At Risk : 2 A.D. Stenger homes slated for demo
UPDATE: A huge thanks to everyone who submitted comments via the form below. On April 27th around around midnight I delivered over 200 of your comments to the historic landmark commission. In addition to myself Preservation Austin and concerned neighbors showed up to help fight to preserve a piece of Austin's history. I'm happy to report they have voted to initiate historic zoning on 1908 Airole. The hearing on 1000 Lund was postponed to May 18.
You can still fill out the form below with your comments, and I'll pass them along. It would also be wonderful if you would show you support in person by attending the meeting Monday May 18th at 7pm in the City Hall Council Chambers (301 W. 2nd Street).
The fights not over yet.
This week I learned that not one, but two homes designed and built by Austin mid century modern architect A. D. Stenger have requested demo permits from the city of Austin. The first, located at 1908 Airole Way and pictured above, may look familiar. That's because it was for sale just earlier this year. You can see my feature of it here. Clearly the big draw for the new owner was the .45 acres that the home sits on, and not the amazingly original mid century modern home. The crazy thing is that it even ended up selling for more than $100,000 over asking price! The home was originally built in 1950, making it one of the first Stenger homes to be built in Austin.
The second property that has requested a demo permit is located at 1000 Lund. It's a duplex that was originally built in 1957. It was actually sort of a big deal back in the day. As seen in the video below, it was featured at the Home Builders Home of the Month. I love the fanfare and class that went along with the open house. Man, those were the days.
Take Action!
The good news is that even though the homes have applied for a demo permit, they must pass through a historic review process, Monday April 27th at City Hall. This is where you can get involved. Here are all the details from our friends at Mid Tex Mod.
Mid Tex Mod STRONGLY encourages all those concerned by these potential losses to either attend and speak against demolition at Monday’s meeting or write letters to the Historic Landmark Commission and send them, in PDF form, to Senior Planner Beth Johnson at elizabeth.johnson@austintexas.gov by Friday April 24th (no later than 1pm). Your voice counts, Austin, so stand up for our MCM legacy and make it heard!
Again, these demolitions will be reviewed by the Historic Landmark Commission NEXT MONDAY, April 27! The meeting starts at 7pm in the City Hall Council Chambers (301 W. 2nd Street).
If writing a letter sounds too hard, feel free to just fill in the form below with your information and concerns, and I'll make sure I forward them in the proper format by tomorrow at 1:00. If you miss the 1:00 deadline, don't sweat it. I'll hand deliver any late submissions personally on Monday. Every little comment helps. Really.