12.0 - 611 West Lynn St — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION Applications for Permits in National Register Historic Districts August 5, 2026 SP-2026-035365; HR-2026-070009 West Line Historic District 611 West Lynn Street 12 – 1 Proposal Construct eight detached residential units on a property. Project Specifications Construct a total of eight multi-story housing units, oriented around a center driveway and pool area. Five units at the front of the property will face this new driveway, and the three rear units will face a rear alley. This driveway will require a new curb cut. Architecture The property is currently a vacant lot. The original house of the property was demolished in 2020. Research The house was built around 1899 by Roy and Helen Slaughter, who resided at the address until the mid-1940s. Roy Slaughter worked at Brown Brothers, a mortgage and investment firm, for many years, starting as a clerk before becoming a land and mortgage agent and finally proprietor of the firm with his partner, George F. Zimmermann. After he died in 1944, his widow Helen continued to live in this house for a short period, then sold it to Charles and Magdalen Dildy, who lived at the property until the early 2000s. Design Standards The City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards (March 2021) are based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and are used to evaluate projects in National Register districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Residential new construction 1. Location The front units will have their walls closest to the street with a setback that approximately matches surrounding properties. Other units are spread equally across the property and don’t don’t extend beyond required setbacks. Due to the site elevation, which slopes down towards the rear alley, units will be less visible as they are more set back from the front of the property. 2. Orientation The front five units will face the central driveway, which is not typical to the district and is not in keeping with the design standards. The three rear units, facing the alley, are in keeping with the standards in their guidance on additional structures on the property. 3. Scale, massing, and height All housing units are designed to be at least three stories in height. This is taller than surrounding contributing properties, with the exception of the Sheeks-Robertson House across the street. The massing of each unit appears very vertical due to each being detached, which may not be as perceptible if the structures were duplexes or rowhomes. 4. Proportions Proportions are very tall compared to nearby contributing property. However, given the changes in elevation on the site, both from east to west and from north to south, it is likely that there will be a variation in overall building height, which may look as though they fit better than a uniform appearance. 12 – 2 5. Design and style The vertical design of each residence creates an appearance of stacked floors, and there is not an overall cohesive design for each residence, though they may appear more cohesive when viewed together as eight separate buildings of similar design. However, there is no evidence of false historicism or improper decoration, and the modern design does call for modern details as specified in Standard 5.4. 6. Roofs Flat roof decks paired with shallow side-gabled forms are present at each unit. While most buildings in the district have some sort of sloped roof assembly, roof patios are not typical. In keeping with the modern design described above, these will not be confused for anything historic and are distinct, which may better meet the standards than something trying to be compatible set three stories above the ground. 7. Exterior walls Wall materials are proposed to be mostly stucco and limestone, which are present in the district, especially stucco. 8. Windows and doors Windows are often very large, tall, and not uniform in proportions. This design is not typically found in the district except for very modern interventions. 11. Attached garages and carports Each unit will have a ground floor garage that will occupy most of their floorplate. However, given the building orientation around the center driveway, none of these garage doors are to face the street. Summary The project meets some of the applicable standards. Department Comments Previous Historic Landmark Commission action: A demolition application for the original structure on the property was approved at the May 21, 2018 HLC meeting pending a City of Austin documentation package. Meeting minutes may be found here: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=301253, and the staff report may be found here: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=298865. This application will time out on October 19, 2026. Staff Recommendation Comment on plans for new construction and release the application. Location Map 12 – 3 Property Information Photos 12 – 4 View from West Lynn St. (top) and rear alley (bottom). Google Streetview, January 2024 Occupancy History City Directory Research, July 2026 & May 2018 12 – 5 1992 1986 1981 1977 1973 1968 1962 1960 1957 1953 1949 1947 1945 1941 1939 1937 1935 1933 1931 1929 1927 1924 1922 1920 1916 1912 1907 1901 1899 Charles & Magdalen Dildy, owners; physician Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Helen Slaughter, owner; retired Same as above Robert & Helen Slaughter, owners; proprietor at Brown Brothers, real estate loans & insurance Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above, now working as a land & mortgage agent at Brown Brothers Same as above Same as above, now working as a clerk at Brown Brothers Address not listed Historical Information 12 – 6 Austin Statesman, March 12, 1922 (left) and Austin American-Statesman, March 19, 1944 (right)