11.c - 1918 Newning Ave - public comment — original pdf

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Sturgill, Hunter From: Sent: To: Subject: Michele Webre Wednesday, November 4, 2026 12:44 PM Historic Preservation Office Historic Landmark Committee Meeting: 706 E. Monroe & 1918 Newning External Email - Exercise Caution Dear Historic Landmark Commissioners, I'm writing about two properties in Travis Heights that are up for demolition, 706 E. Monroe and 1918 Newning. I oppose both of these demolitions. I've been a Travis Heights resident for 32 years and helped coordinate the Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register Historic District. I renovated my own 1928 house that was leaning down the street when I bought it. We re-leveled it and replaced the cedar piers with concrete piers and it's been a great house for the last 28 years. I could never replace the beautiful long-leaf pine used throughout my house as it doesn't exist anymore except in these old bungalows. Regarding 706 E. Monroe, it's an intact late Victorian/Early Bungalow in a prominent location in the neighborhood that has connections to the Mather family. Many are speaking out against this demolition and I'd like to add my voice to the opposition. Regarding 1918 Newning, I live half a block away. This house has been a rental but has great bones and is on a corner lot that allows for an ADU or an addition to the back of the house. I just got the notice for this demolition recently but had to leave town soon after. I ask that you postpone releasing the demolition permit to next month to give us more time to reach out to the developer. These two houses, similar to mine, were made with materials that cannot be found today. Furthermore, the demolitions of these early 20th century houses wipes away our history and what had been affordable housing in place of something new that is not only unaffordable and often out-of-scale with the neighborhood, but is also environmentally unsound. These bungalows were built by crafts-people using old-growth lumber but it is all crushed into debris and dust during demolition and that then goes into our city landfill. Theses houses are worth saving and can easily be modernized for today's needs, as I did with my own home. I'm sorry that I'm out of town and cannot be at the meeting tonight. Thank you for your consideration. Michele Webre 511 Lockhart Dr. CAUTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious or phishing email, please report it using the "Report 1 Message" button in Outlook. For any additional questions or concerns, contact CSIRT at "cybersecurity@austintexas.gov". 2