Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on the Request by Mruthyunjaya Shastry and Vijayshree Hiremath for Approval of a Historic Marker for the House Located at 502 North Kentucky Street
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in McKinney
MEETING DATE: March 5, 2020
DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT: Guy R. Giersch, Historic Preservation Officer
Mark Doty, Assistant Director of Planning
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff is recommending approval of a Historic Marker for 502 North Kentucky Street.
PRIORITY RATING: The property is listed as a high priority building according to the 2015 Update of the Historic Resource Survey. A high priority building contributes significantly to local history or broader historical patterns; is an outstanding or unique example of architecture, engineering or crafted design; retains a significant portion of its original character and contextual integrity; meets in some cases, criteria for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and/or is eligible for a Texas Historical Marker.
ITEM SUMMARY: On February 15, 2020, the applicant submitted the necessary documentation to apply for a Historic Marker for the house located at 502 North Kentucky Street known as the Wilson House.
The purpose of the Historic Marker Program is to encourage owners of historic properties to become actively involved in the preservation of McKinney’s historic past through the recognition of historic events, people, and architecture. The applicant has submitted a written narrative relating the history of the various families that have owned the property or resided at 502 North Kentucky Street and the role they played in McKinney’s history.
The Wilson House was built in 1897. It is an example of a Folk Victorian home which was popular in the late 1800 early 1900’s. The house started out as a single-story wood frame house constructed on a pier and beam foundation. Around 1920, a room was added to make the house a 1 ½ story home. The house has gable roofs. The front and side facing gables had fish-scale shingles in the gables. The house is fenestrated using one-over-one sashes. The house is covered with wood lap siding. The front porch extends approximately two thirds of the way from right to left across the front of the house and by 1920 the house had a porch added to the rear of the house. There is a small, shed dormer located on the front of the house that was added by 1923 in order to take advantage of the space in the attic and that portion of the house was enlarged to be a 1 ½ story home and in 1927, a two-story addition was added to the south east side of the house.
Historical Figures Associated with the House:
Thomas Benton “Tom or TB” Wilson (1840 - 1913)
Tom (TB) Wilson was born in Tennessee and moved to Collin County with his parents in 1849. He had little education; however, over time he became proficient in mathematics and surveying. In 1870, Tom was appointed to be the county surveyor of Collin County by Governor E. J. Davis. Later, Tom was elected to the position of county surveyor five times, a position he would serve in until 1882.
Tom Wilson served in the Confederate Army until he was medically discharged. He served as a deputy sheriff in 1869 under his brother George.
Tom Wilson worked with his two brothers farming, raising stock, and freighting.
In 1892, Tom Wilson along with 13 other original stockholders joined to form Collin County National Bank.
In 1908, he owned 5,000 acres of land and offered 460 acres to the State of Texas as a site for an A&M college. The college ended up being constructed in Lubbock and not in McKinney.
Henrietta Estes “Etta” Wilson (1856 - 1936)
Etta Wilson was born in White’s Grove, approximately 4 miles SW of McKinney. She married Tom Wilson in 1883. They had a son, Add G. Wilson, who would serve as a McKinney City Commissioner and a president of the Central State Bank.
Etta Wilson was actively involved as a member of the First Methodist Church.
Etta Wilson lived in the house from 1923-1936.
Other individuals associated with the Wilson House:
William Ernest “W. E.” Ditto: (1864 - 1929)
W. E. Ditto was born in 1862 in Kentucky. He became one of McKinney’s most prominent merchants and businessmen.
In 1882, W. E. Ditto moved to McKinney. Four years later, he relocated to Fort Worth for a year. Then he moved back to McKinney to work with Henry Lewis in the grocery business where he worked for nearly 40 years.
W. E. Ditto was a businessman as well. He invested in real estate, farmed, raised livestock, and represented the Federal Land Bank of Houston.
History of the Wilson House:
The Wilson House is built on land referred to as “the Original Donation”.
The Original Donation is the 120 acres of land donated by William Davis for the creation for the town of McKinney.
The house was built by James H. Ball in 1892. Members of the Ball family lived there until 1915.
In 1915, Ball sold the house to William Ernest Ditto, who in turn sold the house to H.H. Bass, who sold it to the J. Frank Smith, and H.H. Bass reacquired the land, and sold it to The Wilson’s.
Because of the proximity of the house to the Downtown Square, the house was a very desirable rental property.
ASSESSMENT: Staff believes that the applicant has met all the requirements to obtain a Historic Marker under the Historic Neighborhood Improvement Zone Program (Ordinance 2015-12-105). Staff is recommending approval of a Historic Marker for 502 North Church Street.
Under Ordinance 2015-12-105, if the HPAB approves the Historic Marker, the applicant will be responsible for purchasing and displaying the Historic Marker.
Also, under Ordinance 2015-12-105, if the Historic Preservation Advisory Board approves the Historic Marker, the applicant may make application for a Level 1 tax exemption (100% exemption of the City’s ad valorem taxes for a period of 7 years) providing the building has architectural integrity and has been properly rehabilitated/restored and maintained. The building must have a residential use in order to qualify for the tax exemption.