02.1 - C14H-2026-0039 - 400 W 37th St - Historic Zoning Application — original pdf

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E,B>A(094f8A:(G,:,= 78705-1314 ]K(47C89gB(C,?8Ojjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj ^K(094f8A:(C,?8Ojjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj _K(094f8A:(B:988:(,GG98BB(P%&(9/*+2Q=!!jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj Travis Nicholas Wallace James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House 400 W. 37th Street, Austin, TX )>0jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj!!!!A4DC:<Ojjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj >@(094f8A:(,GG98BB(A,CC4:(E8(G8@>C8G(,E4I8= K4"(I\7!jjjjjjjjjjjj!QT4aI(g\!Q\\I!(K4ag!I-\!!aH!!`H!!\H!!XH!B"_T"K\!4a\G! `_7\!4Q !jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj!!BT4(7!a(e\!0T40\TIk!QT4aI`!4aI4GD!X-_"-!_` (00T4Z_e(I\Kk!!!jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj!!7_`I(a"\!QT4e!_I`! _aI\T`\"I_4a!X_I-!jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj!!!"T4``!`IT\\IH! ! ! ! ! ,98,(:4(E8(98)4C8G= `K(,A98B(hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh(((((((((((((((P49Q(( ( 0.1455 6,339.98 sq. ft. 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[ City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet D. SUBMITTAL VERIFICATION AND INSPECTION AUTHORIZATION SUBMITTAL VERICATION My signature attests to the fact that the attached application package is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I understand that proper City staff review of this application is dependent upon the accuracy of the information provided and that any inaccurate or inadequate information provided by me/my firm/etc., may delay the proper review of this application. PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT NAME BELOW SIGNATURE AND INDICATE FIRM REPRESENTED, IF APPLICABLE. __________________________________________________ Date Signature __________________________________________________ Name (Typed or Printed) __________________________________________________ Firm (If applicable) INSPECTION AUTHORIZATION As owner or authorized agent, my signature authorizes staff to visit and inspect the property for which this application is being submitted. PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT NAME BELOW SIGNATURE AND INDICATE FIRM REPRESENTED, IF APPLICABLE. ___________________________________________________ Signature Date ___________________________________________________ Name (Typed or Printed) ___________________________________________________ Firm (If applicable) Adopted December 2012 8 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet E. ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM concerning Subdivision Plat Notes, Deed Restrictions, Restrictive Covenants and / or Zoning Conditional Overlays I, ________________________________________ have checked for subdivision plat notes, deed restrictions, (Print name of applicant) restrictive covenants and/or zoning conditional overlays prohibiting certain uses and/or requiring certain development restrictions i.e. height, access, screening etc. on this property, located at ______________________________________________________________________________________ (Address or Legal Description) ______________________________________________________________________________________ If a conflict should result with the request I am submitting to the City of Austin due to subdivision plat notes, deed restrictions, restrictive covenants and/or zoning conditional overlays it will be my responsibility to resolve it. I also acknowledge that I understand the implications of use and/or development restrictions that are a result of a subdivision plat notes, deed restrictions, restrictive covenants and/or zoning conditional overlays. I understand that if requested, I must provide copies of any and all subdivision plat notes, deed restrictions, restrictive covenants and/or zoning conditional overlay information which may apply to this property. _______________________________________ ________________________________ (Applicant's signature) (Date) Adopted December 2012 9 Preservation Central, Inc. 823 Harris Avenue Austin, Texas 78705-2519 (512) 695-7375 Historic Preservation Consulting: National Register Nominations · Preservation Planning · Cultural Resource Surveys · Preservation Education May 20, 2026 Attention: Zachary Whitaker, Development Services Department Kalan Contreras and Austin Lukes, Historic Preservation Office RE: Landmark Application for 400 W. 37th Street – the James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House Dear Sirs and Madam, Preservation Central is pleased to submit this Submittal Letter and three related files on behalf of Nicholas Wallace, owner of the James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House, for consideration as an Austin Historic Landmark under criterion i, Architecture and criterion ii, Historical Significance. See the following files: 1) Submittal Letter 2) Signed, completed application for H-zoning 3) Narratives, Photos and Images – in the following sections: a. architectural description b. integrity assessments c. criteria: Architecture; Historical Associations with J. Harvey & Pearl Caldwell d. historic context e. chronological history, photos, maps, historic images, newspaper articles 4) Tax Certificate The narratives justify Landmark consideration under the criteria listed. In the area of Architecture, the house is an excellent, very intact example of an early 20th century Neoclassical bungalow. It is historically associated with J. Harvey and Pearl Richardson Caldwell, a blind couple who, despite their disabilities, led full, purposeful lives that benefitted the blind community in Texas, and the city. Harvey taught music and piano tuning at the State School for the Blind for more than 30 years. In his career, he taught generations of blind students the art of piano tuning so they could be self-sustaining in an era when many middle-class families had pianos in their homes. Both served as officers in the Austin Association for the Blind and other advocacy groups. Harvey and his wife Pearl built the house in 1912 and lived there until their deaths, Harvey in 1947 and Pearl in 1955. In addition to the criteria noted above, the house meets the recommendations of the Equity-based Preservation Plan to designate resources associated with marginalized communities, including people with disabilities. Sincerely, Terri Myers, Historian Preservation Central F.1: Historical Documentation – Deed Chronology Deed Research: 400 W. 37th Street – J. Harvey and Pearl Richardson Caldwell House Transaction Vol./Page Mrs. E. M. (Emma Moore) Barrett Plat Book 2/page 199 Lake-view Addition [2 blocks/60 lots] March 4, 1910 E.M. Barrett to Dora Draper Allison Vol. 224/page 102 16 lots in Lake-view Addition incl. Lot 32, Blk 2 March 28, 1910 $6,500 J. Frank Allison and wife [Dora Draper Allison] Vol. 225/page 73 to C.C. McDonald and A.T. Threadgill Jr. Lot 32, Blk 2, Lake View Addition December 18, 1911 $350 C.C. McDonald and A.T. Threadgill Jr. to E.B. Bailey Vol. 210/page 425 Lot 32, Blk 2, Lake View Additon December 29, 1911 $400 E. B. Bailey to Mrs. Pearl Caldwell Lot 32, Blk 2, Lake View Addition July 20, 1912 $600 cash Vol. 224/page 371 Estate of Pearl R. Caldwell, deceased, filed Austin Statesman Mrs. Florence E. White [niece], applicant for appointment August 19, 1955, page 16 as executrix August 1955 Mrs. Florence E. White, et. vir. to H.P. Beville Austin American Lot 32, Blk 2, Lakeview Addition September 21, 1956, page 35 September 1956 H. P. Beville, et. ux. to Thurmon Gene Looney, et. ux. Lot 32, Blk 2, Lakeview Addition August 1958 Austin American-Statesman August 8, 1958, page 24 [Looney owner through July 1961] Austin American Files for variance to build accessory building July 18, 1961, page 19 H. P. Beville[?] to Ray Pine Lot 32, Blk 2, Lakeview Addition July 21, 1965 Ray Pine to Gary Peese January 15, 1992 Vol. 02989/page 00276 Warranty Deed Vol. 11606/page 00463 Warranty Deed Gary Peese to Ragusa Elysia Holt & Jake Warranty Deed September 03, 2010 Ragusa Elysia Holt & Jake to Reubetti LLC-series three Warranty Deed 400 W. 37th Street August 15, 2016 Instrument 2016134863 Reubetti LLC-series three to Jessica L. & Austin B. Light Warranty Deed 400 W. 37th Street July 07, 2021 Instrument 2021165061 Jessica L & Austin B. Light to Nicholas Wallace Warranty Deed December 08, 2022 Instrument 2022190075 F.2 Occupancy Research for 400 W. 37th St. Year Occupant Name and Addl. Information Reference Source 1914 James Harvey Caldwell, Piano Tuner Teacher for City Directory State School for the Blind, Owner- W. 412 [400] 37th St. 1916-1918 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Piano Tuner Teacher City Directories for State School for the Blind, Owner- W. 412 [400] 37th St. 1920-1922 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Music Teacher at Texas City Directories School for the Blind, Owner- W. 412 [400] 37th St. 1924 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Teacher at Texas City Directories School for the Blind, Owner- W. 412 [400] 37th St. 1927-1930 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Teacher at Texas City Directories School for the Blind, Owner- W. 312 [400] 37th St. 1932-1933 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Owner- W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1935-1939 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Teacher of Music at City Directories Texas School for the Blind, Owner- W. 400 37th St. 1941-1942 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Piano Tuner, City Directories Owner- W. 400 37th St. 1944-1947 James Harvey Caldwell (Pearl), Owner- W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1949 Pearl R. Caldwell (wid. James H.), Owner- W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1952-1954 Pearl Caldwell (wid. James H.), Owner- W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1955 Frank Blair (Vera), Driver, W. 400 37th St. 1957-1958 Ora F. Beville (wid. Paul A.), W. 400 37th St. 1959 Mrs. Jewel D. Looney, Plant Department SBT&T, Owner/Roomer- W 400 37th St. 1960 Vacant City Directories City Directories City Directories City Directories 1961-1964 W. Leroy Smith (Elizabeth B.), Student, W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1965 Stephen D. Noble (Gladys L.), Custodian University Junior City Directories High School W. 400 37th St. 1966-1971 Walter D. Noelke (Virginia M), Student, W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1972 Kenneth Ragglo, Student, W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1973-1976 Adrian Young, Student, W. 400 37th St. City Directories 1976-1977 Adrian Young, Lynch Jolink Zimmerman & Young, City Directories W. 400 37th St. 1978 L.L. Jones, W. 400 37th St. 1980 Donald S. Stone, W. 400 37th St. 1996 Adam Rice, W. 400 37th St. 2002 Aklilu Gebrewold, W. 400 37th St. 2005 Not Listed 2008 John Sammons, W. 400 37th St. 2011 Stephen Relont, W. 400 37th St. City Directories City Directories City Directories City Directories City Directories City Directories City Directories 2013 Ronald J. Reynolds & Francis Reynolds, W. 400 37th St. City Directories 2015-2017 Not Listed 2018-2020 Erika Hibler, W. 400 37th St. 2021 Christian Rotsko, W. 400 37th St. No directories after 2021 City Directories City Directories City Directories Reference Librarian James Harvey and Pearl Richardson Caldwell House: 400 W. 37th Street I. Architectural Heritage, Description, and Integrity The James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House at 400 W. 37th Street is an excellent, almost entirely intact example of an early 20th century Neoclassical style bungalow as defined by renowned architectural historian Virginia McAlester.1 It is a one-story, hipped roof dwelling with a symmetrical façade composed of a central entrance bay flanked by matching 1/1 double-hung windows. It has a hipped dormer centered on the overarching roof and an inset full-façade front porch supported by four Doric order columns. The house is described in more detail later in this section. Neoclassical Style The Neoclassical or Neoclassical Revival style achieved great popularity in America following the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893 which re-introduced architectural classicism to a receptive populace through its dazzling white colonnaded pavilions and exhibition halls. Nineteen of the exposition’s twenty main halls emulated Greek and Roman temples with their perfect symmetry and pedimented porticos supported by monumental, full-height classical order columns. Neoclassicism presented sharp contrast to the asymmetrical massing and often overwrought ornament of Victorian era architecture with their wraparound porches, turrets, turned porch posts, intricate fretwork and gingerbread trim. Moreover, the Neoclassical style harkened to the democratic ideals and values of America’s founding, something that deeply resonated with many Americans in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. The style was particularly well-adapted to civic and religious uses such as courthouses and churches, even commercial enterprises, because it conveyed a sense of strength, serious purpose, timelessness and security. Many financial institutions adopted the style following disastrous economic depressions in the 1890s that left customers distrustful of banks. Colonnaded porches were character-defining elements of the Neoclassical style. Though most Texas cities, even smaller ones like Georgetown and San Marcos, boast a few grand Neoclassical Revival mansions a la “lifestyles of the rich and famous,” the style was more often found in one- story frame houses distinguished by generous full- or half-façade front porches with classical order – usually Doric or Ionic – round or square columns. Deep porches were functional for catching breezes in hot climates like Texas and for socializing with neighbors. It was in the porch design that Neoclassical bungalows are most differentiated from their later Craftsman and Period Revival counterparts; their symmetry and colonnade clearly convey their classical inspiration. Neoclassical bungalows like the Caldwell House often featured large, centered dormers on overarching hipped roofs and large, double-hung sash set opposite one another for air circulation 1 Virginia Savage McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, Alfred A. Knopf: New York, second edition 2018: 436, 444. inside the house. Modest Neoclassical dwellings typically followed a square or bungalow plan consisting of two parallel rows of in-tandem rooms, one row front to back for public spaces – living room, dining room, kitchen – the other row for private spaces – two or three bedrooms with a bathroom set between them. Sometimes a central hallway separated the two rows. Neoclassical bungalows served as a transition between the ornate Queen Anne and Folk Victorian style houses of the late 19th century and the wildly popular Craftsman style bungalows that rose to prominence in the mid-1910s and persisted through the 1930s. Though McAlester states that the Neoclassical style ranged from c. 1895-1955, the Neoclassical bungalow was relatively short-lived, dating from c. 1905-1915; thus, they are relatively rare when compared with the Victorian-era and Craftsman dwellings. In Austin, examples of Neoclassical bungalows can be found in early 20th century central city neighborhoods like Hyde Park and Heritage, but few retain their original integrity to the high level of the Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House. Architectural Description: James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House, 400 W. 37th Street The James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House at 400 W. 37th Street embodies all elements of the Neoclassical style cottage or bungalow as defined by McAlester. It is a one-story frame house with a symmetrical façade and overarching hipped roof punctuated by a centered hipped dormer (Photos 1-5). The house features a deep, full-façade inset front porch supported by four round Doric order columns set equidistance across the porch with two columns on either side of its central entrance. A balustrade composed of 1.5” x 1.5” wood balusters and a molded handrail runs along the outer edges of the porch. The house has no pilasters; instead, it has wide full- height corner boards. A plain 27” flush wood frieze board descends from beneath the roof overhang to wrap around the outer edges of the porch. Wooden steps rise from a concrete pad at ground level to a tongue-and-groove porch floor across the full width of the house. The house has a central door and vertical sidelights. The entrance portal is flanked by single 1/1 double-hung wood sash windows with wood surrounds and trim. The entrance portal is unusual in that it extends forward onto the porch in a half-hexagonal shape composed of the front door in the center and vertical sidelights on the canted sides (Photo 6). The door has an egg-and-dart frame around a long rectangular window centered in a wood panel. The west wall has two sets of paired 1/1 wood sash windows; one set opens into the front living room and the other into the dining room (Photo 3). A smaller 1/1 window opens into the kitchen at the back of the house. The east wall is similar to the west wall with sets of paired 1/1 wood sash windows opening into each of the two bedrooms with a smaller bathroom window between them (Photo 4). The fenestration pattern, window openings, surrounds, and trim are all original except for the aluminum bathroom window and another in the enclosed rear porch; permitted work is currently underway to replace the bathroom window with a larger, 1/1 double-hung wood sash window better resembling the original window, as evidenced by patched wood infill (See Plans). A large, hipped dormer with five small fixed lites is centered on the roof above the entrance bay. The frame house is clad in horizontal bands of flush board siding with about a 5” reveal and an inverted V between bands. The wood siding, window and door surrounds, front door, columns, balustrade, corner boards and trim on the primary and two secondary facades appear to be original to the date of construction in 1912. An open rear porch was later enclosed with board siding (Photo 5). The roof is covered in composition shingles which likely replaced cedar shingles in the postwar era. The roof cladding, rear porch enclosure and aluminum bathroom window are the only known alterations to the house; they occurred during the historic period, i.e., prior to 1975. Seven Aspects of Integrity Integrity of Location: The Caldwell House is original to its site and thus retains integrity of location. Integrity of Design and Materials: The Caldwell House retains integrity of design and materials to an exceptional degree. Very little has changed in its appearance or fabric since it was built in 1912. Historic photographs and graphic images of Neoclassical bungalows built in Austin at the same time clearly indicate that the house retains its original design and materials. Alterations noted in the architectural description above are minor and occur on the least visible facades; even the replacement of cedar shakes with composition roof shingles approximates the layered effect and texture of lapped cedar shingles as compared with metal seam roofs. Integrity of Setting and Association: The Caldwell House stands among other early 20th century residential buildings, primarily bungalows and cottages, on a three-block stretch of W. 37th Street. The uninterrupted 300-400-500 blocks run between Guadalupe Street, an early highway known as the lower Georgetown Road, on the west, and Home Lane, named for the adjacent Confederate Woman’s Home on the east. The narrow street is remarkable for its original building stock and fabric. Virtually all houses on the street are one-story frame bungalows or cottages. They are set on rectangular 50’ x 126’ lots with grass lawns, concrete sidewalks and concrete walkways to the porch.2 Thus, the street maintains its original pattern and rhythm as laid out in the 1910 plat of Lake-View Addition. The Caldwell House observes and contributes to these patterns and therefore retains integrity of setting and association as part of this early 20th century suburban residential addition – Lake-view Addition – to the City of Austin (See Maps). Integrity of Workmanship: The Caldwell House exhibits integrity of workmanship as evidenced in its good condition and lack of replacement materials. It appears very much as it did when built in 1912 and as it has been maintained, not only by the original owners, but by later owners and occupants, as well. Integrity of Feeling: The high degree to which the Caldwell House retains integrity of design, materials, setting, association and workmanship contributes to the building’s exceptional ability 2 The name J. H. Caldwell is inscribed on the concrete sidewalk in front of the Caldwell House (Photo 11). to convey a strong, authentic sense of its own history as well as the early twentieth century context of Austin’s suburban expansion north of the University of Texas and away from the traffic, noise, congestion and pollution that existed in downtown Austin at the time. The northward expansion was accompanied by the Guadalupe streetcar line that extended all the way to 43rd Street, an area that was still semi-rural in character at the time. The house reflects the homeowners’ desire to live in a more natural, relaxed and neighborly environment with orderly street patterns, consistent setbacks, yards and gardens as promoted by developers. These attributes are clearly evident in the Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House and its streetscape today. Current Work The owner is currently conducting a phased restoration of the house’s interior. He is guided by a desire to preserve the original floorplan and restore the circa 1960s kitchen and bathrooms to evoke the home’s period of significance while providing greater functionality. He has removed a non-historic aluminum window in the bathroom (east façade) and will replace it with a 1/1 wood sash window to match existing historic windows on the house within the original window opening shown by patched wood (See Plans). He will also restore a small span of rotted porch flooring that has suffered moisture damage. The owner is working with an experienced preservation architect, Karen McGraw AIA, and preservation contractor, Steve Franke, on the project. Selective demolition for the bathroom project has revealed several artifacts, including a builder’s signature (H. E. Dreves) and a date of construction, Sept. 11, 1912 (See Historic Photo 6). The owner’s dedication to restoration is welcome in light of a previous owner’s plans that would have severely altered the design and character of the Caldwell House. II. Historical Narrative: Significance, Historic Context, Chronological History Landmark Criteria and Significance The Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House meets City of Austin Landmark criteria for significance in the areas of (i) architecture as an excellent, largely intact example of an early twentieth century Neoclassical style bungalow and (ii) historical associations as the home of James Harvey and Pearl Richardson Caldwell, a blind couple. Harvey taught music and piano tuning at the Texas State School for the Blind for over three decades, from as early as 1910 to his retirement in 1940. In addition to its architectural and historical significance, the Caldwell House is eligible for Landmark designation under the Equity-based Preservation Plan for its long association with two disabled persons who, despite being blind, led full, purposeful lives that benefitted the blind community, their church, and Austin’s music community. Furthermore, Harvey earned wide respect for his dedication to teaching the blind for 30 years; when he died, his obituary was printed on the front page of the Austin American Statesman as a tribute to his character and achievements (See Article 14). The Equity-based Preservation Plan adopted by City Council defines historically marginalized groups as “people who have historically been left out of, misrepresented by, or ignored by City processes and outcomes, either intentionally or unintentionally. They include people of color, low-income households, people with disabilities [emphasis ours], renters, women, and LGBTQ+ people.” The Plan made numerous recommendations for inclusion including Recommendations 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 50 and 61, especially Recommendation 4: “Acknowledge the struggles and celebrate the triumphs and contributions of marginalized communities” and Recommendation 8: “Designate more landmarks and districts that represent communities that have been historically marginalized to tell Austin’s full story.” The James Harvey and Pearl Richardson Caldwell House epitomizes these recommendations. Blindness shaped Harvey Caldwell’s productive life as a teacher, musician, church elder, school department head, and advocate for the blind (See Articles 3-7). From 1910 to 1940, Caldwell taught generations of blind students the art of piano tuning so they could earn a living for themselves at a time when most middle-class families had pianos in their homes. Teaching blind students to be self-sustaining was one of the main goals of the state schools like the School for the Blind and School for the Deaf. The head of the School for the Blind stressed this goal and their success in annual reports as justification for the agency’s continued funding. Harvey Caldwell was a role model for his students in this regard; he was able to provide for himself and his wife as a full-time teacher throughout his life. His habit of working at night and his theories on piano tuning were the subject of several newspaper articles (See Articles 3 and 6). He also performed at monthly school concerts for the public. Harvey and Pearl hosted regular meetings of the Austin Association for the Blind at their home on W. 37th Street (See Article 4). Members discussed legislation pertaining to the blind and penned letters in support or opposition to various bills (See Article 7). They also played music at their meetings, Harvey played cornet or violin solos and duets; Pearl and Harvey also played in a quartet with another couple. Pearl Caldwell, who was also blind, was noteworthy in her own right. Despite her disability, she negotiated the purchase of her lot and likely contracted the construction of her home on W. 37th Street. She regularly hosted meetings of the Austin Association for the Blind and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church at her house from the 1910s through the early 1930s. She served as an officer for the Blind Club and multiple terms as president of the Women’s Auxiliary in the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church where she and Harvey were lifelong members.3 From church records, it appears that she had her own money and contributed generously to the building fund and other church programs.4 3 “Austin Blind Club Holds Regular Meeting,” Austin Statesman, April 9, 1922, page 6. 4 Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, Church Archives including meeting minutes of the Women’s Auxiliary, various dates. In addition to Pearl and Harvey’s achievements, it is noteworthy that the Lake-View Addition was platted and developed by a woman, Emma Moore Barrett, who dedicated her life to progressive causes. She was the first student to enroll at Sam Houston Normal Institute, a teacher education college.5 She finished her formal education at the University of Texas in 1892.6 By 1894, she was a teacher at the Blind Institute where she almost certainly knew Harvey, a student there at the same time.7 In 1900, she opened her own kindergarten and primary school where she applied “approved” teaching methods.8 At the same time, she owned several farms in the Austin area where she raised registered cattle and hogs and practiced modern farm techniques.9 By 1915, she was a Demonstrator for the State Agricultural Department, a job that required her to travel throughout Texas by train giving lectures on efficient farming methods, soil conservation, and home and farm economics. She promoted her belief that homes, gardens and farms should be both functional and attractive.10 Mrs. Barrett advocated for many progressive causes including prison reform, roadside beautification, and adding music and art to school curriculums.11 She was a personal friend of sculptress Elisabet Ney and the two engaged in fundraising activities together for various causes. She was also a philanthropist who donated the sale of her 10-acre farm to provide a home for “feeble-minded” children.12 Pearl Caldwell and Emma Moore Barrett empowered themselves at a time when women were generally marginalized and played few public roles in their communities. Finally, HHM, the city’s consultants for the North-Central Austin Historic Resources Survey, recommended the house as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and for designation as an Austin Historic Landmark for the reasons outlined above. Historic Context: Growth of Austin and the University of Texas in the early 20th Century The James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House was built in 1912 in the newly-platted Lake-View subdivision north of the University of Texas, an area that was experiencing a building boom associated with the growth of the city and the university in the early decades of the 20th century. With the exception of nearby the Hyde Park Addition which had “leap frogged” over farms and unimproved land north of the city by way of a developer-initiated streetcar line, residential development in the area up to that time had consisted primarily of scattered “plantations” or country estates of between five and fifty acres along the north-south running Georgetown Road 5 Now Sam Houston State University, “Female Firsts,” https://todayatsam.shsu.edu/T@S/2021/female-firsts-timeline 6 “General Register of the Students and Former Students of the University of Texas,” 1917, page 33. 7 “Personal Points,” Austin Daily Statesman, March 27, 1894, page 5. 8 Austin Daily Statesman, June 3, 1900, page 3. 9 “For Sale or Lease,” Austin Daily Statesman, June 23, 1907, page 6. 10 “Austin Woman Talks At San Marcos on Schools and Homes,” Austin American, March 7, 1915, page 3. 11 “At the Blind Institute: A Delightful Concert Given by the Pupils,” Austin Daily Statesman, June 4, 1896, pg 8. 12 “National Sunshine Convention,” https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053183/1908-05-24/ed- 1/seq-1/. (Guadalupe Street). Among them was the Buddington plantation with a two-story limestone block house fronting onto the road near its intersection with present 34th Street. As the city and university grew, so too did the need for housing. The Buddington plantation was subdivided into several smaller tracts and by 1905, Mrs. Emma Moore (E.M.) Barrett owned a 10-acre parcel of the former plantation.13 The tract was bounded by Guadalupe Street on the west, Home Street – named for the adjacent Confederate Woman’s Home – on the east, W. 38th Street on the north, and the rear property line of W. 37th Street on the south. On March 4, 1910, she subdivided her 10-acre parcel out of the Buddington estate as the Lake-View Addition to the City of Austin; the subdivision consisted of 20 lots on the south side of Pitts Avenue, now W. 38th Street, and 20 lots each on the north and south sides of W. 37th Street, for a total of 60 lots.14 The lots facing W. 38th Street sold first, possibly because they had a view of the lake on the State Hospital aka Insane Asylum grounds. The building boom attracted land speculators, a number of whom bought multiple lots as investments; on March 28, 1910, less than a month after she platted her addition, Emma Barrett sold 16 lots, including Lot 32, Block 2, to Mrs. Dora Draper Allison for $6,500 from her separate estate.15 Mrs. Allison and her husband kept the lot until December 18, 1911, when they sold it to C.C. McDonald and his partner A.T. Threadgill Jr. for $350.16 McDonald and Threadgill immediately turned around and sold it eleven days later to Dr. E.B. Bailey for $400.17 Six months later, Bailey sold the lot to Mrs. Pearl Caldwell for $600, for an apparent profit of $200.18 The signed shiplap discovered in the bathroom suggests that Pearl Caldwell commissioned its construction promptly after purchasing the lot, with construction underway in early September 1912 (Historic Image 6). As further evidence of the lot’s unimproved nature upon purchase is the contrasting advertisement of a “five-room modern cottage with bath, front and back porches, on 37th Street, Lake-view Addition one block from Main car line” . . . “for quick sale at $1,750” by A. T. Threadgill Jr., a small-scale developer and home builder, in November 191119 Pearl Caldwell would have hired a contractor to build the house; she likely paid for the house in cash as no mechanic’s liens have been found for the property. Recent selective demolition of an interior bathroom wall revealed boards stamped with the words “Calcasieu Lumber Company,” one of the largest lumber companies in the city (See Historic Photo 5). It was not uncommon for 13 HHM & Associates, Inc., Historic Building Survey Report for North Central Austin: West Campus, North University, Heritage, Bryker Woods, and North Hyde Park, prepared for the City of Austin, January 2021. 14 E. M. Barett, Lake-view Addition to the City of Austin, map filed in Plat Book 2, page 199, March 4, 1910. 15 Travis County Deed Records, March 28, 1910, filed and recorded July 30, 1910, Vol. 224, page 102. 16 Travis County Deed Records, Dec. 18, 1911, Vol. 225, page 73. 17 Travis County Deed Records, Dec. 29, 1911, Vol. 210, page 425, filed and recorded Dec. 30, 1911. 18 Travis County Deed Records, July 20, 1912, filed July 24, recorded July 25, 1912, Vol. 224, page 371; “Real Estate Transfers,” Austin American-Statesman, July 25, 1912, page 8. 19 “Five-room modern cottage,” Austin American-Statesman, November 26, 1911, page 8. lumber companies to have catalogs from which customers could select house plans. They also recommended contractors who could build these houses. On one of the boards is the signature of H. E. Dreves, one of the builders, dated September 11, 1912 (See Historic Photo 6). The Dreves family were, across generations, involved in building trades in Austin. The Caldwell House was similar to the one built and advertised by Threadgill. It had five large main rooms: a living room, dining room, and kitchen aligned in a row on the west side of the house and two bedrooms separated by a bathroom on the east side. It featured an 8’ deep, full- façade front porch supported by Doric order classical columns across the south side of the house. Its symmetrical facades and classical columns are hallmarks of the Neoclassical style which was then in vogue. An unusual feature of the entrance was its hexagonal-shaped vestibule that protruded forward from the front wall onto the porch and pushed inward into the living spaces. Inside the house, the vestibule had two interior openings, one to the living room and the other to the front bedroom. Chronological History James Harvey Caldwell James Harvey Caldwell was born in August 18, 1875 in Harrison County, Arkansas. His parents, Gideon Blackburn Caldwell and Julia Ann Ramsey, were both born in Tennessee, as were their four oldest children.20 Sometime between about 1872 and 1875, the family moved from Giles County, Tennessee, to Harrison County, Arkansas, where Harvey was born in 1875. Their residency in Arkansas was relatively short; they still lived in Tennessee as late as 1872, when Harvey’s older sister Mary was born, but had moved to Fannin County, Texas by 1880, by the time his younger sister, Addie, was born.21 Because the 1890 Census was destroyed in a warehouse fire in St. Louis, we do not know the family’s location at that time. It is not known if Harvey was born blind or became blind as a child but in 1886, he was sent to Austin where he attended the State School for the Blind. He finished elementary and four years of high school at the Institute and graduated in 1895, when he was about twenty years old.22 A gifted speaker, he was chosen to give the Valedictory address at his graduation ceremony (See Article 1) and to address the alumni association the following year 20 1880 U.S. Census, Fannin County, Texas; Julia and Gideon were married at her father’s home on Pond Creek, Monroe County, Tennessee on January 19, 1863, according to Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002, on file at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/248117542/gideon-blackburn- caldwell?_gl=1*15egdlh*_gcl_au*ODIyNTM1NzczLjE3NjA3MjU5MTM.*_ga*OTU5NjMyNjA2LjE2OTgxNzIx NTA.*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*czliNDI3MTQ2LTA1NzQtNGY1Yy04ZDc1LTQxZjg4MmE4MDRmZSRvNzIkZzEkd DE3NjgzMzkzMTIkajU5JGwwJGgw*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*czliNDI3MTQ2LTA1NzQtNGY1Yy04ZDc1LTQxZjg4 MmE4MDRmZSRvNzQkZzEkdDE3NjgzMzkzMTIkajU5JGwwJGgw#view-photo=292587921.) 21 1870 U.S. Census, Pulaski Post Office, Giles County, Tennessee; 1880 U.S. Census, Fannin County, Texas. 22 “Electric Light Bills Are the Least of This Night School’s Concern; Its 500 Students Work in Darkness,” Austin American-Statesman, December 2, 1911, page 8; Catalogue of Texas School for the Blind,” 1918-19, page 58. (See Article 2).23 According to the 1900 census, his father, Gideon, was 67 and owned his farm free and clear. That year, Harvey, age 24, was living at home with his family including his sisters, Louise, aged 30, and Addie, aged 20. Louise was a schoolteacher and Harvey was occupied as a piano teacher.24 A notation in the 1900 Census indicates that all members of the family, including Harvey, could read and write, but in Harvey’s case, he would have certainly been fluent in braille, which was taught in all grades at the State School.25 The State School for the Blind was established by an act of the Texas legislature on August 16, 1856; it opened for students in a rented house – the Neill Cochran House on San Gabriel Street – on December 1, but soon moved to the “Little Campus” at East Avenue – now IH-35 – and E. 19th Street – now MLK (See Historic Photo 1).26 In the 19th Century, reformers established blind schools across the country to remedy the blind community’s dire deprivation of education and life opportunity. Samuel Gridley Howe, first director of the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, wrote that blindness had often been a sentence to “vegetate through life and sink into the grave, unknown even to their neighbors.”27 The wealthy confined blind relatives to “back rooms and kitchen corners where they lived out quiet and sedentary lives” while the poor blind “were often forced into alms-houses.”28 The Texas State School for the Blind sought to change this. Its stated goal was “to render the blind self-sustaining,” a goal embraced by virtually all eleemosynary institutions of that era, including the Texas School for the Deaf in South Austin. Thus, the School for the Blind gave students both a liberal education and vocational training—in either industrial production or music. Open to students from across Texas, there was no charge for school, board, or medical treatment but clothes and travel expenses had to be paid by friends and family.29 In an 1884 Booklet, “To the Parents and Friends of the Blind,” Superintendent Frank Rainey, urged families in rural areas like the Caldwells to send their children to Austin to attend the school: All blind children, as well as those who are blessed with sight, should go to school and get an education. Seeing children may go to the ordinary free schools in their neighborhoods, but blind ones must remain at home and grow up in ignorance, unless they have a school specially arranged for their benefit. There is such a school right here in Austin, fitted up by the State specially for the blind.30 23 “Closing Exercises,” Austin Statesman, June 9, 1895, page 3. 24 1900 U.S. Census, Fannin County, Texas. 25 Frank Rainey, Supt. of the School for the Blind, “To the Parents and Friends of the Blind,” Austin, Texas, 1884, page 1. 26 Frank Brown, The Annals of Travis County and Austin, Chapter 35; Chapter 17 27 Ernest Freeberg, The Meanings of Blindness in Nineteenth-Century America, American Antiquarian Sociecty (2002), quoting S.G. Howe, “Education of the Blind,” North American Review 37, no. 80 (July 1833): 55. 28 Ibid. 29 Brown. 30 Rainey, page 1. Rainey continued, “[w]hen your blind child is eight years of age or older, be sure to send it to this great school immediately. Blind children usually, from the neglect of their parents, form bad habits when they are young, and, if let alone too long, they grow up with the roughest manners and ideas that it is possible for any human being to have.”31 Harvey was eight or nine when the bulletin was published. Living in Fannin County, separated from Oklahoma by the Red River, the Caldwells may have received Dr. Rainey’s pamphlet from a local teacher or postmaster and been persuaded to send their young, blind son from social isolation in Fannin County to Austin in1886. A prominent late 19th Century Austinite, a year after authoring the booklet, Dr. Rainey, a medical graduate of Tulane University, collaborated with Jesse Driskill to plat the Driskill and Rainey subdivision. Music featured prominently in the school’s curriculum, though it, too, had an occupational aim: to train students to become music teachers and piano tuners. Superintendent Rainey’s 1884 booklet lauded the power of music for students’ enrichment but also as occupational training. Rainey noted that, while music “Affords them [students] a great deal of fun,” he added that “Many study hard and prepare themselves for teaching music,” and for jobs as piano tuners.32 As early as 1884, the school boasted eleven pianos and three organs. Boys took lessons in piano, organ, violin, clarinet, bass violin and flute, and girls in piano and organ; all took voice lessons. Music was such an integral part of school life that it “could be heard all over the big buildings from daylight until Bed-time,” with students giving concerts for the public about once a month.33 It was in this context that Harvey Caldwell came to the school where he learned to play several instruments at concert level, as well as make his living teaching piano and piano tuning. By 1910, he was employed as a teacher of piano tuning at the School for the Blind. Harvey’s father had died in 1906 and his mother, Julia, moved to Austin and lived with him on E. 15th Street where they are listed in both the 1910 U.S. Census and the City Directory.34 About the same time, he and Pearl Richardson began courting; they were married by July 20, 1912.35 Pearl E. Richardson Pearl Caldwell was born Evannie P. Richardson in Carrollton, Arkansas in 1880. At the time, she was the only child of seventeen-year old Nancy A. and twenty-five year old William T. Richardson. While still living in Arkansas, Nancy and William had three more children: Susie M. born May 1885, George B. born October 1887, and Willie A., a girl, born June 1890.36 It is not known exactly when, but by June 1900, William had passed away leaving his wife a widow with four children. Sometime before 1900, Nancy remarried, this time to a farmer from Kentucky named Henry George. Again, the exact date is unknown, but before June 1900, Nancy passed 31 Ibid at page 3. 32 Rainey, page 1. 33 Ibid. 34 1910 U.S. Census, Austin, Travis County, Texas; Austin City Directory, 1910. 35 Travis County Deed Records (to Mrs. Pearl Caldwell), July 20, 1912, Vol. 224, page 371. 36 1880 U.S. Census, Carrollton, Carroll County, Arkansas; 1900 U.S. Census, Williamson County, Texas. away leaving her second husband with four step-children. George’s household appears in the Williamson County Census of 1900. In addition to the four Richardson children, a six-year old orphan, May Fluger, also lived with the family.37 Not only was Henry George in charge of four step-children, two of them – Pearl and Susie – were blind. Student registers for the State School for the Blind show that Pearl and Susie Richardson were enrolled in the school by 1900. The register shows that both girls suffered from “granular lids and keratitis,” an inflammation of the corneas. The girls remained at the school through the 1908-1909 school year when Pearl was about 28 and Susie was about 23.38 Though Pearl was no longer enrolled at the school in 1909-1910, when Harvey came back to Austin as a teacher, the two almost certainly met through their school affiliation. Harvey and Pearl Caldwell No marriage certificate has been found for the couple, but the 1930 Travis County Census indicates that Harvey was 37 and Pearl was 32 when they married, putting the year at 1912.39 At the time of their marriage, the blind community in Texas was small, the blind population of their age range tiny, and those of their musical and educational attainment even more restricted still. The 1910 Census enumerated 1,370 blind males and 1,069 blind females in the state. Pearl was one of only 31 blind women between the ages of 30 and 34 years of age and Harvey one of 74 men between 35 and 39 years.40 Their meeting would not have happened but in Austin through the social networks created by the State School for the Blind. Little is known about the couple prior to their wedding but almost immediately, Pearl Caldwell bought a residential lot at 400 W. 37th Street in the newly-platted Lake-View Addition on the Georgetown Road, aka Guadalupe Street. Lots in the new subdivision sold quickly between 1910, when the addition was platted, and 1912, when Pearl bought her lot. The area’s popularity was due in large part by its proximity to the expanding University of Texas, just to the south, and Austin’s growing population in the early twentieth century. Realtors and builder/developers promoted the subdivision for its location on the Guadalupe streetcar line which had been extended north past W. 37th Street to new residential additions including Lake-View by 1912.41 Because it was Pearl who bought the lot, she may have been in charge of the design and layout of the house. Lumber companies like Calcasieu typically had catalogs of designs and floorplans from which to choose a house but because she was blind, she may have been assisted by their staff (See Historic Photo 5). She would have consulted with and hired a local home builder like 37 1900 U.S. Census, Williamson County, Texas. 38 The School accepted young adults as students according to its enrollment lists. 39 1930 U.S. Census, Austin, Travis County, Texas; furthermore, it is known that Harvey was single and living with his mother in 1910 and that Pearl was married by 1912, when she bought the lot at 400 W. 37th Street as the deed was made by E. B. Bailey to “Mrs. Pearl Caldwell,” indicating that she was a married woman. 40 1910 U.S. Census, Bulletin 130, The Blind Population of the United States. 41 “5 ROOM modern cottage, new on 37th St., half block from Guadalupe St. car line, Lakeview,” Austin American Statesman, January 7, 1912, page 11. A.T. Threadgill Jr., who built the house next door, to build the house according to the plans. The hipped roof house with a hipped dormer and full-façade front porch with Doric columns exhibited the hallmarks of Neoclassical style bungalows. The entrance door opened into a small, half-hexagonal foyer that extended outward onto the porch (Photo 9). The interior layout was divided into two parallel rows of in-tandem rooms: the west side had large, sunlit public rooms - a front living room, followed by a dining room and kitchen (See Photos 7 & 8) – while the east side contained the private rooms – two commodious bedrooms separated by a bathroom. The house featured high 10’ ceilings and long leaf pine floors. The layout and size of the rooms would have been relatively easy for Pearl and Harvey to navigate. In the back yard at the alley stood a small stable. When the Caldwells moved into their new house, Harvey was already teaching at the Blind Institute, then on the “Little Campus” at 708 E. 18th Street between Red River and East Avenue. He probably took the Guadalupe Streetcar line to W. 19th Street, then east to Red River Street.42 Later, when the new School for the Blind opened in 1917, he could have taken the Main streetcar line north on Guadalupe to W. 43rd Street and walked from there to the school (See Historic Photo 2)43 which lay “between the Georgetown and Fiskville Roads.” Although they had no children, Pearl and Harvey enjoyed a busy social life with a network of friends in Austin music circles, at the school, and at nearby Hyde Park Presbyterian Church where they were lifelong members. Numerous newspaper articles attest to their activities as musicians at small gatherings, many of which they hosted at their home on W. 37th Street. Typical of these gatherings was an Association for the Blind meeting held at their home at which, after a business meeting, Harvey Caldwell gave a cornet solo and was part of a quartet composed of himself and other musicians, including H. N. Lebermann, head of the music department at the School for the Blind.44 Caldwell also played in the school’s band and orchestra. In addition, Harvey Caldwell led the Austin Club for the Blind’s legislative committee which put measures supporting their causes before the State Legislature.45 Pearl Caldwell was elected as press reporter and treasurer for the association in the 1920s (See Article 13).46 Pearl may have been regarded in her community as a pragmatic money manager, capable of representing the blind couple in the purchase of their lot and construction of their home, as well as managing organizational finances. In 1931, Harvey helped organize a new club called the Austin Prospectus Club for the Blind; he served as corresponding secretary for the group.47 Both Harvey and Pearl were active members of the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church which was only a few blocks from their home (See Article 7). Harvey was accepted as an elder of the church, responsible for the management of the congregation’s affairs, when he transferred his 42 “Streetcar Lines,” Austin City Directory, 1903. 43 “Texas State School for the Blind,” Austin City Directory, 1918. 44 “Association for the Blind,” Austin American-Statesman, March 5, 1915, page 6. 45 Austin American, January 16, 1921, page 17. 46 Ibid. 47 “Blind Students Organize,” Austin American, June 14, 1931, page 2. membership from the East Austin congregation in 1913.48 It was a role he held for many years. He was annually elected as the church’s delegate to the Presbytery, traveling to Llano and other destinations to represent the church. Pearl was especially active in the Woman’s Auxiliary where she led discussions on books and articles of interest to Presbyterians. She also served several terms as president from the 1910s through the 1920s.49 Throughout the early twentieth century, the Caldwells remained in the public eye as reported in the local newspaper, usually as church committee members, musicians, or their association with the School for the Blind. They also maintained family ties. Pearl’s niece, her sister Susie’s daughter, Florence Essary lived with the couple while attending Austin High School in the early 1930s. The daughter of a blind mother, Florence would have been a competent helper for Pearl and Harvey as they aged. In 1935, she wed Bruce A. White in the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church; her uncle Harvey gave her hand in marriage. After the ceremony, a reception was held at the Caldwell’s home (See Article 9).50 Florence later served as executrix of her aunt’s estate. The Caldwells’ public activities slowed somewhat in the late-1930s and 1940s though Harvey presided over Club for the Blind meetings as late as the early 1940s.51 Harvey continued his teaching duties at the School for the Blind while Pearl attended to their household. Harvey taught music and piano tuning at the school through 1939, retiring in 1940, after teaching at the institution for thirty years.52 When he died of an apparent heart attack on December 23, 1947,53 his passing was printed in an article on the front page of the newspaper on Christmas day. The article reported that he had been educated at the school and then taught there for 30 years. It mentioned his service as an elder in the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, noting that he had been a member of the church, also for 30 years. Finally, he was remembered for being “well known in local music circles.”54 After her husband’s death, Pearl remained in their home. The 1950 Census shows her as head of the household which included her younger brother, George B. Richardson, and a roomer, Sadie Wenz, who worked as an attendant at the State School, though it didn’t indicate which State School. The census indicated that Pearl was unable to work, though the enumerator may have made that notation based as much on her age - she was 69 at the time – as for her blindness.55 In 1955, Pearl apparently suffered a stroke, noted as a “cerebral vascular accident,” and passed away at the age of 76 on June 17, that year; she was buried next to her husband in Austin Memorial Park.56 Pearl’s niece, Florence White, was listed as the informant on her aunt’s death 48 Session Minutes, Hyde Park Presbyterian Church records. 49 “Church Auxiliary’s Program of Study,” Austin American-Statesman, November 23, 1924, page 20. 50 “Twilight Hour Is Chosen for Rites,” Austin American, June 6, 1935, page 19. 51 “Club for the Blind Meets at Lighthouse,” Austin Statesman, October 30, 1941, page 9. 52 Austin City Directories, 1939, pg. 131. 53 State of Texas Vital Records, Death Certificate, James Harvey Caldwell, December 23, 1947. 54 “Retired Teacher at Blind School Dies,” Austin American, December 25, 1947, page 1. 55 1950 U.S. Census, Austin, Travis County, Texas, April 12, 1950. 56 State of Texas Vital Records, Death Certificate, Pearl R. Caldwell, June 17, 1955. certificate; later that year, Mrs. White was appointed by the County Court as executrix of Pearl’s estate,57 including her house on W. 37th Street. In September 1956, Florence White sold the house to H. P. Beville,58 whose mother lived there for several years. Two years later, Beville sold it to Thurmon Gene Looney and wife. Looney also installed his mother in the house for several years; he kept it at least until July 18, 1961 when he applied for a variance to build a detached accessory building, i.e. a carport less than five feet from the lot line.59 Four years later, in 1965, the house was deeded to Ray Pine who rented it to various tenants, some of them students or staff at the University of Texas, for three decades. Of the later property owners, Ray Pine is noteworthy for his long-term ownership of a large number of residences on the street and for his significant contributions to medical research on HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s and other degenerate diseases through his Pine Family Foundation. Pine lived in a cottage across the street from the Caldwell House at 401 W. 37th Street and owned some 14 houses on the street. He left his considerable assets to the foundation he created. Pine enjoyed a varied career as an engineer in dirigibles searching for German submarines off the east coast during World War II, as a ballroom dancer and dance instructor, and as a math teacher at Junior and Senior High Schools in Austin; like Harvey Caldwell, he taught school for 30 years.60 Pine sold the Caldwell House to Gary Peese in 1992.61 Peese held the property until 2010, after which it changed hands several times (See deed research F.1) until 2022, when it was purchased by Nicholas Wallace, the current owner and occupant.62 Summation The Harvey and Pearl Caldwell House is eligible for designation as an Austin Historic Landmark under two criteria: (i) architecture as an excellent, largely intact example of an early twentieth century Neoclassical bungalow in Austin, and (ii) historical associations with James Harvey and Pearl Caldwell, a blind couple who contributed to the blind community and the city as a whole. Harvey’s elocution and musical abilities were recognized while he was a pupil at the Texas State School for the Blind to which he returned as a beloved music teacher and taught generations of blind students the skill of piano tuning to earn their own living, one of the main aspirations of the school. As a blind man who rose from humble, rural origins to teach at the state school for thirty years, and additionally advanced the interests of the blind community with the Austin Association of the Blind and other organizations, Caldwell’s contributions to the welfare of his students and his community meet the Equity-based Preservation Plan’s standards for highlighting 57 “Estate of Pearl R.Caldwell, deceased, filed. Austin Statesman, August 19, 1955, page 20. 58 Austin American, June 19, 1956, page 35. 59 Austin American-Statesman, August 8, 1958, page 24; Austin American, July 18, 1961, page 19. 60 Lavell Ray Pine, born 1922, died 2015, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/statesman/name/lavell-pine- obituary?id=18824204. 61 Warranty Deed to Ray Pine, 1965-07-21, Vol. 02989, page 00276; Warranty Deed to Gary Peese, 1992-01-15, Vol. 11606, page 00463. 62 Warranty Deed, Jessica L and Austin B. Light to Nicholas Wallace, 2022-12-08, Instrument 2022190075. and preserving properties associated with marginalized communities including people with disabilities. The designation also applies to Pearl Richardson Caldwell, a graduate of the School for the Blind and an officer in blind organizations and her church community. Blind herself, Pearl regularly hosted meetings of the Blind Club and her church’s Women’s Auxiliary at her home from the 1910s through the early 1930s (See Article 8). Photo 1: Caldwell House – Primary (South) facade Photo 2: Caldwell House – Primary (South) Façade Photo 3: Caldwell House – West and South Facades Photo 4: Caldwell House – East Façade Photo 5: Caldwell House – North Façade Photo 6: Caldwell House – Vestibule on Primary (South) Façade Photo 7: Caldwell House – Interior View from Dining Room to Living Room Photo 8: Caldwell House – Interview View from Living Room to Dining Room Photo 9: Caldwell House – Interior of Vestibule Photo 10: Caldwell House – Primary Façade and Garden with J. H. Caldwell in Sidewalk Photo 11: Caldwell House – Proprietor’s Mark at Curb “J.H. Caldwell” Map 1: LAKE-VIEW ADDITION platted 1910 (Plat Vol. 2, Page 199) Map 2: 1922 Sanborn Map of North University Area Subdivisions (W. 37th Street in Lakeview Addition was named Anzac Place in 1922) Map 3: 1922 Sanborn Map showing 400 W. 37th Street as 312 Anzac Place 1922 Map 4: 1935 Sanborn Map W. 37th Streetscape (top); 400 W. 37th Street Closeup (bottom) Map 5: 1962 Sanborn Map Streetscape (top), closeup of 400 W. 37th St. (bottom) Historic Photograph 1: Texas School for the Blind, built c. 1875, photo c. 1905 Courtesy: Austin History Center (T4800, CO1068) Historic Photograph 2: Texas School for the Blind, W. 45th Street, built 1916, photo c. 1920 Courtesy Austin History Center (T4800, CO 3779) Historic Photo 3: J. H. Caldwell, age 35, Catalog and Announcement, Texas State School for the Blind, Austin, Von Boeckmann Press, 1910, page 30. (Texas State Library and Archives). Historic Photograph 4: Texas School for the Blind Music Faculty, c. 1920 Courtesy: Austin History Center (T4800, PICA 06668) J. Harvey Caldwell is man with dark hair in the front row left, age about 45.63 63 Based on his age, about 45, as compared with known photograph (Historic Photo 3) of Harvey c. 1910. Historic Image 5: Calcasieu Lumber Company Stamped on Shiplap Historic Image 6: H. E. Dreves [carpenter or contractor] Sept. 11, 1912 Historic Newspaper Articles Article 1: Closing Exercises - Harvey Caldwell performed and gave the Valedictory address to his graduating class at the State Institute for the Blind (Austin Statesman, June 9, 1895, page 3). Article 2: - “Blind Institute Exercises – The Alumni Meeting” J. Harvey Caldwell returned to the Blind Institute the year following his graduation, and was selected to deliver remarks at the Alumni Meeting (Austin American Statesman, June 11, 1896, page 5) Article 3: “Night School” - J. Harvey Caldwell, head of the Piano Tuning Department, Repairs Piano in the Dark (Austin Daily Statesman, December 2, 1911, page 8). Article 4: Association for the Blind Meeting at Caldwell House. Harvey was an instrumental figure in the Association, which advocated for legislation affecting the blind (Austin Daily Statesman, March 5, 1915, page 6). Article 5: Austin Association for Workers for the Blind meeting at the Caldwell’s home (Austin American: Sunday Morning, March 18, 1917, page 4) Article 6: “Tuning Department Practical” - Caldwell’s Theories on the Value of Piano Tuning Instruction (Austin American: Sunday Morning, November 14, 1920, page 18) Article 7: Austin Club for the Blind - Caldwell Reports on Legislative Measures to Aid the Blind, (Austin American, December 16, 1921, page 17). Article 8: “Austin Blind Club Regular Meet” - Pearl Caldwell served as treasurer of the Austin Blind Club (Austin American Statesman, April 9, 1922, page 6) Article 9: “Church’s Advent” – J. Harvey Caldwell Makes a Presentation at Church where he served as an elder and was a lifelong member (Austin American, January 15, 1922, page 5). Article 10: Church Auxiliary - Pearl Caldwell served as president of, and was active in, the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church’s Women’s Group, (Austin American, November 22, 1924, page 20). Article 11: J. Harvey Caldwell served as an officer of the Austin Prospectus Club for the Blind, (Austin Americna Statesman, June 14, 1931 page 2). Article 12: “Bride of the Week” – Miss Florence Essary, Pearl’s niece lived with the Caldwells from about 1930 until 1935. Harvey gave her hand in marriage to Bruce White, June 1935. (Sunday American-Statesman, June 9, 1935, page 10). Article 13: “Blind Students Organize” -- J. Harvey Caldwell remained active with the Club for the Blind into the 1940s (Austin American Statesman, October 30, 1941, page 9). Article 14: “Retired Teacher at Blind School Dies” - J. Harvey Caldwell Obituary on Front Page of the Newspaper (Christmas American-Statesman, December 25, 1947, page 1). References Cited Books, Reports, and Papers Austin City Directories, various years. Brown, Frank, The Annals of Travis County and Austin, Chapter 35; Chapter 17 Freeberg, Ernest. The Meanings of Blindness in Nineteenth-Century America, American Antiquarian Society (2002), quoting S.G. Howe, “Education of the Blind,” North American Review 37, no. 80 (July 1833) HHM & Associates, Inc. Historic Building Survey Report for North Central Austin: West Campus, North University, Heritage, Bryker Woods and North Hyde Park. Prepared for the City of Austin, January 2021. McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2018. Government Reports and Publications State of Texas, Vital Records: Death Certificates (James Harvey Caldwell, Pearl Caldwell). Travis Central Appraisal District, Property Search: 400 W. 37th Street. Travis County Deed Records, various deeds and plat maps, various dates. United States, Federal Bureau of the Census, various years. United States, Federal Bureau of the Census, 1910. Census, Bulletin 130, “The Blind Population of the United States.” Archival Collections Austin History Center, Photographic Files, City Directories, School for the Blind files. Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, Church Archives including Session and Meeting Minutes. Texas State Library and Archives, Catalogue of Texas School for the Blind, various years. Online Sources Sam Houston State University, “Female Firsts,” https://todayatsam.shsu.edu/T@S/2021/female-firsts- timeline. Lavell Ray Pine, born 1922, died 2015, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/statesman/name/lavell- pine-obituary?id=18824204. Newspapers Austin American, various dates. Austin American Statesman, various dates. Austin Daily Statesman, various dates. Austin Statesman, various dates.