21.0 - 611 W MLK Blvd — original pdf

Backup

HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS JULY 2, 2025 2025-051808 DA; GF-2025-059331 607, 611, AND 619 WEST MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. BOULEVARD 21 – 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a commercial complex including a ca. 1939 warehouse building and ca. 1954 buildings designed by Austin architect August Watkins Harris. ARCHITECTURE Though the building now addressed as 611 W. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. is contiguous, it comprises three distinct parts. The earliest part of the building, addressed previously as 619 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., is a one-story masonry warehouse building with stuccoed slipcover, large multipaned windows, and minimalistic detailing suggesting Moderne stylistic influences beneath the stucco. The adjacent 1954 two-story portion of the building, originally addressed as 611 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and designed by Austin architect A. Watkins Harris, is a flat-roofed Modern two-part commercial block with metal hopper and multilight picture windows, a suspension canopy with original sign, and stucco over masonry cladding. The 1954 one-story section of the building, originally addressed as 607 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and also designed by Harris, is a flat-roofed Modern one-part commercial block constructed with concrete under stucco. It features an expansive metal-and-glass storefront assembly. RESEARCH The original laundry facility at Rio Grande and W. Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard, known historically as 615 W. 9th Street, was constructed in 1939 on a previously residential site. It was commissioned by Charles A. Burton, a dry cleaner, who slowly purchased and demolished the earlier houses on the block to create a large dry-cleaning complex over the course of fifteen years. Burton’s Laundry and Cleaners was an initial success, though labor shortages during and after World War II caused a good deal of upheaval among Austin’s textile cleaners. Burton regularly lamented to the Austin American-Statesman that the influx of dry-cleaning customers from the nearby University and the area’s bustling military installments--whose uniforms must be professionally cleaned and pressed--compounded with the accompanying shortage of laundry workers as Austinites joined the war effort to spell disaster for the dry-cleaning industry. Thus, Burton invested heavily in new textile cleaning technology. By 1954, he had commissioned architect August Watkins “Watt” Harris to design a new facility for his fully modern business. Prior to World War II, Harris had been a principal of Giesecke and Harris, a prolific firm whose PWA-funded projects spanned the state during the Great Depression. Notable projects included Russell Lee Elementary and the Norwood Tower, as well as numerous civic and commercial structures statewide. A World War I Army veteran, Harris resumed his service in 1940 and practiced independently upon his return to Austin after the war. His Modern designs of the 1950s, featuring dramatic geometric massing and strong horizontal elements, are as well-known as his PWA work with Giesecke and Harris and include the State Bar of Texas building and the Govalle Fire Station. These distinctive aesthetic sensibilities are evident in the one-and two-story buildings he designed adjacent to the original Burton’s laundry. Harris and Burton also shared an interest in civic service through membership in the Chamber of Commerce and various City boards and commissions. Burton was a long-term spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce and advocated strongly for a new City plan in the 1950s, which eventually came to fruition. This led to his appointment to the Planning Commission in the mid-Fifties, though his tenure lasted only a year as it coincided with the expansion of his business. Burton continued to be active in city planning as an advocate for community input throughout the 1950s. Burton leased the one-story portion of his complex to operators of a 7-11 convenience store chain, and eventually sold the entire facility to Jack Brown Cleaners, who are still in operation today. Aside from the one-story leased portion of the complex, the two larger buildings on the site have never been used for anything but laundry and dry-cleaning services. PROPERTY EVALUATION The 2025 Downtown Austin Historic Resources Survey lists the two-story building as eligible for local landmark listing. It lists all three addresses as contributing to potential local and National Register districts. 21 – 2 Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high integrity. Though the older portion of the building has a stucco slipcover, it appears to have been applied during the period of significance. 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. According to the 2025 Downtown survey, the building is a good example of twentieth-century one- and two-part commercial space, displaying Mid-century Modern and Art Deco stylistic influences. The ca. 1954 portions of the building were designed by architect August Watkins Harris. b. Historical association. According to the draft 2025 Downtown survey, the property has significant historical associations with commerce development in Central Austin as a legacy business. It is also associated with Chamber of Commerce president and city planner Charles Burton. 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 was not evaluated for its ability to convey 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 Consider initiation of historic zoning per Downtown Austin survey recommendation. Should the Commission decide against historic zoning, strongly encourage adaptive reuse and integration of these pedestrian-scale structures into future site development, then deconstruction and material salvage, but release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. LOCATION MAP 21 – 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 21 – 4 21 – 5 H-H-M, Inc., 2024-25 Google Street View, 2023 1940 aerial photo 21 – 6 1958 aerial photo Occupancy History City Directory Research, May 2025 1959 1955 1952 1949 1947 1944 1941 1939 607: Seven-Eleven Dairy Stores #12, Grocery 615: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners 607: Seven-Eleven Dairy Stores #12, Grocery 615: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners 605: Mrs. Jenny R. Burton, owner 615: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners 611-15: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners 611-15: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners 611-15: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners 611-15: Burton’s Laundry & Cleaners Not listed Historical Information 1935 Sanborn map 21 – 7 1961 Sanborn map https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/giesecke-harris 21 – 8 https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/harris-august-watkins-sr-watt https://livingnewdeal.org/designers/giesecke-harris/ https://sah-archipedia.org/Architects/Giesecke-and-Harris 21 – 9 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 19 Sep 1939: 8. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 23 Sep 1942: 1 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 04 June 1944: 9. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 22 Feb 1946: 6. 21 – 10 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 11 Dec 1945: 15. The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 10 Mar 1946: 22. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 11 Apr 1946: 11. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 10 May 1946: 2. 21 – 11 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 13 Oct 1946: A8. 21 – 12 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 25 Dec 1948: 6B. The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 14 Mar 1954: B1 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 04 July 1954: 31. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 09 Aug 1954: 3. 21 – 13 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 14 Sep 1954: 5. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 28 Feb 1955: A5. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 25 May 1955: 2. 21 – 14 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 01 May 1955: B6 21 – 15 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 01 May 1955: A14. 21 – 16 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 21 July 1955: A13. 21 – 17 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 27 July 1955: 17. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 08 Feb 1956: 7. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 09 Jan 1957: 13. 21 – 18 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 29 Oct 1957: 13. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 16 June 1958: A7. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 12 Feb 1960: 7 21 – 19 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 13 Dec 1970: D16. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 27 Dec 1970: D7. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 31 Jan 1971: E8. The Austin American - Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; Austin, Tex.. 07 Apr 1975: 6. Permits 21 – 20