HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-05-09 City Council (4)TO:
City of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Summary Report
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: Planning and
Community Environment
MAY 9, 1996 CMR:258:96
Request for a Demolition Permit for a
Residence Located at 275 Lowell Avenue
REQUEST
This is an informational report and no Council action is required.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This is an informational item required by Section 16.49.070 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PANIC)
and no recommendations are included.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The receipt of a demolition application does not represent any change to existing policies.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The residence located at 275 Lowell Avenue is a Category 2 building on the Palo Alto Historic
Inventory. On April 20, 1996, the City received a demolition permit application for this residence.
The PAMC requires the demolition application be referred to the Historic Resources Board (HKB)
for review and possible recommendation to the Council. There is an automatic sixty day moratorium
on issuance of the demolition permit. Upon recommendation of the ~ or any interested person,
the Council may extend the moratorium for up to one year. The application will be reviewed by the
I-IRB on May 15, 1996.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact related to this report.
CMR:258:96 Page 1 of 2
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The application for demolition is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act.
ATTACHMENTS
Photographs
Demolition Application
Historic Inventory Listing
PREPARED BY: Fred Herman, Chief Building Official
DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW:
KENNETH R. SCHREIBER
Dirextor of Planning and
~unity
CITY MANAGER REVIEW:
FLEMING
Manager
co:Historic Resources Board
Leslie Murphy-Chutoriart, 151 Lowell Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Joe Bedell, 226 Lowell Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
CMR:258:96 Page 2 of 2
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State of California -- Tt’~ Re,=:)ur~ Aileron/
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY
UTM ,,,Q ............NR __ SILL__
Lat Lon Era__
Adm~ T2 T3 Cat~HABS~HAER~F~
.~NTIFICATION C&t,o TT
1. Common name:
2. Historic name, if known:Haehl Residence
3. Street or rural address 275 ~owe!l/!680 Bryant Street
City: Palo Alto ZIP:
1680~Las~’10 ~ .t~.a~i ~-~~~3~---
4. Present owner, if known: 279-Adolph ~nd .F~’}*.h ~’I 1 ~,, : ABdress:
City:
5.Present Use:
County:
Same
ZIP:Ownership is:
Residence Original Use: Residence
Santa Clara
Public []Private ~]
Other past uses:
DESCRIPTION
6.Briefly describe the present physical appearance of the site or structure and describe.any major alterations from its original
condition:
The two-story stucco building at 275 Lowell was originally joined to the prin-
cipa! building at 1680 Bryant to form a single family residence. A one-story
connecting wing was bulldozed in the mid-20th century creating two separate
houses. It is a~superb example, even in its mutilated state, of Thomas’ ability
to fuse Prairie Style, Secessionist, Craftsman and Pueblo Revival architectural
expressions.
7.Locational sketch map (draw and label site and
surrounding streets, roads, and prominent landmarks):
~NORTH
523 (Rev. 7/75)
8. Approximate property size:
Lot size (in feet) Frontage 150 ¯
Depth,150 ,.
or approx, acreage
9. condition: (check one)
a. Excellent [-"] b. Good [~c. Fair
~, d. Deteriorated E~ e. No longer in existence ~
107 Is the feature a. Altered? [~ b. Unaltered?
11.Surroundings: (Check more than one if necessary)
a. Open land [~ b. Scattered buildings [~
c. Densely built-up [--] d. Residential [~
e. Commercial ["-]f. Industrial D
g. Other E~
12.Threats to site:
a. None known [~ b. Private development
c. Zoning D d. Public Works project
e. Vandalism [] f. Other
~3. ~ ~f endo~ ~(d: 1978
275 Lowe.LL-.LO~U
7"E: The following (Items 14-18) are for structures only.
Pr=rnary exterior building material: a. Stone D b. Brick
f, Other [--’]
Is the structure: a. On its original site? [~ b. Moved?
Year of initial construction 1914 Thisdate is: a. Factual
Architect (if known): John Hudson Thomas
c. stu o r’,q d. ,’, obe !--I e. Wood
(Central portion of strut.
c. Unknown?[’] ture remeved-creating 2
b. Estimated []separate
houses,)
Builder(if known): ,, Ori~i/q&l builder not known; studio addition 19S6, Aro and,,,,,,(YKerman
Related features: a. Barn [~ b. Carriage house [~] = Outhouse r-] d. Shed(s)[
f. Windmill D g. Watertower/tankhouse [---] h. Other []
e. Formal garden(s) [~]
i. None I-X-]
Briefly state historical and/or architectural importance (include dates, events, and persons associated with the site when known):
This is a milestone design in the career of an important Bay Area designer,
John Hudson Thomas.
The original owners were Harry Lewis Haehl and wife Mary (Burrel). Haehl (1877-
1949) was a mining and civil engineer who, after taking his engineer degree from
Stanford in 1901, lived in Palo Alto until his death. He served on the board of
the city’s high school district until unification of the school system. In 1936,
the property was purchased by Frank J. ar~ E~gen~a (Jean) M. Frost, who divide~ it
and added a studio. Frost was a distinguished amateur musician and patron of music.
He was trai~ed as a =~L~Lng engineer who became treasurer of 3tar~ar~ OLI of New York
a~ vice-president of Guaranty ~st Co. Upon re~Lre=e~t to Dial, he e~tablished
Oj~i Valley School a~d the Dial FaAeic Festival i~ the ea~l~T 192Os. Moving to Wash- ~-
ing~, D.C., he fourv~ed the Natio~&l Sy=pho~ Orchestra ~nd Washi~g~o.n String Q~artet.
lhe F~osts came ~o Palo Alto in i~35, ar~ their ho~e a~d stu~io became a co~=~u~ity music
center. ~s. Frost was p~esident of the International Women’s League for a nu=ber of
years a~d, after her husb~d’s death in 1939, reta~ the house u~ti~-~he ear3j ’5Os. ***
Main theme of the historic resource: (Check only one): a, Architecture ~L~_.J b. Arts& Leisure L_J
c, Economic!Industrial [’-] d. Exploration/Settlement D e. Government [f. Military [~]
g. Religion ~ h. Social/Education [-"]
22 Sources: List books, documents, surveys, personal interviews, and their dates:
Bay Area Guide to Architecture
Palo Alto Historical Association .files
i 8 i ~1985 ~storic Hesources ,Board; P.A. Hist. Assn,23 Date form prepared:~~iBy (name):
Address:250 Hamilton Ave City Palo Alto, Ca 9~301 ZIP:
Phone:Organization:
(State Use Only)
*~ince then it has beel
Ballet, and his wife Edi~
was first occupied separ~
Charles J. (Jerry) Simps~
expert; .his San Francisc.
anted more than 200 B~y ¯
first Judge in ~dera Co~
Burbank plan the landsca’
leader in the Los Angelel
Simpsons from 1968 t~
an attorney in the law f~
the home of the internationally-known pianist, Adolmh
;h. ~he portion of the property at 1680 Bryant Stree~
~tely in l~A6 by W.S. Allen Jr., followed (1955-66) by
)n and his wife Venice. Simpson was a labor relations
firm, the Na$ional Labor Bureau, at one time repres-
~rea labor unions. His pioneer ancestors included the
~ty, a pioneer landscape architect who helped Luther
~Lug for early Los Au~eles, and (his father) a~ early
lumber and sash-and-door industry. Following the
the ’70s were Clayton O. and Tannlsee Rost; Rost was
rm of El3_iott Robertson and Rost.