Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on the Request by David Hampton for Approval to Receive a Historic Marker for the House Located at 705 North College Street
Summary
MEETING DATE: February 6, 2014
DEPARTMENT: Planning Department
CONTACT: Guy R. Giersch, Historic Preservation Officer
Jennifer Arnold, Planning Manager
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff is recommending approval of a historic marker for 705 North College Street.
PRIORITY RATING: The property is listed as a high priority building according to the 1985 Historic Resource Survey. High priority buildings contribute significantly to local history or broader historical pattern. They are an outstanding or unique example of architecture, engineering or crafted design; retain a significant portion of original character and contextual integrity.
ITEM SUMMARY: On January 21, 2014, the applicant submitted the necessary documentation to apply for a Historic Marker for the house located at 705 North College (also known as the Judge H. L. Davis House). The house is listed as a National Register Property and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
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 705 North College Street and the role they played in McKinney's history.
The Judge H. L. Davis House, believed to have been designed by J. E. Flanders, a noted Dallas architect, was constructed in 1905 according to the Hardy - Heck - Moore Historical Assets Survey of 1985. A Sanborn map dating back to 1897 indicates a house at this location prior to 1905. However, the footprint of the house on the 1897 and 1902 Sanborn Maps is more typical of a Folk Victorian style house, while the footprint shown on a 1908 Sanborn Map is more typical of the Prairie Style/American Foursquare house that stands on this location today. Therefore, it is believed that the house was remodeled, removed, or replaced by a new house sometime between 1897 and 1908. Unfortunately, the Sanborn's don't provide information that can help us answer this question as to which of these events has taken place.
The Davis House is a blend of the American Foursquare with a Prairie Style two-story wood-frame dwelling sheathed in wood weatherboard siding constructed on an asymmetrical plan. The house has large, one-over-one double hung windows along with a single front door with sidelights typical of the Prairie style. The five bay front porch is battered and covered with a hip roof that is supported with fluted composite columns. There are also, two original brick fireplaces with chimneys. The most distinctive feature is the "Sullivanesque" frieze located beneath the eaves of the house. It is made of horsehair and plaster and the design is based on floral motifs that are organized in a manner closely resembling the Irish interlace of the early Middle Ages. This style of frieze is named after the world famous architect Louis Sullivan (1856 - 1924). It is documented that J.E. Flanders used this motif on at least two other houses in McKinney, including the Heard-Craig house.
The house has been well maintained over the years and the exterior of the house appears to be essentially unaltered since the 1950's when a breezeway between the garage and house was enclosed. The footprint of the house has remained unchanged on the Sanborn maps since 1908.
H.L. Davis was born October 8, 1861 in Howe, Texas. He attended Savoy College for his undergraduate degree and went to law school at the University of Texas. After graduating from UT he returned to the area and married Emma Umphress in Van Alstyne on September 12, 1886. In 1887 he moved to McKinney and opened a law practice.
For the next 60 plus years, H.L. Davis practiced law in McKinney. He served as District Attorney for 10 years and in 1910 he became a County Judge and served six years. Under his tenure, the first all-weather roads were constructed in Collin County.
Judge Davis was very active in his community. He was a Mason and taught bible classes for 35 years at the First Christian Church in McKinney. He lived in the house until his death on July 4, 1956 at the age of 95.
Judge Davis and his wife Emma had three children; two boys, Don O. and J. Lyman, and a daughter, Carrie Jean. J. Lyman started his career managing numerous Davis family farms. He eventually struck out on his own and landed in Arizona in the lumber business.
Don O. Davis graduated from Texas A&M University in 1911. After graduation he moved back to McKinney and served as a Collin County Commissioner for 12 years. He then served as McKinney's postmaster for over 25 years.
Carrie Jean, Emma and H.L. Davis' daughter, inherited the home in 1956 after her father's death. She lived in the house over 70 years. She never married and taught sixth grade students for over thirty years as well as music and dance.
Beginning in 1897 until 1978, three generations of the Davis Family have lived at 705 North College Street.
ASSESSMENT: Staff believes that the applicant has met all of the requirements to obtain a Historic Marker under the Historic Neighborhood Improvement Zone Program (Ordinance 2013-11-110). Therefore, Staff is recommending approval of a Historic Marker for 705 North College Street.
Under Ordinance 2013-11-110, if the HPAB approves the Marker, the applicant will be responsible for purchasing and displaying the Historic Marker.
Also, under Ordinance 2013-11-110, if the HPAB approves the 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.