B-07 (C14H-2021-0057 - Kohn House; District 7).pdf — original pdf

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ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET HLC DATE: April 26, 2021 PC DATE: September 28, 2021 CASE NUMBER: C14H-2021-0057 APPLICANT: Aaron Franklin, owner HISTORIC NAME: Kohn House WATERSHED: Shoal Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 5312 Shoal Creek Boulevard ZONING CHANGE: SF-2 to SF-2-H COUNCIL DISTRICT: 7 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the proposed zoning change from single family residence – standard lot (SF-2) to single family residence – standard lot – Historic Landmark (SF-2-H) combining district zoning. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION: Architecture and historical associations HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend proposed owner-initiated historic zoning change from single family residence – standard lot (SF-2) to single family residence – standard lot – Historic Landmark (SF-2-H) combining district zoning on a motion by Koch, McWhorter seconding. Vote: 9-0, Heimsath and Castillo absent. Due to the pending landmark status, the Historic Landmark Commission has also granted a Certificate of Appropriateness for a proposed addition to the house and site improvements. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The house is beyond the bounds of any historic resources survey to date. CITY COUNCIL DATE: October 21, 2021 ORDINANCE READINGS: 1st 2nd 3rd CASE MANAGER: Elizabeth Brummett NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS: Allandale Neighborhood Association; Austin Independent School District; Austin Lost and Found Pets; Austin Neighborhoods Council; AustinRAMP; Bike Austin; Central Austin Community Development Corporation; Central Austin Urbanists; Friends of Austin Neighborhoods; Homeless Neighborhood Assocation; Lower District 7 Green; NW Austin Neighbors; Neighborhood Empowerment Foundation; North Austin Neighborhood Alliance; Preservation Austin; SELTexas; Shoal Creek Conservancy; Sierra Club, Austin Regional Group BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: Architecture: The Kohn House, built around 1938 for Adolph and Mollie Kohn, occupies a premier site in the Shoalmont Addition. Two lots wide, the expansive parcel extends from Shoal Creek Boulevard on the east to Shoal Creek on the west and is studded with mature oaks. The architect of the house is unknown, but the design is possibly attributed to Kohn himself. Eclectic in its design, the one-story house is T-shaped, with a long side-gabled volume facing the street and a rear hipped-roof wing. A two-story square tower with a pyramidal roof is asymmetrically placed near the north end of the house. The house is predominantly clad in random ashlar limestone with quoins at the corners and a stone chimney; a portion of the rear elevation is clad in horizontal wood siding. Wrapping the southeast end of the house is a porch with square wood posts and curved brackets; its gable end has waney-edge siding. Varied fenestration includes multi-light casements, a bay window with a metal roof, round portholes, and 1:1 double-hung wood windows. To the rear of the ORDINANCE NUMBER: PHONE: 512-974-1264 ACTION: 1 of 33B-7 house, the site also includes a side-gabled accessory building, clad in board-and-batten on the front under the full-width porch and horizontal wood siding on the other sides. Historical Associations: The Kohn House is significant for its association with entrepreneur Adolf Kohn. A German immigrant, Kohn worked in multiple positions as a pastry chef before founding the BonTon Bakery on Congress Avenue in 1902, which became one of the best-known bakeries in Austin. The bakery produced Pan Dandy Bread, second only to Mrs. Baird’s in regional sales. In 1934, Kohn founded Capitol National Bank. Kohn leveraged his business success to work in real estate, with roles in downtown and neighborhood development in the 1920s and 1930s. This included the Shoalmont Addition in northwest Austin, which Kohn purchased in 1928 and began subdividing in 1935. Contemporary newspaper articles described the development as ideally situated at the gateway to the Texas Hill Country. PARCEL NO.: 0228020119 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOT 24-25 BLK 15 SHOALMONT ADDN SEC 4 ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX ABATEMENT: $8,500 (owner-occupied); city portion: $2,500 (capped); county portion: $2,500 (capped); AISD portion: $3,500 (capped). APPRAISED VALUE: $999,898 PRESENT USE: Single family residence CONDITION: Good PRESENT OWNERS: Bon Ton Revocable Trust 5312 Shoal Creek Blvd. Austin, TX 78756-1815 DATE BUILT: ca. 1938 ALTERATIONS/ADDITIONS: Carport enclosed around 1959 ORIGINAL OWNER(S): Adolph and Mollie Kohn (1928-1950) OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: None 2 of 33B-7LOCATION MAP 3 of 33B-7Kohn House History: Adolph Kohn (Feb19,1871-Jan31 1948) immigrated from Koenigsburg, Germany in October of 1888 at the age of 17. His first stop in the states would take him to Chicago. Banking on his previous experience as a baker's apprentice back home he quickly found a job and as industrious and good with numbers as he was, he was able to make ends meet during this short stint by playing craps. He spent some time learning the language and the culture, bouncing from city to city. Denver, Houston, back to Chicago, he finally made his way to Austin to stay after a few years. With his limited skill with the english language he paid a job recruiter $3.00 to help place him in a pastry chef position at, what he thought was a fancy hotel, instead it was the State Insane Asylum. He met his future wife Mollie Matthews shortly thereafter. Kohn quickly moved into a new job at the Driskill Hotel as the head pastry chef. It was during this time he formed many relationships that would help Kohn lay the foundation to smartly build his american dream. President of American National Bank and owner of the Driskill Hotel, George Littlefield lent Kohn $2,000 to open Kohn’s BonTon bakery at 720 Congress avenue in 1902. Eventually, Kohn’s BonTon Bakery would become one of the most well known bakeries in Austin, delivering bread all over central Texas, their branch of Pan Dandy Bread, at one point ranked #2 in the region, only behind Mrs. Bairds. Upon the success of the bakery, Kohn began to dabble in Austin Real estate. Along with many key players in 1920’s and 1930’s growth, Kohn played an integral role in the early development of Austin, he was involved in countless dealings in downtown buildings as well as a handful of neighborhood developments. In what the Austin Statesman called a scandal, Kohn had purchased 210 acres of Fiset’s Dairy Farmland from J Carter Fiset, widow of Franz Fiset. Franz, an Austin banker and lawyer had fallen in default of several bank notes over the years and in an effort to protect his liabilities from foreclosure, he had transferred many of his defaulted deeds to his wife before yielding his own untimely death in 1924. Kohn began laying out plans that would become the Shoalmont addition in 1928. The Great Depression didn’t seem to slow down Adolf Kohn. In 1934, after years of building one of the most successful bakeries in Central Texas, Kohn founded and named Capitol National Bank at 114 W. 7th street, added to the list of National Historic Places in 2011. In his spare time from baking and banking, he spent the next several years adding roads, sewer lines, utilities and water lines to the newly subdivided Shoalmont. He picked the most impressive spot out of the 210 acres, the deepest lot, the best view of Austin’s violet crown and the most beautiful live oak trees to build the Kohn family’s dream home that still stands at 5312 Shoal Creek. Over the short ten years Mollie and Adolf would spend in the home, it would become the common meeting place for Sunday fried chicken dinners after church, Rotary Club meetings and social events. With the help of Vera and Johnny Miller (who lived in the back house), cooking, gardening and taking care of the animals including one very special dairy cow that lived under the oak tree in the front yard, the Kohn family home would set the tone for an entire neighborhood. 4 of 33B-7Built with a German’s eye for design and craftsmanship, The Kohn House is a two-story, T-shape plan, stone-clad German vernacular cottage. It is a collection of eclectic design elements that were likely conceived and executed by the Owner/Builder. Hand hewn white limestone covers most of the house, with quoin stone corners and stone chimney. The primary roof form is a side gable with a hip on the rear wing and second floor. An asymmetric, partial-width porch wraps around the Northeast corner and is included below the main roof form, supported by plain square wood columns and curved braces. The gable ends of the porch are clad in wood plank siding with decorative patterns along the lower edge. A metal-roofed bay window adorns the front facade. Fenestration in the house includes a round wood window, 8-lite steel casement windows in double and triple configurations, with fixed clerestory windows at the bay window, kitchen and living room and 1:1 wood windows. The home was built with amenities ahead of its time and has been surprisingly untouched by modern upgrades, it has also endured more than its fair share of deferred maintenance. With respect to the original sentiment and a great deal of care for quality materials, the plan is to restore all that is restorable, retain all historical integrity and help this house become a home through tasteful upgrades and modern systems. The Kohn house has come too close to being demolished to make way for another new house that fits in the neighborhoods of the modern Anytown,USA. We hope that Historical Zoning will help solidify its place in Austin’s Depression/New Deal growth boom history. 5 of 33B-75312 DEED CHRONOLOGY George W Spear 4,400 acres aka: The Spear League 1838 John Hancock and George Hancock 521 acres 1866 Franz Fiset 521 acres 1899 Adolph Kohn 210 acres May 29,1928 Warren J Jackson Lots 24-26 Block 15 Shoalmont Addition March 1,1950 $18,000 Joseph P Withersppon Lots 24-26 Block 15 Shoalmont Addition August 4,1958 $45,000 Myles Sherman and Terrell T Sherman Lots 24-25 Block 15 Shoalmont Addition November 15,2017 Aaron and Stacy Franklin Lots 24-25 Block 15 Shoalmont Addition September 27,2019 N/A N/A N/A (Vol. 477 Page 174) (Vol. 1033,Page 213) (Vol. 1951,Page 540) #2017184999 #2020147280 6 of 33B-71838 1866 1899 1935 1938 George W Spear acquired over 4,400 acres. aka: The Spear League John Hancock and George Hancock bought 521 acres Franz Fiset Purchases the 521 acres 05/29/1928 Adolph Kohn purchased 210 acres from J Carter Fiset, widow of Franz Fiset Borders: Hancock Dr. to Northland Dr. and Shoal Creek to Burnet Rd. Surveyed and Subdivided to become the Shoalmont Addition. Adolph Kohn completed the house at 5312 Shoal Creek. 09/01/1947 Shoalmont Addition annexed to the City of Austin. 03/01/1950 Warren J Jackson purchased from Kohn Family Trust for $18,000 08/04/1958 Joseph P Withersppon purchased from J. Warren Jackson for $45,000 11/15/2017 Myles Sherman purchased from Witherspoon Family Trust for $1,048,000.00 09/27/2019 Aaron and Stacy Franklin purchased from Myles Sherman for $1,187,500.00 7 of 33B-7List of Occupants 1899-1928 Franz and J Carter FIset: The Fiset Dairy Farm 1928-1950 Adolf and Mollie Kohn: Owner of BonTon Bakery, Board of Directors/Founder of Capital National Bank, Austin area land developer and Socialites. Responsible for the Shoalmont Addition, the Kohns finished building the house in 1938 along with a back house, chicken coop and a barn that can still be seen behind an adjacent property. The homestead used what would become Lawnmont as the driveway. The home appears to have been built with a focus on entertaining large groups of people. 1950-1958 Dr. Joseph Warren Jackson: Family friend of the Kohns, Physician and on the Board of Directors Capitol National Bank. The Jacksons updated the kitchen, enclosed the car port and added drywall around 1959. 1958-2017 Joseph and Catherine Witherspoon, UT Law Professor. The Witherspoons had several children, some of which went on to practice law in Austin. The house lay mostly dormant from 1995 to 2017. Deferred maintenance during these more recent years resulted in a good bit of deterioration. Extensive water and termite damage and aging infrastructure began to set the stage for a house that most would view as a tear down. 2017-2019 Myles and Terrell Sherman. The Shermans bought the property with the idea to build a sprawling dream home. Fortunately, this proved to be a project of epic proportion and with some neighborhood resistance, they decided to let the house be and move on. 2019-XXXX Aaron and Stacy Frankllin, Owners of Franklin Barbecue and dabblers in life… On a sunny Sunday morning, the Franklins found themselves peering through the windows of a house begging for a chance to be reborn into a modern world. With an affinity for designs of modest grandeur, they almost felt like the house had chosen them to bring it back. ...And so they began a long road towards bringing the Depression era, German house to the lustrous family home it once was. 8 of 33B-7THIS STRICTLY UP-TO-DATE BAKERY DEPENDS ON DODGE DELIVERY CAR The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); J Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 9 of 33B-7a n 2 1 , 1 9 2 3 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . 1 2 Display Ad 107 -- No Title The Austin American (1914-1973); J Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 10 of 33B-7u l 1 9 , 1 9 3 6 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . F 3 TIME CHANGES BREAD STYLES The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); A Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 11 of 33B-7u g 1 2 , 1 9 3 1 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . 9 Bridge Luncheon Slated The Austin American (1914-1973); A Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12 of 33B-7u g 8 , 1 9 4 3 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . A 5 Bread Has Place In Every Meal, Says Ad. Kohn The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); A Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13 of 33B-7p r 1 7 , 1 9 3 7 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . 8 KOHN EXPLAINS PROCESSES IN BAKING The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); N Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14 of 33B-7o v 2 1 , 1 9 3 6 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . 8 Shoalmont Addition Offers Attractive Building Site for Prospective Buyers The Austin American (1914-1973); A Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 15 of 33B-7p r 1 8 , 1 9 3 7 ; P r o Q u e s t H i s t o r i c a l N e w s p a p e r s : T h e A u s t i n A m e r i c a n S t a t e s m a n p g . 1 3 16 of 33B-717 of 33B-718 of 33B-719 of 33B-720 of 33B-721 of 33B-722 of 33B-723 of 33B-724 of 33B-725 of 33B-726 of 33B-727 of 33B-728 of 33B-729 of 33B-730 of 33B-731 of 33B-732 of 33B-7TITLE SURVEY OF LOT 24 AND LOT 25, SHOALMONT ADDITION SECTION 4, RECORDED IN VOL. 3, PG. 400, PLAT RECORDS, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS ' 3 1 . 0 0 1 (cid:40) (cid:5) (cid:22) (cid:22) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:20) (cid:20) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:22) (cid:20) (cid:54) ' 7 7 . 9 9 (cid:40) (cid:5) (cid:22) (cid:22) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:20) (cid:20) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:22) (cid:20) (cid:54) 0 20 40 Feet 78.62' 7' 0 . 9 3 (cid:40) (cid:5) (cid:24) (cid:23) (cid:20)(cid:10)(cid:3) (cid:19) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:19) (cid:49) 10' SANITARY SEWER EASEMENT VOL. 1291, PG. 272 D.R.T.C.T. ' 9 6 . 2 6 (cid:58) (cid:5) (cid:28) (cid:23) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:26) (cid:24) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:25) (cid:49) 41.90' ' 0 4 . 6 7 (cid:58) (cid:5) (cid:28) (cid:23) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:26) (cid:24) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:25) (cid:49) 10' SANITARY SEWER EASEMENT VOL. 1291, PG. 272 D.R.T.C.T. 60.59' (cid:49)(cid:26)(cid:25)(cid:131)(cid:3)(cid:23)(cid:26)(cid:10)(cid:3)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:5)(cid:40) 422.97' 7.5' BUILDING LINE BK. 4, PG. 300 P.R.T.C.T. & VOL. 899, PG. 534 D.R.T.C.T. (cid:49)(cid:26)(cid:25)(cid:131)(cid:3)(cid:23)(cid:25)(cid:10)(cid:3)(cid:19)(cid:19)(cid:5)(cid:40) 438.71' CONCRETE PAD 7.5' BUILDING LINE BK. 4, PG. 300 P.R.T.C.T. & VOL. 899, PG. 534 D.R.T.C.T. APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF 100 YEAR FLOOD PLAIN PER FEMA MAP PANEL #48453C0455J 0.5' 0.5' 1.4' 1.4' E N I L G N D L I U B I ' 0 4 0 0 3 . G P , 4 . K B . . . T C T R P . . ) 1 # E T O N E E S * ( E N I L G N D L I U B I ' 0 4 0 0 3 . G P , 4 . K B . . . T C T R P . . ) 1 # E T O N E E S * ( (cid:40) (cid:5) (cid:22) (cid:22) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:20) (cid:20) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:22) (cid:20) (cid:54) ' 3 1 . 0 0 1 (cid:40) (cid:5) (cid:22) (cid:22) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:20) (cid:20) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:22) (cid:20) (cid:54) ' 7 7 . 9 9 ' 0 1 . 0 0 2 (cid:40) (cid:5) (cid:26) (cid:19) (cid:3) (cid:10) (cid:21) (cid:20) (cid:3) (cid:131) (cid:22) (cid:20) (cid:54) 5312 SHOAL CREEK NOVEMBER, 2017 FLS PROJECT NO. 571-001 FLUGEL LAND SURVEYING FIRM NO. 10193837 FIRM # F-15324 2007 S 1ST STREET, SUITE 103 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78704 (512)394-1900 SHEET OF 1 1 33 of 33B-7