03.0 - C14H-2025-0086 - 1712 Rio Grande St - Reed House — original pdf

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ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET CASE NUMBER: C14H- 2025-0086 HLC DATE: September 3, 2025 PC DATE: CC Date: APPLICANT: Drenner Group (Dave Anderson) HISTORIC NAME: Margaret Badger and M. H. Reed House WATERSHED: Shoal Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 1712 Rio Grande Street ZONING CHANGE: GO-ETOD-DBETOD to DMU-H-ETOD-DBETOD COUNCIL DISTRICT: 9 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the proposed zoning change to add historic landmark combining district zoning (H) to the base zoning. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION: architecture and historical associations. HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: CITY COUNCIL ACTION: CASE MANAGERS: Cynthia Hadri, 512-974-7620; Kalan Contreras, 512-974-2727 NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS: Austin Independent School District, Austin Neighborhoods Council, City of Austin Downtown Commission, Downtown Austin Alliance, Downtown Austin Neighborhood Assn. (DANA), Friends of Austin Neighborhoods, Historic Austin Neighborhood Association, Homeless Neighborhood Association, Judges Hill Neighborhood Association, Preservation Austin, Shoal Creek Conservancy, West Downtown Alliance, Inc. DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The Historic Landmark Commission will review the addition of H zoning only at the upcoming September 3, 2025, public hearing. Base zoning changes will be evaluated at subsequent Planning Commission and City Council hearings. The 2025 Downtown Austin historic resource survey recommends the building as eligible for individual listing as a historic landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as eligible as a contributing structure in local and National Register historic districts. 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 house is significant as a rare example of the American Foursquare style of the Prairie school of architecture in Austin. While prolific in the Midwest, Austin’s true Foursquare homes are few and far between. Frank Lloyd Wright is solely credited with creating Prairie style architecture. The style is defined by its horizontal lines, indoor-outdoor living spaces and open interiors. Though the building’s architect remains a mystery, some evidence suggests it is a unique expression of a contemporary style by traditionalist architect Hal Thomson, who seldom strayed from revivalist and classical forms when designing high-style homes for Dallas’ elite. Architectural historian Lori Martin describes the building’s architecture: The home’s detailing is typical of the Prairie Box or American Foursquare with a simple square plan. As described by Virginia Savage McAlester, the distinguishable hipped roof with a prominent dormer, expansive off-center porch with massive masonry column supports and wide stair approach give weight and stature to the building. A concrete belt course visually separates the basement from the first floor and further grounds the building and accentuates its horizontal lines…. Reed House has some simpler detailing but showcases its grandeur from its perch on a raised yard bounded by a stucco wall and further elevated by a partially below ground basement which emphasizes the overall height of the building and is offset by a concrete belt course further showcasing its stature from the street. The geometric “cottage” paned windows and grand porch with its arched openings give the home a handsome and stately presence. One could imagine the Reed House as quite the gem situated among other more classically traditional homes along Rio Grande Street in 1910.1 The home’s eye-catching design has been attributed to two notable Texas architects, though its true designer remains a mystery. In her analysis, Martin suggests that Austin luminary Charles Page was hired by Margaret and M. H. Reed to construct a building with similar detailing to the house at 1410 Rio Grande Street, built by Page in 1907.2 However, native Austinite Hal Thomson has also been credited with the home’s design. Thomson designed a Neoclassical home around the corner from 1712 Rio Grande and later built the Reeds’ next residence on Harris Boulevard. M. H. Reed’s and Hal Thomson’s fathers were contemporaries. However, none of Thomson’s well-known works in either Austin or Dallas display an architectural language close to that of 1712 Rio Grande Street; if the building was indeed designed by Thomson, it is a unique and rare example of an experimental new form by a stylistically traditional architect. § 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 house is associated with multiple significant contributors to Austin’s history, including Malcolm Reed, Margaret Badger Reed, the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation (now Texas Hillel), and Phi Kappa Alpha and Delta Tau Delta fraternal organizations. It was also home to former governor Dolph Briscoe, Jr. Martin summarizes the Reeds’ importance in the 2025 landmark designation application: Malcolm H. Reed and his first wife Margaret Badger Reed moved to Austin from Marble Falls in 1908. Having already established a business and a bank, Reed evolved into a true titan of industry in Austin in the early twentieth century. He was contemporaries with “Commodore” Edgar Perry and others who shaped an early vision for the city. Their first home in Austin at 1712 Rio Grande, while modest in comparison to their later estate, was stately in its siting and stood out as “modern”, surrounded by the more classical architectural styles along the street3. Margaret Badger Reed, known as “Maggie,” was part of the Badger family, a business dynasty in Burnet County during the late 19th century. Her father, Walter Badger, is credited with beginning the cedar trade in Central Texas.4 He later partnered with son-in-law Malcolm Reed to develop the Yellow House Ranch beginning in 1923. The partnership purchased the famous George W. Littlefield Yellow House Ranch and formed the Yellow House Land Company in 1929, and later the Plains Investment Company, where Badger served as president.5 Malcolm Reed married Margaret Badger in Marble Falls in 1898 and soon grew his own business to great proportions. M.H. Reed & Company began as a wholesale dealer of cedar timber and soon became a major Central Texas provider. It expanded to become one of the state’s largest buyers and sellers of pecans, and then one of Texas’ leading cotton exporters. Though Reed had offices in five foreign countries, he described his career as “in the cedar post business.”6 He also founded and served as long-term president of Home State Bank in Marble Falls and owned the Marble Falls Water & Light Plant. The Reeds moved to Austin in 1908 and constructed 1712 Rio Grande in 1910, where they lived for twenty years. During this time, the cotton industry boomed. However, as cotton declined during the Great Depression, M. H. Reed devoted more time to his real estate and oil investments. He continued to stoke the South Plains land boom and became a leading oilman in the 1930s, when the Reeds moved to a grand estate in Pemberton Heights. While the Hal Thomson-designed Pemberton Heights Reed Estate is designated as a local landmark and RTHL for its extravagant Italianate architecture, 1712 Rio Grande is more closely associated with the height of the Reed and Co. cotton empire and was where Malcolm and Margaret Reed lived the longest. The Reeds divorced in 1936, and Malcolm quickly remarried. Both the Pemberton estate and the Rio Grande house passed to Margaret Badger Reed and her daughter, Margaret E. Reed, after Margaret Badger’s death in 1940. Malcolm Reed died in 1945. His second wife, Roberta Purvis Crenshaw, later became one of Austin’s most beloved environmental and cultural philanthropists. The house at 1712 Rio Grande Street continued to be a focal point for Central Austin as a hub for University of Texas 1 Martin, Lori. “Historical Narrative: Malcolm H. and Margaret Badger Reed House, 1712 Rio Grande Street, Austin, Travis County, Texas.” 2025. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Allen, Phoebe. “History of Judges’ Hill.” 2023. https://judgeshill.org/resources/History/JudgesHillHISTORY12.2023.pdf 5 Martin, 2025. 6 Martin, Lori. “Historical Narrative: Malcolm H. and Margaret Badger Reed House, 1712 Rio Grande Street, Austin, Travis County, Texas.” 2025. student organizations and communal living space. The Texas Hillel, Delta Tau Alpha, and Phi Kappa Alpha organizations all headquartered there throughout the mid-twentieth century. Later, as the building was subdivided into apartments, it was home to former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe, Jr., during his time at the University of Texas in the 1930s and 1940s. At the very end of its period of significance, the house was converted into a restaurant, serving the surrounding Judges’ Hill neighborhood. The building occupies a highly visible and endangered place in Judges’ Hill. PARCEL NO.: 0211010502 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: N 104FT AV OF E 128FT AV OF OLT 20 DIVISION E ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX EXEMPTION (non-homestead, not capped): AISD 7,088.54 COA 7, 123.59 TC 5, 137.53 TC Health 1,610.40 Total Exempt Total Due 51,385.62 20,960.06 APPRAISED VALUE: Land: 1,334,800; Improvement: 2,315,678 PRESENT USE: Office DATE BUILT/PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE: 1910/1910-1975 INTEGRITY/ALTERATIONS: Both exterior modifications occurred during the historic period: A portion of the front porch was enclosed in the 1940s, and a rear addition was added in the 1960s. The original terracotta roof has been replaced with a metal roof. PRESENT OWNERS: Robin Sheperd (5 Colinas LLC) ORIGINAL OWNER(S): Margaret and Malcolm Reed OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: None Photos: 1940 and 2025, courtesy of Lori Martin