-9e71d470e480/. “Construction of House Park Bleachers,” ca. 1936. PICA-24522. Austin History Center Digital Collections, Preservica.com, 2022, https://ahc.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_c4a96f94-bb73-4358-9166-f68fb51d5505/. Moore, Larry D. Living New Deal. “House Park marker plaques,” March 22, 2018. https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house-park-austin- tx/#lg=1&slide=1. 14 – 6 Moore, Larry D. Living New Deal. “House Park Bleachers Substructure,” March 22, 2018. https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house- park-austin-tx/#lg=1&slide=2. Moore, Larry D. Living New Deal. “House Park Scoreboard.” March 22, 2018. https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house-park-austin- tx/#lg=1&slide=3. Moore, Larry D. Living New Deal. “House Park Ticket Booth.” March 22, 2018. https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house-park-austin- tx/#lg=1&slide=4. 14 – 7 Moore, Larry D. Living New Deal. “House Park in 2014.” February 4, 2014. https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/house-park-austin- tx/#lg=1&slide=1. Historical Information Grandstand plans, ca. 1940s 14 – 8 14 – 9  https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=118465 14 – 10 14 – 11 Pennington, Gloria Mata and Mendy Marshall. “A Living Legacy: Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Present and Creating Our Future, Austin Parks and Recreation Department, 1928-2003.” 2003. https://austin.austinschools.org/ourschool/history