Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on the Request by Carey Glenney and Tim Zumwalt for Approval of a Historic Marker for the House Located at 510 North Church Street
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Direction for Strategic and Economic Growth
(1C: Provide a strong city economy by facilitating a balance between industrial, commercial, residential, and open space)
MEETING DATE: September 6, 2018
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 510 North Church 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 August 8, 2018 the applicant submitted the necessary documentation to apply for a historic marker for the house located at 510 North Church Street known as the Alice Taylor 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 510 North Church Street and the role they played in McKinney’s history.
The Alice Taylor House was built in 1922 by Andrew J. Martin, a local contractor. It is an example of the Craftsman Style Bungalow. This construction technique was popular from 1900 - 1930. The house is built on a rectangular plan as a one-story, pier and beam, wood-frame house covered with wood, lap siding. The porch extends across the front of the house and wraps the front of the house on the right elevation. The house is fenestrated with four-over-one windows. The front doors appear to be original. The eaves are supported by knee braces and the rafter tails are exposed, another common feature of the Craftsman Bungalow.
Historical Figures Associated with the House:
Alice Catherine (Barry) Taylor (1885-1955)
• Alice Catherine Barry was born near Van Alstyne in 1885. She was the daughter of Samuel M. Barry and Emily J. Greever. She taught piano and married Thomas J. Taylor, Jr. in 1903. They had three children. In 1914, Thomas was assigned to be the conductor of the Normal School in McKinney. During the summer the family traded 55 acres of land in Princeton for a house on North Church Street. They were not able to call Church Street home for two years due to job assignments elsewhere.
• In 1916, Thomas Taylor ran for the District Clerk’s position and won. They moved to Church Street. Unfortunately, after one month of taking office, Thomas died from an intestinal infection. Alice was left with three children and no means of income. She taught school when she could and picked cotton on the family farm.
• Alice, in a bold gesture ran for County Clerk in November 1918. She won the nomination and the election to become the Collin County Clerk in 1918. The irony was that the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, on a national level, would not pass until August 18, 1920. This made her the first woman to be elected to office in Collin County. She served four, two-year terms. She lost her fifth and final run in 1926.
• Alice continued to live in McKinney until she remarried in 1930. Alice died in 1955 and is buried in Fort Worth.
Andrew J. Martin (1872-1930)
• Andrew Martin was born in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1872. Martin, along with his family moved near McKinney. He grew up in the area known as Vineland. In 1895 Andrew married Lovie L. Wiseman and in 1900 they moved to McKinney. Andrew went to work for J. Perry Burrus at the Collin County Mill and Elevator Company as a carpenter.
• In 1910, Andrew quit the mill and partnered with W.L. Braswell to contract both commercial and residential construction projects. The two worked together until 1921 when he went out on his own.
• September 1930 Andrew Martin stepped on a nail while working on a barn for Dr. C.T. Lewis. He unfortunately contracted tetanus and died approximately one week later.
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 2015-12-105). Therefore, Staff is recommending approval of a Historic Marker for 510 North Church Street.
Under Ordinance 2015-12-105, if the HPAB approves the 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 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.