Days after City Council adopted the East Austin Historic Resources study in December, the Historic Landmark Commission sent an east side home recommended for historic designation on its way to be demolished. The city’s Historic Preservation Office supported historic zoning for the Cherico-Franzetti-Arriaga House, which is located at 1403 E. Sixth St. It was recommended […]
Preservation
Posted inPreservation
County considers calls to preserve Montopolis Negro School building
A group of activists scurrying to preserve a segregation-era schoolhouse brought their case before the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. Led by East Austin advocates Fred McGhee and Susana Almanza, the group urged the court to help protect the Montopolis Negro School on Montopolis Drive just east of U.S. Highway 183. Austin Stowell of […]
Posted inPreservation
Midcentury modern demolition brings dysfunction to the fore at Historic Landmark Commission
Ideological tension at the Historic Landmark Commission bubbled to the surface Monday over the proposed demolition of a midcentury modern home built in the 1950s. Commissioners were evenly split on whether to release the demolition permit for the home at 2506 Great Oaks Parkway in a vote of 5-5. That vote prevented the demolition from […]
Posted inPreservation
Historic zoning debate reaches new heights at BoA
Are brand-new houses just as eligible for historic zoning as older homes? The answer may not surprise you: No, they are not. The fact that this question was the subject of a half-hour discussion at the Board of Adjustment, however, is worthy of notice. At the heart of the discussion was an unusual variance granted […]
Posted inPreservation
Survey finds a wealth of history in East Austin
At long last, the East Austin Historic Resources Survey is complete and ready for review. The survey covered the area of Austin east of Interstate 35, north of Lady Bird Lake, south of Manor Road and east of Pleasant Valley Road and the MetroRail line. Though some of the area was surveyed in 1984 and 2000, […]
Posted inPreservation
Council sacrifices Old West Austin building for park improvements
A fourplex in Old West Austin is likely to be demolished despite a push by Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo to save it in the name of historic preservation. A resolution put forward by Tovo to initiate historic zoning on the property at 1618 Palma Plaza failed, 3-8, with only City Council members Ora Houston […]
Posted inPreservation
Council debates building demolition in Old West Austin
City Council delayed a decision on a contentious historic preservation case Thursday after a property owner promised that he would not seek a permit to tear down the structure in the next week. Zach Armstrong, who is seeking to demolish a fourplex he owns at 1618 Palma Plaza in Old West Austin, assured Mayor Steve […]
Posted inPreservation
West Line bungalow to be demolished
After almost half-a-dozen trips to the Historic Landmark Commission, an Old West Austin house is officially beyond repair. The 1915 bungalow, which is located at 812 Theresa Ave., was known as the Anderson-Wattinger-Sucke-Naishtat House at the most recent meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission. In September, commissioners initiated historic zoning on the house, and at […]
Posted inPreservation
Proposal would revamp historic commission rules
Recent events at the Historic Landmark Commission – which resulted in the panel’s failure to act either to begin the historic zoning process for a property or to allow a demolition permit to move forward – have highlighted a need for change, according to Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo. Mayor Steve Adler agrees, but he […]
Posted inPreservation
Something ventured, ‘nothing’ gained at historic commission
At their most recent meeting, Historic Landmark commissioners “accomplished nothing” for a 1932 fourplex known as the Palma Plaza Apartment House. With only seven members present, commissioners were unable to garner an effective number of votes to move forward with historic zoning, release the demolition permit or even postpone the case. As a result, the […]
Posted inPreservation
Neon wrong kind of historic for Congress Avenue
At the most recent Historic Landmark Commission meeting, commissioners faced the question of when “historic” was, exactly. One of Austin’s most celebrated new restaurants provoked the question, by proposing installation of a sign that the owners said was historic, though commissioners unanimously agreed it was not the right kind of historic. In the end, commissioners […]
Posted inPreservation
Proposed preservation district hits a wall at Landmark Commission
The Historic Landmark Commission on Tuesday postponed action on recommending a historical district in Central Austin that scored significant support from its resident homeowners. The punt came at the end of a lengthy and contentious discussion among the commissioners, the homeowners requesting the designation and Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky. Roughly 20 residents and their […]