26.0 - 200 N IH 35 SVRD SB - Palm Park Shelter House - HLC Letter — original pdf

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Historic Preservation Office City of Austin July 2, 2025 Subject: Request to consider initiation of historic zoning for Palm Park Shelter House We would like to include the 1933 Palm Park Shelter House, centrally located in the park that lies on the eastern side of downtown Austin between 1-35, Red River St., 3rd St., and Cesar Chavez St., on the Historic Landmark Commission's July agenda for consideration of initiation of historic zoning. The owner, the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department (PARD), has been notified of this request and has agreed to historic zoning of the Shelter House's footprint. The historic shelter house is a key feature of the park and is being preserved during the Palm Park redesign process. Palm Park played an important role in the lower Waller Creek community in the 1930s and 1940s. Critical to the park's history is the Shelter House structure. The Shelter House is centrally located in the park and is strikingly similar to those constructed by Hugo Kuehne in other important city parks of the same era. Kuehne designed a series of shelter houses to provide restrooms and spaces for recreational programming, utilizing the dogtrot design in a reference to Texas folk architecture. Many were constructed in the Rustic style employed in parks nationwide and showcased local building materials in their construction. The shelters provided a focal point for programming, from dances to performances to athletics, and became central to the recreational missions of the neighborhood parks and playgrounds. The fieldstone shelter building in Palm Park, completed in 1933, is one of just examples still extant in Austin. Its Rustic design meets the City's Architecture criteria for local landmark designation. In the era of segregated recreation, Palm Park and its amenities-excluding the swimming pool became known for serving Austin's Mexican American community. Despite this, people of color were barred from using the pool due to discriminatory segregationist policies. Hispanic advocacy groups later described the park and pool as a symbol of their community within Austin. As a crucial structure in a pivotal Central Austin park during the era of extensive recreational green space development, the Shelter House meets the City's landmark designation criteria for Historical Associations with the development of Austin's parks program. As a gathering place for the Mexican American community and a symbol of their resilience in the face of discriminatory policies, Palm Park and its Shelter House meet the City's landmark designation criteria for Community Value. Thank you for your consideration and feel free to reach out regarding any questions or concerns. ~ - - - ~~·,.w..~. ·- ' ~'-~ QA..o:,- Q,y I..IUI.( 9 ~