After its fourth public hearing, the Clarksville storybook house remains a point of contention between owner, commission and the Clarksville Community Development Corporation. Priscilla Glover, the owner of 1002 Charlotte St., told the commissioners at their Nov. 19 meeting, “I have heard your comments on the design of my house. I’m not changing it.” She […]
Preservation
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Property owners who forfeit landmark status will have to pay more
Owning a property that has been designated a historic landmark has its benefits and its drawbacks. The city of Austin, Travis County and the Austin Independent School District all offer hefty property tax exemptions for landmark properties – with the expectation that the property owner will take certain measures to maintain the structure’s historic character. […]
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Hillside Farmacy recommended for historical designation
There are buildings in this city for which historical zoning is a no-brainer. One of these properties is the Hillside Farmacy at 1209 E. 11th St. The application for this zoning change was presented to the Historic Landmark Commission along with a lengthy history as to the importance of the building to the East Austin […]
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Storybook house remains a looming castle in Clarksville’s imagination
Despite three hearings at the Historic Landmark Commission and repeated attempts by the Clarksville Community Development Corporation to persuade Priscilla Glover, the owner of 1002 Charlotte St., that her proposed home design would not contribute to the character of the neighborhood, the applicant insisted that she had the right to build whatever structure she wished. […]
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Historic building could be renamed after freed slave Rev. Jacob Fontaine
At their most recent meeting, Planning commissioners were briefed on a proposed name change of a historic building at 2402 San Gabriel St. near the University of Texas. The building was most recently known as home to Freedmen’s barbecue restaurant, but the building has served many purposes since it was built in 1870. The Historic […]
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An East Austin family unites to fight against historical designation for their home
Sometimes, despite their home’s historical ties, a family still believes it is time to sell it to a developer. One such example is a small 19th-century Victorian folk-style home at 1705 East Sixth St. It is one of the few buildings in the area still inhabited by a family, while the majority of the surrounding properties […]
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Council denies West Austin historic zoning
A divided City Council declined last week to zone a West Austin house as historic, but the owners have agreed to renovate the house in Italian Renaissance Revival style, so that it satisfies them as well as the neighborhood and the city’s historic preservation officer. Jay Riskind, who with his wife owns the Bryson-Krueger-Critz House […]
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Developer envisions 700-unit student apartment that wraps around historic Kenney House
A developer seeking to build a 700-unit, 17-story apartment building targeting students on West 22nd Street can’t proceed with the project unless City Council agrees to remove historic zoning from part of an adjacent property, known as the Kenney House. Developer Mike McHone is asking for the city to remove the historic zoning not from […]
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Temporary art project for Schneider Store building met with tepid enthusiasm
The J.P. Schneider Store building is the new target of an art installation called Inside Out/Vote intended to encourage voter participation and registration through reimagining civic engagement and unleashing the voice of America’s youth through art. Brought to the Sept. 24 meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission by artist Gabriel Rodriguez, who is working with […]
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A storybook-inspired home is not a fairy-tale ending for Clarksville neighbors
Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes a desire for architectural continuity within a neighborhood trumps the desires of a homeowner. At 1002 Charlotte St. in the Clarksville neighborhood, there is a small one-story home built in the minimal traditional style of the mid-20th century whose future is uncertain. Those who […]
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City estimate: Preserving Montopolis Negro School would cost $5.7M
The city of Austin is beginning the process of using eminent domain to seize the 1-acre plot at 500 Montopolis Ave., home of an 83-year-old building that was once the Montopolis Negro School. The structure is a rare vestige of the system of “Rural Negro Schools” operated by Travis County prior to desegregation. In June, […]
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Despite owners’ wishes, historic zoning advances
Staff won a preliminary victory in its quest to zone a 1923 West Austin house historic against the owners’ wishes last week. The City Council vote was 6-3, but with two members off the dais and not voting, the final decision remains very much in doubt. Council members Greg Casar and Delia Garza were absent […]