08 C14H-2024-0123 - Whitney House; District 9 Staff Report Part 1 — original pdf

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CASE NUMBER: C14H-2024-0123 ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET HLC DATE: November 6, 2024 PC DATE: November 19, 2024 CC Date: TBD APPLICANT: Holly Tachovsky (owner-initiated) HISTORIC NAME: Whitney House WATERSHED: Waller Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 4310 Avenue H ZONING CHANGE: SF-3-HD-NCCD-NP to SF-3-H-HD-NCCD-NP COUNCIL DISTRICT: 9 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the proposed zoning change from family residence- historic district combining district-neighborhood conservation combining district-neighborhood plan (SF- 3-HD-NCCD-NP) to family residence-historic landmark-historic district combining district-neighborhood conservation combining district-neighborhood plan (SF-3-H-HD-NCCD-NP) zoning. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION: Architecture, historical associations and community value. HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: Recommended the proposed zoning change from family residence-historic district combining district-neighborhood conservation combining district- neighborhood plan (SF-3-HD-NCCD-NP) to family residence-historic landmark-historic district combining district-neighborhood conservation combining district-neighborhood plan (SF-3-H-HD- NCCD-NP) zoning (9-0). PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: TBD CITY COUNCIL ACTION: TBD CASE MANAGER: Austin Lukes, 512-978-0766, Austin.lukes@austintexas.gov NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS: Austin Independent School District, Austin Lost and Found Pets, Austin Neighborhoods Council, Central Austin Community Development Corporation, Friends of Austin Neighborhoods, Friends of Hyde Park, Homeless Neighborhood Association, Hyde Park Neighborhood Assn., Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, Neighborhood Empowerment Foundation, North Austin Neighborhood Alliance, Preservation Austin, SELTexas, Sierra Club, Austin Regional Group DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The house is listed as a contributing resource to both the Hyde Park National Register district as well as the Hyde Park local historic district. BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: § 25-2-352(3)(c)(i) Architecture. The property embodies the distinguishing characteristics of a recognized architectural style, type, or method of construction; exemplifies technological innovation in design or construction; displays high artistic value in representing ethnic or folk art, architecture, or construction; represents a rare example of an architectural style in the city; serves as an outstanding example of the work of an architect, builder, or artisan who significantly contributed to the development of the city, state, or nation; possesses cultural, historical, or architectural value as a particularly fine or unique example of a utilitarian or vernacular structure; or represents an architectural curiosity or one- of-a-kind building. The house at 4310 Avenue H is an intact example of a Craftsman style bungalow which started being constructed in the northern half of the Hyde Park neighborhood in the 1920s. However, the Whitney house is distinctive because it was built earlier than any of its neighbors and was heavily designed by Dr. Francis Whitney, including the front fenestration which features a unique design. The ornament and detail that is less common in bungalows in the neighborhood built in the 1920s is present at the Whitney House. During the life of the building, it has retained excellent integrity, with alterations only occurring at the rear in the form of a 1976 addition, along with a garage apartment. These alterations are minimally visible and are compatible with the historic section of the house. As an early example of bungalow construction in the neighborhood, the Whitney House retains its significance. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(ii) Historical Associations. The property has long-standing significant associations with persons, groups, institutions, businesses, or events of historical importance that contributed significantly to the history of the city, state, or nation or represents a significant portrayal of the cultural practices or the way of life of a definable group of people in a historic time. This property has connection to Dr. Francis Luther Whitney, who moved along with his wife Grace Whitney to Austin 1908 after declining a faculty position at the University of Michigan. Instead, Dr. Whitney took a professorship at the University of Texas’s newly formed paleontology department within the Department of Geological Sciences. He served in this role for the next 40 years, until his retirement. During the 1920s, he would serve as chair of the department, in addition to teaching, including a course of micropaleontology that was likely one of the first in the academic world. The opportunities for geological and paleontological research and development were immense in Texas during this time, and Dr. Whitney’s work spanned from acquiring collections of mollusk fossils still in the university’s possession to developing mathematical models to identify structures that would be used directly by the oil and gas industry to identify deposits. Dr. Whitney’s research and academic curiosity also extended to the property at 4310 Avenue H, where he would build his own cameras and setups for photographing geological phenomena to better document and disseminate his discoveries. For a time, the house featured a dark room for photo development. His acquisition and interest in machinery and tools relating to his work may have also contributed to the need for the family to move from 4310 Avenue H in 1931 to a larger house located at 2715 Wooldridge Drive. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(iv) Community Value. The property has a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, a neighborhood, or a particular group. The house at 4310 Avenue H is notable for being the first constructed on its side of the block, part of the larger northern expansion of the Hyde Park neighborhood. The Whitneys were also responsible for the design of the bungalow architecture of the residence, which now fits well amongst its neighbors and may well have influenced the design style of this era of new construction in the neighborhood. As mentioned in the historical associations basis for recommendation, the larger movement of talent to the University of Texas in the first decades of the 20th century contributed to its designation in 1929 by the Association of American Universities of being a first-class research university. Dr. Whitney’s contributions to the academic community are especially notable due to their connections to the rapidly expanding oil and gas industries in the region and state. He was also involved with community efforts related to his area of expertise, such as organizing and conducting summer geology camps, serving on a building committee at the University of Texas where he advocated for state-of-the-art facility construction, and fossil discovery and interpretation across the state, particularly in West Texas. Grace Whitney was also highly involved with the community, particularly with the Hyde Park Reading Club, which was organized in 1908 and served social, educational, and advocacy functions for neighborhood residents, and in turn had impacts throughout the broader Austin community. Some of these functions included supporting the effort during World War I by sewing clothing and bandages for servicemembers, as well as advancing support for higher educator salaries and campaigning for women’s suffrage. Meetings were held at houses throughout Hyde Park, including at the Whitney House. Grace was also involved in writing and illustrating children’s books, several of which were published and distributed. PARCEL NO.: 0220061510 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOT 27&28 BLK 17 HYDE PARK ADDN NO 1 ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX EXEMPTION (homestead, capped): AISD $2,244.67 COA $1,862.80 TC $1,273.02 TC Health $420.75 Total $5,801.23 APPRAISED VALUE: $797,319 ($550,000 Land; $247,319 Improvement) PRESENT USE: Single-family residential DATE BUILT/PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE: 1915; 1915-1931 INTEGRITY/ALTERATIONS: High integrity is retained. The original front appearance is intact, with front windows, built in a unique pattern and symmetrical across the façade, still present. Original siding appears to be intact at the front and sides, and windows are original and still operational. There was a two-story rear addition constructed in 1976, but it is minimally visible from the street and siding matches the horizontality of the original structure. This intervention also saw the enclosure of the rear sleeping porch. All alterations are held to the rear of the house and would comply with current Austin Historic Design Standards if proposed today. PRESENT OWNERS: Holly Tachovsky & John Tachovsky ORIGINAL OWNER(S): Francis Luther Whitney & Grace Whitney OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: Local historic district (Hyde Park), contributing resource; National Register of Historic Places historic district (Hyde Park), contributing resource  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Submittal Checklist  A. Application Form.  B. Full size tax maps (1"=100') showing properties within 500' of zoning request  C. Tax certificate or letter from the County Tax office (Not a tax receipt)  D. Submittal Verification and Inspection Authorization Form.  E. Acknowledgment Form  F. Historical Documentation (including Attachment A, B, photographs, historical narrative, and copies of historical information) Adopted December 2012 Submittal Checklist City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet C. Tax Certificate The Tax Certificate for 4310 Avenue H, Austin, TX 78751 obtained from the Travis County Tax Office is provided on the following page.  Legal Description: Price: Deed Vol./Page: Grantor/Grantee: Date: Legal Description: Price: Deed Vol./Page: Grantor/Grantee: Date: Legal Description: Price: Deed Vol./Page: City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Lots 27 and 28, Block 17, Hyde Park Addition, as shown on the plat recorded in Volume 1, Page 67 of the Plat Records of Travis County, Texas Owelty Deed Instrument no. 2010091023 Robert James Adams Jr. to Joshua Apte and Meghana Gadgil 2017-07-06 Lots 27 and 28, Block 17, Hyde Park Addition, as shown on the plat recorded in Volume 1, Page 67 of the Plat Records of Travis County, Texas $816,000 Instrument no. 2017108674 Joshua Apte and Meghana Gadgil to John Andrew Tachovsky and Holly Ward 2020-07-30 Lots 27 and 28, Block 17, HYDE PARK ADDITION, a subdivision in Travis County, Texas, according to the map or plat thereof, recorded in Volume 1, Page 67, Plat Records, Travis County, Texas (together, the “Property”) $952,000 Instrument no. 2020133947 Adopted December 2012 F-3 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet F. 9: Historical Documentation – Historical Narrative (see A-5 for supplemental documentation related to the significance of the property) HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY VALUE Community Planning and Development The house at 4310 Avenue H was built in the period of significance for the Hyde Park neighborhood, which is between 1891-1941 per the Hyde Park Historic District National Register nomination. Hyde Park was first platted by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Land and Town Company in 1891 and was originally marketed by developer Monroe Martin Shipe as an aristocratic neighborhood for affluent white Austinites.3 It was in this period that the Queen Anne residences were constructed. By around1900 Shipe responded to the rise of the middle class due to industrialization by pivoting the marketing strategy of Hyde Park from an affluent neighborhood to an early American suburb for middle and working classes. As a result, the housing types built in Hyde Park shifted away from the large Queen Anne styles towards smaller, bungalow-type houses. The bungalow form is the most common house form in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Early bungalows were built in the 1910s, though the period from the 1920s through 1935 saw a construction boom in which most of the bungalows of Hyde Park were built. The earlier bungalows tended to be more ornamental with more distinctive detailing than the later ones built in Hyde Park. It was during this period that 4310 Avenue H was constructed for Dr. Francis Luther Whitney in 1915. The house was the first one built on the west side of the 4300 block of Avenue H. The two lots to the north remained vacant through the 1930s and housed an orchard. The house directly south was constructed around a year after the Whitney house. The house was owner-occupied until 1931. Between 1931 and 1936, a real estate company managed the house, renting it to at least two separate occupants before purchasing the property from the owner. The company continued to rent the property to over 11 occupants, mostly single white men, over the period. This house becoming a rental property fits into a larger trend in Hyde Park during the 1930s, a period in which city directories reveal that an increased percentage of neighborhood occupants were renters in comparison to previous years. This trend of rentals in Hyde Park was likely influenced by the economic depression that also resulted in the end of the electric streetcar service that had run through the neighborhood.4 Building History and Occupant Significance Brief biographic sketches are included for occupants dating to the historic period (1915-1974) who lived in the residence for at least five years. A brief sketch is also included for the longest owner of the property. A longer, more robust biography, including significance, is included for Dr. Francis Luther Whitney, for whom the house earns significance. Dr. Francis Luther Whitney and Grace Pellet Whitney (Owners, 1910-1931) The first owners of the house at 4310 Avenue H, Dr. Francis Luther Whitney and Grace Pellet Whitney, purchased the property from the Missouri Kansas Texas Land Company in 1910. The house 3 Hyde Park National Register nomination file, https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/NR/pdfs/90001191/90001191.pdf ; https://www.austinhydepark.org/hydeparktimeline , “History.” HPNA, n.d. https://www.austinhydepark.org/history. 4 Hyde Park National Register nomination file, https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/NR/pdfs/90001191/90001191.pdf Adopted December 2012 F-7 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet was constructed in 1915 for $1,788.5 Dr. Marion Whitney, daughter, attributed her father with designing and drafting the plan for the house.6 According to a mechanic’s lien cross referenced with newspaper research, the contractor was likely A. J. Speegle, a popular Austin contractor at the time.7 In a 1994 letter composed by Dr. Marion Isabelle Whitney, daughter of Dr. Whitney and Grace Whitney, to the then owner of 4310 Avenue H, Sid Hall, Dr. Marion Whitney recalls another contractor by the name of Frank Baron as the house’s brick mason. According to newspaper research, Frank Baron was a masonry contractor at this time.8 By 1921, per the Sanborn map, the Whitneys had a small garage to the rear of the house at the property’s southwest corner. The Whitneys also had a chicken house and garden in the back yard. The Whitneys lived in the house until 1931 when Dr. Whitney’s “acquisitiveness” necessitated a move to a larger house at 2715 Wooldridge Drive (the house lacks integrity, and a demolition permit for it was issued in April 2024).9 Joe Prowse & Son, a rental management company, rented the house for the Whitneys before purchasing it in 1936.10 Dr. Francis Luther Whitney was an accomplished machinist, geologist, and paleontologist, as well as a longtime professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Born in Enfield, New York, in 1878, Dr. Whitney showed an interest in paleontology early on by collecting fossils around the age of 12. When his family experienced financial hardship, Dr. Whitney spent six years as a machinist, becoming foreman of his father’s factory at the age of 21. It was here that Whitney honed his skills as a builder and inventor. Dr. Whitney earned his B. A., M. A, and PhD degrees (1901) from Cornell University. He began his teaching career at Cornell as a professor of paleontology while pursuing his degree. He married Grace Pellet in Elmira, New York, in June of 190711 and went to work for the Gurly Instrument Company, constructing survey instruments. Dr. Whitney’s early teaching career included time at Buchtel College in Akron, Ohio, in 1907, and Hastings College in Nebraska in 1908. Dr. Whitney declined a faculty position at the University of Michigan to join the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin in 1908 as a Professor of Paleontology.12 Dr. Whitney served as a professor of paleontology at the University of Texas for 40 years until his retirement in 1952. At the university, Dr. Whitney taught one of the first micropaleontology courses in the world and served as chairman of the geology department from 1921 to 1929.13 During his tenure, Dr. Whitney and his students compiled a file on the geology of Central Texas which was then published on geological maps by the Bureau of Economic Geology, a unit within the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin that also serves as the state geological survey.14 As his paleontological research provided information about types of past depositional environments, the work of Dr. Whitney and his students largely contributed to the expansion of the oil industry in 5 “Building Permits,” Austin American-Statesman, April 4, 1915, 7. 6 Dr. Marion Whitney, “The Home of Francis Luther Whitney,” Provided by Holly Tachovsky. 7 “A.J. Speegle, Survived by Nine Children, Widow.” Austin American-Statesman, January 1, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/359215616/?match=1&terms=a%20j%20speegle 8 “Ad for Frank Baron.” The Austin Statesman, July 1, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/357588640/?match=1&terms=frank%20baron. 9 Marion Whitney, “The Home of Francis Luther Whitney.” Provided by Holly Tachovsky. 10 “Houses for Rent - Unfurnished .” The Austin American, January 29, 1931. https://www.newspapers.com/image/385951542/?match=1&terms=%224310%20ave%20h%22. 11 “Marriage Announcement for Pellet-Whitney.” Elmira Evening Star-Gazette, July 2, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/275866064/. 12 Austin American Statesman, September 26, 1909, 5. 13 “Francis L. Whitney (1878-1962).” Jackson School of Geosciences, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl/history/geologists/francis-l-whitney-1878-1962/. 14 Email Interview with Dr. Linda Boucher, Director & Curator of the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory of the Jackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas at Austin, July 10, 2024 Adopted December 2012 F-8 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet West Texas.15 In a 1954 article entitled “Fathered Paleontology” in The Daily Texan, the official newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin, reporter Helen Betty described Dr. Whitney as a “pioneer” of new mathematical models for geological structures, “especially oil-bearing structures,” that helped locate and determine the quality of oil and gas deposits.16 Dr. Francis Whitney was also “instrumental” in the fundraising and the university’s acquisition of the Engerrand-Chantegrain European Tertiary mollusk collection.17 This collection is described as “the finest Tertiary collection from type localities in western Europe outside of the National Museum,”18 representing specimens from classic sites from the French and Belgian Eocene and Paleocene periods, first curated by George Engerrand, the first head of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. Originally purchased by Engerrand from S. Chantegrain while in France, the Engerrand- Chantegrain collection was sold by Engerrand and dispersed in 1927 to Texas A&M University and other organizations to allegedly finance support for the Mexican Revolution. According to the Jackson School Museum of Earth History page on Dr. Francis Whitney, he is recognized as seeing the value of this collection and was responsible for recovering these specimens for the university.19 Dr. Whitney, an expert on Texas crustaceans, is also credited with the collection of many significant fossil specimens in the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (NPL) collections at the University of Texas at Austin . According to Dr. Lisa D. Boucher, the Director and Curator of the Jackson School Museum of Earth History, there are about 1,800 catalogued records that reference Dr. Francis Whitney as the collector.20 For his contributions to the field and the department, at least two endowments offered by the Geology Foundations of the Jackson School of Geosciences to UT Austin geology students have been established in his name.21 Dr. Whitney was additionally a machinist and had a shop at the rear of the property at 4310 Avenue H. Here, he built some of the tools he used as a geologist, as well as cameras and photography equipment. Needing to photograph his specimens and fossils, Dr. Whitney built his own cameras. His shop at 4310 Avenue H also featured a dark room, where Dr. Whitney developed the photographs required for his geological research. As a machinist, Dr. Whitney also led an automotive Camp Mabry machine shop during World War I and served as an advisor to other training shops associated with military training camps across Texas.22 15 “Francis L. Whitney (1878-1962).” Jackson School of Geosciences, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl/history/geologists/francis-l-whitney-1878-1962/; Email Interview with Dr. Linda Boucher, Director & Curator of the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory of the Jackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas at Austin, July 10, 2024 16 “Retired UT Geology Prof Dies.” The Austin Statesman, January 26, 1962. https://www.newspapers.com/image/357789502/?terms=francis%20l%20whitney&match=1. 17 17 “Francis L. Whitney (1878-1962).” Jackson School of Geosciences, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl/history/geologists/francis-l-whitney-1878-1962/. ; “Individual.” Jackson School of Geosciences, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl/history/collections/individual/. 18 “Individual.” Jackson School of Geosciences, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl/history/collections/individual/. 19 “Francis L. Whitney (1878-1962).” Jackson School of Geosciences, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl/history/geologists/francis-l-whitney-1878-1962/. 20 Email Interview with Dr. Linda Boucher, Director & Curator of the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory of the Jackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas at Austin, April 30, 2024 21 “Endowments List.” Alumni Giving Endowments List Comments, n.d. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/alumni/support/endowments-list/. 22 “Francis Luther Whitney (1878-1962).” Francis Luther Whitney (1878-1962) | Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences | Jackson School of Geosciences | The University of Texas at Austin, n.d. https://eps.jsg.utexas.edu/about/faculty-through-time-in-memoriam/francis-luther-whitney-1878-1962/. Adopted December 2012 F-9 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Grace Pellet Whitney (b.1879- d. 1958) was born in Pennsylvania. Ms. Whitney frequently hosted meetings for groups, including the Hyde Park Reading Club and the Circles of the University Presbyterian Church, while living in the house at 4310 Avenue H between 1915 to 1931.23 Dr. Marion Isabelle Whitney, daughter of the Whitneys, was born in 1911 and grew up in the house at 4310 Avenue H. At the house she grew a collection of cacti, “attractively arranged” in a front bed.24 Between 1933 to 1936, she taught at the Pease and Fulmore schools in Austin. In 1937, she became the first woman to earn a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin Geology Department, eventually becoming an accomplished geologist, writer, and college professor. The colleges in which she taught include Kilgore College, Texas Christian University, the Kansas State Teachers College in Pittsburgh, Kansas, and the Sul Ross College in Alpine, Texas. Dr. Marion Whitney additionally established the Geology Department in Russellville, Arkansas. Dr. Marion Whitney was also an award-winning photographer, influenced by her father, who built cameras and had his own dark room at their house on Avenue H. In addition to her accomplishments as a geologist, professor, photographer, and nonfiction author, Dr. Marion Whitney was a children’s book author, publishing Stubby’s Tail of Woe in 1953 featuring her own photography alongside her writing. Joseph Oscar Prowse (Owner, 1936-1972) Joe Prowse (b.1882- d.1973) purchased the house at 4310 Avenue H from Dr. Francis Whitney and Grace Pellet Whitney in 1936 for $4,000.25 Prior to purchasing the property, his rental management company, Joe Prowse & Son, listed the house at 4310 Avenue H for rent for the Whitney family. Owning the house for 36 years, Prowse rented the property for his real estate company until selling it in 1972. Prowse also owned other rental properties in this period in Austin, including properties on Avenue H, Duval, East 43rd, Baylor, and Marathon.26 Walter S. Lewis Sr. (Occupant, 1947-1952) Walter S. Lewis Sr. (b. 1886- d. 1967) and his wife Ruth Ada Lewis rented the house at 4310 Avenue H from J.O. Prowse between 1947 and 1952. Walter S. Lewis Sr. worked for the General Land Office. William Lawrence Stone and Gretchen Van Mater Stone (Occupants, 1974-1993) William L. Stone (b. 1946) and his wife Gretchen Van Mater Stone (b.1948) purchased the house at 4310 Avenue H from Daphne D. Jones in 1974 for $8,678.98. Prior to purchasing the house, William and Gretchen Stone lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while he was stationed with the Army at Ft. Bragg. They remained in the house until their divorce in 1992, when the deed transferred solely to Gretchen Van Mater Stone in the division of property. Gretchen Van Mater Stone then sold the house in 1993 to Sidney G. Hall III and Ronda D. Hall. During their ownership, in 1976, the Stones added the rear, two-story addition. They also removed the historic-age garage and built the current two-story garage apartment in the same location. Community Value The bungalow at 4310 Avenue H is uniquely located in one of the city’s most historic residential neighborhoods. As the first streetcar suburb in the city, Hyde Park was platted in 1891 and largely filled in between the late nineteenth century and the 1930s. Built in 1915, the Whitney house was the 23 “Hyde Park Reading Club.” Austin American, December 17, 1916. https://www.newspapers.com/image/385042289/?match=1&terms=%224310%20avenue%20h%22. 24 The Austin American, July 28, 1929, 19. 25 “Realty Deeds Filed.” The Austin American, April 25, 1936. https://www.newspapers.com/image/385898449/?match=1&terms=%22whitney%22%20%20%22block%2017% 22. 26 Based on multiple newspaper articles from the period. Adopted December 2012 F-10 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet first on the west side of the 4300 block of Avenue H and represents the northern expansion of the neighborhood in the early twentieth century.27 Designed by Dr. Whitney himself, not only does the house contribute to the character and image of Hyde Park, its occupants serve as a reflection of the cultural identity of the neighborhood and city in the early twentieth century. Dr. Whitney was influential in the growth of the city’s scientific community during a period of growing importance. Turning down a position at the University of Michigan to teach at the University of Texas, Dr. Whitney was part of a trend in this period that saw increasing numbers of intellectuals and leaders of various fields take positions at the University of Texas. Whitney’s work and research, along with leaders in the fields of history, biology, and folklore contributed to the university’s growing reputation in the early-to-mid twentieth century that led to the Association of American Universities designating it a first-class research university in 1929.28 The ensuing growth of the university, which was also tied to the growing oil and gas industry which Whitney contributed to, was linked to Austin’s population and economic growth in subsequent decades. Among Dr. Whitney’s many accomplishments and contributions include serving on a building committee to ensure laboratories were state of the art, working with the City of Austin to find a permanent water supply for north Austin, various fossil discoveries in west Texas, lecturing for the University Club, conducting summer geology camps, and supervising more than 50 master’s students in the geology department The house also derives community value from Grace Whitney and her work with the Hyde Park Reading Club, a significant women’s club that was both influential in creating community and furthering both women’s and civic advancements. The Hyde Park Reading Club organized in 1908 during a period that saw the proliferation of women’s clubs across the country. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, women in Austin organized to form clubs around topics important to them, such as fine arts and public beautification. Over time, a number of these organizations evolved to address conditions of the growing city, including lack of adequate education, shelter, or healthcare. These clubs created both a social network and infrastructure that some used for work for political aims, including women’s suffrage. As part of this Progressive Era movement, the Hyde Park Reading Club organized. The club was limited to women in Hyde Park and met twice a month at the home of its members, including Grace Whitney. The group read books, had guest speakers, and discussed topics with a goal of self-development, critical thought, and civil discourse. Among the various topics and subjects studied and discussed during Whitney’s membership, from 1916 to 1931, included civics, modern literature, Spain, and Mexico.29 The group also had various causes and charity projects, including good roads, increasing teacher salaries, providing gifts to children in need during the holiday season, minimum wage for women, and child labor laws.30 During World War I, the group also devoted some meetings, including several hosted at the Whitney house, to sewing clothes and bandages for soldiers.31 From 1917 to 1919 members also campaigned for women’s suffrage, using the group’s communication network and skills developed through the club.32 While a number of women’s clubs disbanded after women earned the right to vote in 1920, the Hyde Park Reading Club remained active into the twenty-first century. Grace Whitney was a member of the club during this significant period of women’s clubs, including the fight for suffrage. In addition to hosting meetings at 4310 Avenue H throughout her membership, Whitney also served as secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, and on various committees.33 The early members, including Whitney who were “brave enough to get out there 27 Dr. Marion Whitney, “The Home of Francis Luther Whitney,” Provided by Holly Tachovsy. 28 “History,” The University of Texas at Austin, accessed October 4, 2024, https://www.utexas.edu/about/history. 29 Austin American Statesman, September 12, 1926, 15. 30 Austin American Statesman, November 8, 2008, 21.; Also based on multiple newspaper articles on the Hyde Park Reading Club from 1915 to 1931. 31 Austin American Statesman, April 14, 1918, 11. 32 Austin American Statesman, November 8, 2008, 21. 33 Based on multiple newspaper articles from 1916 to 1931. Adopted December 2012 F-11 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet and change things,” were a significant part of the cultural identity of not only Hyde Park, but of all of Austin during this period.34 Considered “a town within a town,” the Hyde Park Reading Clug and its members also fostered a rich community for women in Hyde Park during this period.35 Architecture The house at 4310 Avenue H is a one-story Craftsman bungalow built in 1915. The house not only exemplifies early twentieth century American movements in architecture with its bungalow form and Craftsman style, it is significant in that it represents the ingenuity of its designer, Dr. Whitney. As such, the house has features unique to it, including its front fenestration pattern. Employing an architect for the family’s second house in Austin (at 2715 Wooldridge Drive - the house lacks integrity, and a demolition permit for it was issued in April 2024), the house at 4310 Avenue H is the only known house designed by Dr. Whitney in Austin. The house also serves as an example of the work of Austin contractor A. J. Speegle and mason Frank Baron who both contributed to the residential development of the city. Craftsman bungalows are usually one- to one-and-a-half- stories tall with a low-pitched gabled-roof. Other character-defining features, as defined by architectural historian Virginia McAlester, include wood siding with a strong horizontal emphasis and front porches, either full-width or partial width. Porches typically feature square columns, often made of brick and topped with tapered wood columns. Roofs typically have overhanging eaves and exposed rafters. Craftsman detailing may also include decorative beams or brackets at the gables. Craftsman bungalows were built with sashed, double-hung wood windows and may feature decorative wood screens. In Hyde Park, the majority of Craftsman bungalows were built in the 1920s, but those built in the 1910s typically featured more ornamental and distinctive detailing, according to the Hyde Park Historic District National Register nomination. The 4310 Avenue H house is not only significant as an excellent example of a Craftsman bungalow, but also significant in the fact that it was designed by Dr. Francis Whitney. Reflective of Dr. Whitney, who was not an architect, and his ingenuity, the house design reflects both popular architectural trends of the period while incorporating design elements personal to him. The one-story house is clad in original wood siding and topped with a metal-clad, front-gabled roof with wide eaves, decorative brackets, and exposed roof rafters characteristic of the Craftsman style. The house’s wood-shingle-clad foundation skirting, visible on the sides of the house, appears to be original. Other Craftsman character-defining features of the house include its full-width front porch with original wood flooring and original brick and tapered wood columns. The house’s symmetrical front fenestration features a set of windows on either side of the centered door comprised of a broad center window with narrow windows on either side. Twelve-over-twelve light transoms top each set of windows. A smaller ten-over-ten light window is located in the gable end of the roof. The single-door opening features similar 18-light symmetrical sidelites on both sides. The fenestration patterns and wood-framed windows are original. The front door was replaced but is compatible. The front façade fenestration design was, according to Dr. Marion Whitney, “very original with him [Dr. Francis Whitney]. I remember that he said he had never seen the window design for the front door. It was his own. It was perhaps 25 years after the house was built before any of us ever saw that design repeated. It ultimately became fairly common.”36 34 Austin American Statesman, November 8, 2008, 21. 35 Austin American Statesman, November 8, 2008, 21. 36 Dr. Marion Whitney, “The Home of Francis Luther Whitney,” Provided by Holly Tachovsky. Adopted December 2012 F-12 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet The sides of the house have original double-hung and fixed, wood windows. The rear addition of the house is clad in wood siding and features non-historic-age metal windows and doors. A covered wood deck connects the rear of the house and the detached garage apartment to the rear. Overall, the house retains excellent integrity. The largest alteration to the house is the 1976 two-story rear addition. Due to its placement more than 15 feet from the front wall, the addition is minimally visible from the street and complies with Citywide design standards and integrity thresholds for landmarks. At some point, the historic rear sleeping porch was enclosed. This alteration caused minimal changes to the fenestration to the rear of the side facades—such as the replacement of the western-most double hung window on the north façade by a wood-sided slider window—that are not visible from the street. The rear of the building that was once the sleeping porch now has non-historic sliding glass doors and a long casement picture window but is not visible from the street. Based on historic photographs, it is believed that the house historically had a metal roof, and the current metal-clad roof is compatible. The original garage was also demolished and replaced with the current two-story garage apartment. Built between 1976 and 1984, the garage apartment is not attached to the house, but it is connected via a covered deck. Clad in wood-siding and compatible in scale to historic-age garage apartments in Hyde Park, this alteration only minimally detracts from the property’s integrity. Even with the rear addition and new garage apartment, the house retains its integrity of design, form, materials, and craftsmanship. Other changes to the house are minimal and compatible and include the replacement of the front door. Adopted December 2012 F-13  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Attachment A Historical Documentation to Supplement Section F Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 1  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Attachment A-1: Supplement for Section F.1 – Deed Chronology Figure A1-1. 1921 release of mechanic’s lien, vol. 328, page 68. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 2  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Attachment A-2: Supplement for Section F.3 – Biographical Data Key biographical documents for significant occupants are compiled below. Figure A2-1. “Francis Luther Whitney in his lab at the University of Texas, about 1909 or 1910. Austin, Texas” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 3 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-2. “Francis Luther Whitney, about 1908. Probably in Akron, Ohio. Photo by Grace Whitney.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 4 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-3. “A 10’ camera, made by Francis Whitney at the University of Texas for photographing microfossils. Photo by Francis Whitney.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 5  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-4. “Francis Whitney and Marion Whitney, about 1918. At 4310 Avenue H, Austin, Tx. Photo by Grace Whitney.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 6 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-5. 1994 Letter by Marion Whitney to then owner of 4310 Avenue H, Sidney G Hall III. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 7 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 8 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 9 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 10 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 11 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 12 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-6. Typed Information on 4310 Avenue H by Marion Whitney, likely accompanied by letter to Sidney G. Hall III in 1994. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 13 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 14 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 15 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 16 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-7. 1954 Article “Fathered Paleontology” by Helen Betty for the University of Texas at Austin official newspaper, the Daily Texan. Source: Austin History Center. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 17 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-8. Article “Centexas Geological Study Aid Assured.” Source: Austin History Center. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 18 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-9. 1962 Austin-Statesman and Daily Texan Obituaries for Dr. Francis L. Whitney and Grace Whitney. Source: Austin History Center. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 19 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A2-10. 1962 Austin-Statesman Article “Retired UT Geology Prof Dies” on Dr. Francis Luther Whitney. Source: Austin History Center. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 20 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Attachment A-3: Supplement for Section F.7 – Historical Photo Reproductions Historic photos of 4310 Avenue H located to date are reproduced below. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 21 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A3-1. “F.L. Whitney house, built 1915, front facade. Photo by Francis Whitney, about 1916. 4310 Avenue H, Austin, Texas.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 22  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A3-2. “F.L. Whitney house, built 1915, north side. Photo by Francis Whitney, about 1916. 4310 Avenue H, Austin, Texas.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Onwer/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 23 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A3-3: “F.L. Whitney house, built 1915, south side. Marion Whitney, about 5 years old. The large, leafed plant is caster bean. Photo made about 1916 by F.L. Whitney. 4310 Avenue H, Austin, Texas.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Onwer/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 24 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A3-4: “The F.L. Whitney house, about 1920, showing window detail and Marion Whitney. Photo by Francis Whitney. 4310 Avenue H, Austin, Texas.” Caption written by Marion Whitney. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 25 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet 1 2 Attachment A-4: Supplement for Section F.8 – Site Plan Figure A4-1. Dimensioned site plan, dated January 6, 2015, 4310 Avenue H. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client 3 Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 26 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Attachment A-5: Supplement for Section F.9 – Historical Documentation Figure A5-1. Original plat for Hyde Park Addition, 1891. Source: Travis County Clerk. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 27 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A5-2. City of Austin work permit record for 4310 Avenue H, 1976. Source: Austin History Center. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 28 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A5-3. City of Austin work permit record for 4310 Avenue H, 1976. Source: Austin History Center. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 29 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A5-4. Original floor plan of 4310 Avenue H. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client. Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 30 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Figure A5-5. Current floor plan of 4310 Avenue H. Source: Holly Tachovsky, Property Owner/Client Adopted December 2012 Attachment A | Page 31 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Attachment B Color Photographs Adopted December 2012 Attachment B | Page 1 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet 4310 Avenue H Austin, TX 78751 April and July 2024* *Photos reflect the current condition and appearance of the residence Photo 1. Primary façade, from across the street, camera facing west, 4310 Avenue H. Photo by HHM, July 2024 Adopted December 2012 Attachment B | Page 2 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Photo 2. Primary façade, from the end of the front walkway camera facing west, 4310 Avenue H. Photo by HHM, April 2024 Adopted December 2012 Attachment B | Page 3 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Photo 3. Detail of south end of primary façade, camera facing southwest, 4310 Avenue H. Photo by HHM, April 2024. Adopted December 2012 Attachment B | Page 4 City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Photo 4. Detail of north end of primary façade, camera facing northwest, 4310 Avenue H. Photo by HHM, April 2024. Adopted December 2012 Attachment B | Page 5  City of Austin - Historic Preservation Office Historic Zoning Application Packet Photo 5. Oblique view of the north side façade, camera facing southeast, 4310 Avenue H. Photo by HHM, April 2024. Adopted December 2012 Attachment B | Page 6