After a lively series of debates, Historic Landmark Commission members are making moves to halt the bulldozing of a century-old building at East 12th and Comal streets.
1500 E. 12th St. caused a stir this past July when owner Eureka Holdings, which holds a large swath of real estate along the 11th Street corridor, filed for a permit to demolish the vacant property. Now, landmark commissioners are hoping to swing the pendulum, voting unanimously last Wednesday to initiate the site’s historic zoning.
Though it has sat vacant for decades, 1500 E. 12th has played many parts in its 100 years of life, including neighborhood grocery, German-owned beer hall and live music destination in a bustling black entertainment district. Staff with the city’s Historic Preservation Office list the building’s enduring role in East Austin’s transformative 20th century and its proximity to the historically landmarked I.Q. Hurdle House among its arguments in support of the case.
“I’ve lived in Austin since 1945. … I attended and graduated from all segregated schools in a segregated East Austin, and before the building in question was closed, I would stop by periodically to listen to live music,” said former City Council Member Ora Houston in support of the motion. “This building has been a part of East Austin neighborhoods for my entire life, and longer than any of us have been alive.”
Eureka has proved a controversial steward of the building since purchasing it in 2016, accumulating numerous citations from code enforcement for failing to conduct basic maintenance. The developer says the tear-down would clear the way for a more productive use of the East Austin intersection, though they have released no plans for what would take its place.
With the Historic Landmark Commission’s blessing, the case will move to the Planning Commission before advancing to City Council, where it will need a supermajority vote to supersede the owner’s wishes. If successful, supporters say preservation offers a rare opportunity to reengage with the neighborhood’s historic fabric, which for decades has lost out to the whims of the real estate market.
“There’s no shortage of resources to make preservation economically viable and to reactivate the property’s street presence. If designated a landmark, the owner would qualify for property tax exemptions and could also apply for the city’s Heritage Tourism grant to rehabilitate the building worth up to $250,000,” said Megan King of Preservation Austin. “By preserving it, we can choose to define how the story of this building is told, and use it as a tool to invest in a better future for this very important East Austin block.”
Not all share this vision – in its months on the agenda, the case has provoked some among the neighborhood to share more unsavory memories of the building’s recent past, allegedly as home to habitual drug use and prostitution. Among those supporting the demolition, some are hoping to wipe the slate clean to make way for a more contemporary development project.
“As an architect, I feel like there’s a higher and better use for this corner that could bring jobs, multifamily housing, and office space that helps revitalize the neighborhood,” said Megan Slattery, president of the Davis-Thompson Neighborhood Association. “There’s another building not too far from here called the Giese-Stark building. It was a former grocery designated as historic in 2004, and it has been sitting in disrepair since. … What’s going to be different about this building?”
Still, others hope the former hub can age in place, with aspirations to usher in a new era of sustainable growth for 12th Street.
“I have had the opportunity to serve a nonprofit that is the steward of two historically landmarked buildings on East 11th. In both cases, they were boarded up and derelict buildings with checkered histories,” speaker Eric Sanridge said. “I invite you to visit both of them. The former Shorty’s Bar is now a beautiful and warm space for a woman-owned book store and wine bar, and the East Room, another questionable establishment, is now the Herman-Schieffer House and home of a dentist, two therapists and a community development corporation. … Preservation and adaptive uses are absolutely possible.”
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Historic Landmark Commission: The city’s Historic Landmark Commission promotes historic preservation of buildings and structures. The commission also reviews applications and permits for historic zoning and historic grants.
historic preservation: Official actions of a municipality such as the City of Austin taken to preserve structures with their jurisdiction. Preservation is often accompanied by a property tax exemption.
