16.0 - 1808 E Cesar Chavez St — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION Applications for Demolition and Relocation Permits May 6, 2026 PR-2026-040403 1808 East Cesar Chavez Street 16 – 1 Proposal Demolish a ca. 1930 structure. Architecture The existing structure is a two story commercial structure with two storefront entries side-by-side on the main elevation. There is a small, metal clad awning above the ground floor entryways. Above, two sets of paired, wood- frame windows are present at the second floor, with a moderately pitched hipped roof with exposed rafter tails above. The roof material is metal standing seam, and all exterior walls are clad in thin teardrop siding. While several of the windows are currently boarded over or otherwise inaccessible, images from the past decade would indicate that the existing material is largely intact, if in need of repair. Research This property has a long history of commercial tenants who served the East Austin community. For several decades after construction, it was home to a beauty parlor, a barber shop, and a shoe repair shop. By the 1950s, one or more of these tenants had vacated the building, but there was always at least one occupied storefront at the property. Newspaper records feature advertisements for Smith’s Barber Shop, Guarantee Wave Shop, and Carlson’s Shoe Repair Shop. The latter of these was owned by Reverend E. A. Carlson, formerly a Swedish Baptist minister, for 31 years until his death in 1964. Department Comments Two permits were issued for the property in 1999, though there are no digitized records of the application material. However, summary descriptions are available in city records. One permit described work to remodel the building’s interior & exterior to create a duplex. The second permit from the same year is summarized as, “Add 1st floor stair tower, porch, and 2nd floor extension.” There are no records of this property being surveyed in the 1980 East Austin historic resource survey or the 1984 citywide comprehensive resource survey. At time of writing, no photos of the property can be found prior to the 1999 permits. This application will time out on July 20, 2026. Property Evaluation The 2016 East Austin historic resource survey lists the property as eligible as a City of Austin landmark, as well as contributing to a potential local or National Register historic district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it may meet two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The building may be a good example of interwar commercial architecture in East Austin. b. Historical association. The property appears to have significant historical associations as one of a few remaining commercial structures along this stretch of East Cesar Chavez Street, and as the site of local businesses serving the immediate neighborhood for several decades. 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 may 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. 16 – 2 Staff Recommendation Consider initiation of historic zoning. Should the Commission find that the building, as it exists, meets two of the criteria for Architecture, Historical Association, and Community Value initiate historic zoning. Otherwise, encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, relocation, or deconstruction and salvage over demolition, but approve the demolition permit application upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. Location Map 16 – 3 Property Information Photos 16 – 4 Site visit, April 2026 16 – 5 Site visit, April 2026 Google Streetview, 2009 Occupancy History City Directory Research, April 2026 16 – 6 1959 1957 1955 1952 1949 1947 Brown Barber Shop (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Normans Barber Shop by Norman M. and Viola Steaples (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Jones Barber Shop by Oscar T. Jones (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson’s E. A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) Jones Barber Shop by Oscar T. Jones (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson’s E. A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) Jones Barber Shop by Oscar T. Jones (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson’s E. A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) Jones Barber Shop by Oscar T. Jones (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson Enoch A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) 1944-45 Milton Smith W. Barber Shop (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson Enoch A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) 1941 1939 1937 1935 Milton Smith W. Barber Shop (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson Enoch A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) Milton Smith W. Barber Shop (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson Enoch A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) Milton Smith W. Barber Shop (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Guarantee Wave Beauty Shop (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson Enoch A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) Milton Smith W. Barber Shop (Address listed as 1808 E 1st St) Mary McRoberts Beauty Parlor (Address listed as 1808a E 1st St) Carlson Enoch A. Shoe Repair Shop (Address listed as 1808b E 1st St) 1932-33 Boyd Lane Barber 1927 Address not listed Maps 16 – 7 1935 Sanborn map Historic aerial, 1940 (left) and 1976 (right) 16 – 8 Historical Information Historic aerial, 1997 (left) and 2006 (right) The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 22 June 1934: 13. The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 06 June 1937: 13. The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 06 Mar 1938: 16. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 06 Aug 1940: 5 16 – 9 The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex.. 14 May 1944: 14. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 07 June 1945: 16. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 17 Apr 1962: 23. 16 – 10 The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex.. 21 Dec 1964: 12.