In a nutshell
During a June 10 meeting, Georgetown City Council members approved an appeal request from Chris Marble with architectural firm LRK to renovate and preserve an existing single story 1920s building at 817 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown.
Georgetown’s Historic and Architectural Review Commission previously denied a certificate of appropriateness for a street-facing facade alteration project March 24, citing the project’s noncompliance with maintaining building uniformity in the downtown overlay district. Additionally, some HARC members argued the renovation would not restore the storefront to its original design.
HARC reviews commercial and residential projects, additions, alterations and demolition requests within the downtown area, according to its website. Certificates of appropriateness are approvals issued by HARC to protect structures in Georgetown by ensuring a project conforms with the city’s design guideline and unified development code.
Public input
Resident Dani Babik said she supported HARC’s decision to reject the facade, and said the design is not appropriate for a building around the corner from the Williamson County Courthouse.
“In our genuine, small-town, charming and vibrant historic square, I feel this proposed facade is completely inappropriate,” Babik said. “Please help keep Georgetown historic and deny this appeal.”
HARC member Lawrence Romero said the view for people coming up South Austin Avenue from Hwy. 29 is not very attractive. Romero said he has no problem with the building’s design, and believes it’s important to make a change.
“If you look at that building, it is one of the most hideous buildings there,” Romero said.
The vote
After staff, applicant and community feedback, council members approved the applicant's appeal in a 6-1 vote, with newly elected District 3 council member Ben Butler voting against the motion.
Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Pitts said it’s “impossible” for applicants to fully comply with the city’s design guidelines, and said their compliance with 34 out of 37 design guidelines should be enough for the project to move forward. District 1 council member Amanda Parr agreed.
“I have a hard time denying a project that complies with a strong majority of the guidelines,” said Parr, who previously served on HARC.
Butler said the applicant's design proposal to expose the gable roof would make the building stand out “like a sore thumb” on the square.
“I do like what you did, it’s just in the wrong spot,” Butler said.
Why it matters
A redesign of the facade would expose the building’s current wood trusses, or beams, and reveal the property’s original double gable roof, a feature the site’s property owner Adam Starr called “unique." Starr said the building will be named the Gauthier Building, a nod to the family who owned the site the longest.
“It really excites me because there’s a historic story to be told here,” District 2 council member Shawn Hood said. “This was, for many years, a lumbar yard. Those trusses were probably sourced from that lumbar yard ... and for us to wall this back up and turn our backs on it, to me, would be inconsiderate.”
Hood’s motion to approve the appeal included an amendment for Starr to work with staff on a storefront plaque referencing the Lindell, Peterson & Co. Hardware and Implements store, which occupied the property in the early 1900s, according to city documents.
Once an applicant has received a certificate of appropriateness, they can apply for building permits, according to the city’s website.
Remember this?
The site’s two previous tenants—All Things New Florals and Design by Debra and Bella and Birdie Interiors—relocated from 817 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown, to inside Austin Lampworks on June 2, Community Impact previously reported.
