Planners vote to preserve east side building despite developer opposition
Thursday, October 10, 2024 by
Madeline de Figueiredo The Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward on historic zoning for the building at 1500 East 12th St., which is estimated to have been built near the turn of the 20th century.
According to city documentation, over the building’s century-long history it was a neighborhood grocery store, the meeting place of Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, a German beer hall that survived the Prohibition era and a music venue. Last July, the property owner, Eureka Holdings, filed for a permit to demolish the vacant building, which sits at the corner of East 12th and Comal streets.
The Historic Landmark Commission stepped in last September to block the demolition, and this week the Planning Commission advanced historic zoning for the site despite the developer’s opposition.
“It is critical for us to preserve this (structure),” vice chair Awais Azhar said. “We do want to have a viability for doing other things on the site and utilizing things that can benefit the community, but also essentially preserve the structure itself and the historical significance it has within the fabric of that intersection.”
The 2016 East Austin Historic Resource Survey identified the property as eligible for local landmark designation due to its historical significance and community value.
“This building does represent a significant intersection that would be the cornerstone of being able to revitalize the East 12th Street corridor and specifically draw attention to the history and significance of the African American community in East Austin,” said Travis Holler, a board member of Preservation Austin.
“I implore the Planning Commission as well as other relevant city officials and departments to look very closely at the cultural, racial and historic ramification of the intentions, goals and message of destroying this property,” resident Nailah Akinyémi-Sankofa said.
Eureka Holdings has cited risks to health and safety — including noncompliance with the National Electric Code and the infeasible development of compliant sidewalks — as the driving need to demolish the building.
Since acquiring the building in 2016, Eureka has received a series of code violations for neglecting essential maintenance. Nick Sandlin, the authorized agent for the owner and engineer, said that to create a safe and compliant structure, demolition would be necessary.
“Keeping the existing zoning could enable this entire block to develop as one cohesive community-serving development. This would be the most equitable use of the development,” Sandlin said. “We feel there is a better way to honor the history than with a structure that is far past its prime.”
Commissioners Grayson Cox and Felicity Maxwell inquired about the intended use and plans for the development, but Sandlin said that the owner doesn’t currently have any plans for the property and that they filed the permit for demolition for “pure efficiency.”
While the Landmark Commission recommended historic zoning for the whole parcel, the Planning Commission voted to limit the zoning to the footprint of the original structure.
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