Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on the Request by Owen Robert Mitchell for Approval to Receive a Historic Marker for the House Located at 608 West Hunt Street.
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in Downtown McKinney
MEETING DATE: August 6, 2015
DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT: Guy R. Giersch, Historic Preservation Officer
Matt Robinson, AICP, Planning Manager
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff is recommending approval of a historic marker for 608 West Hunt Street.
PRIORITY RATING: The property is listed as a high priority building according to the 1985 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 July 1, 2015, the applicant submitted the necessary documentation to apply for a Historic Marker for the house located at 608 West Hunt (also known as the Brooke-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 608 West Hunt Street and the role they played in McKinney’s history.
Constructed 1897, the Brooke-Wilson House was built by Higgins and Padgitt for William Thornton Brooke in 1897. The house is a Queen Anne Style, Victorian house with hipped roofs and cross gables. The two-story house is constructed using an irregular plan.
Both the east and south elevations have porches. The south porch wraps around to the east porch and the porches are supported by Doric columns. The upper story has a porch as well which is supported by Doric columns. The columns are part of the free classic Victorian vernacular.
The house today remains virtually unchanged. The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps do not indicate any changes to the footprint of the current house other than to the porches to their present locations today. The interior woodwork is original to the house and remains unpainted. The floors are wide pine and the original fireplaces and built-in cabinets still remain.
Historical Figures Associated with the House: (Condensed from applicants report.)
The original owner, William Thornton Brooke, was a successful retail businessman in McKinney and a successful banker in Frisco. He partnered with Charles Pike Heard (brother of John S. Heard) in the grocery and mercantile business for several years (“Heard and Brooke”). After working with I. D. Newsome’s Sons & Co., he was a partner with E. A. Newsome (“Newsome and Brooke”). When the First National bank of Frisco was sold to the Collin County National Bank of McKinney in 1904, Mr. Brooke moved to Frisco to direct the daily activities of that bank as cashier. Mr. Brooke’s wife, Lina “Brownie” Franklin Abernathy Brooke, came from a well-known family, many of whom moved to McKinney and became successful. Her grandfather, Meshack Franklin, served in the US Congress representing North Carolina from 1807 to 1815. Her brother William M. Abernathy was a McKinney lawyer who helped organize St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and was the first chief of the McKinney fire department. Another brother, G. E. Abernathy was a McKinney merchant. Another brother, M. G. Abernathy, was a five-term Collin County judge. One of the Brooke’s six daughters, Francis, married John Bailey Hill. John’s father, James Wootson (Woot) Hill, was the brother of Tuck Hill, and his cousins included Frank and Jesse James.
The second owner of this house, Burr Martin, was the purchasing agent for the Dallas-Sherman interurban. He then became claim agent of the Interurban. Eventually he moved to Dallas to become Vice President and General Manager of the Texas Electric Company which was the result of the merger of the Texas Traction Company and the Southern Traction Company. The merger extended the Interurban from Dennison on the north to Waco and Corsicana on the south.
The third owner of the home was F. Henry Hartzog, who was partner and manager of the Crouch-Hartzog Company which was located on the south side of the McKinney Square. The store was known as the largest store in Collin County. In 1913, Mr. Hartzog was elected founding President of the Retail Merchants’ Association of McKinney.
The fourth owner of the home was John Jonathon “Book” Wilson, who was a successful landowner. His father, George A. Wilson, came to Collin County in 1842 and he was a brother-in-law of Gov. J. W. Throckmorton. George served as sheriff of Collin County.
The fifth owner of the home was Melvin Fain, who was Vice President of architecture at T.G.I. Friday’s, Inc. He had the original concept for the design of 50 T.G.I. Friday’s stores nationally and 50 original Dave & Buster’s Centers internationally and his projects included Spoons Café in McKinney after he left Friday’s and became an independent architect.
The sixth owner of the home is Owen Robert Mitchell, great-great-grandson of J.B. and Nancy Wilmeth, a McKinney pioneer family arriving in 1846. J. B. Wilmeth helped pick the spot for the courthouse square, was a county judge, established the first school in McKinney, and established the first church In McKinney, which became the First Christian Church.
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 608 West Hunt 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.