Proposed Home Demolition Reignites Preservation Debate In East Austin

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- The proposed demolition of a historic East Austin home has reignited debate over preservation in a fast-gentrifying part of the city.

The Historic Preservation Office is supportive of securing a historic zoning designation for a home at 1112 E. Third St. that property owners seek to demolish. Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky last week voiced his recommendation based on the structure's architecture and its wordless conveyance of "...a very fascinatign story about the changes in East Austin," he said, as reported by the Austin Monitor.

The home has served as dwelling to a variety of residents illustrating demographic shifts in the neighborhood, the Austin Monitor writes, "...from middle-class Anglos to lower-class Anglos to residents of Mexican descent."

Sadowsky stated his case plainly: "This house has seen all of it. I think it's worth a little more consideration."

The Historic Landmark Commission agreed, voting 7-3 to begin the historic zoning process. Commissioners David Whitworth, Arif Panju and Alexander Papavasiliou cast the dissenting voters.

The owners of the property seek to demolish the home in order to build three separate homes on three adjacent lots, and a historic designation would prevent that from happening. For the time being, the property owners' plans are on hold as part of a "waiting period" that aims to prompt the owners to reconsider their plans.

Homeowner Paul Kim explained to the commission members that he and his friends plan to build their "dream houses" on the lots. One of the other homeowners, Angell Tsang, explained the three families have five children under the age of five among them, and they want them to grow up together.

“We know that it is hard for young families to get housing on the east side, mostly due to affordability," Tsang said. "I think everybody’s goal in Austin is just to have better density and more families in this area."

Amy Thompson, chair of the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Planning Team, offered alternatives to razing.

“I definitely sympathize with hopes and dreams for what you want to do with your property, but as preservationists on the East Side, we don’t really have the luxury of taking that at face value,” she said. “We’ve heard the exact same story so many times, by people who actually were just developing the properties for investments.”

Others agreed with her assessment, including commissioner Blake Tollet who said "good intentions can change overnight." Chair Mary Jo Galindo shared the sentiment: "I think it behooves us to be skeptical. I don't want to crush your dreams, but our charge is to consider historic preservation."

Panju took the opposite view: “People matter. To ignore the applicants and just look at the house does a disservice to the fact that we even have this process,” he said.

The proposed demolition comes against a backdrop of swift gentrification in East Austin that longtime residents fear is erasing the history of East Austin. Once a working-class enclave primarily populated by Latino families, East Austin has become trendy to new residents for whom developers are quick to provide luxury rental housing.