Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on the Request by Nancy Powell for Approval of a Historic Marker for the Property Located at 401 W Hunt
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in McKinney
MEETING DATE: May 1, 2025
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Rayna Alam, Historic Preservation Planner I
Cassie Bumgarner, Planning Manager
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION:
• Staff recommends approval of this Historic Marker application.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• The applicant requests approval of a Historic Marker under the HNIZ Program for the property at 401 W Hunt, the Mary E. Jackson House.
• To be eligible for a historic marker under the HNIZ program, residential properties must meet the minimum eligibility requirements of the program and provide specific information with the historic marker application.
• Specifically, the applicant must provide the following with an application for a historic marker:
o A written documented history.
§ Included as an attachment with some historical information highlighted below.
o Verification that the building is a minimum of 50 years of age.
§ The property was built in 1929.
o Verification that the residential property is located within the HNIZ boundary.
§ 401 W Hunt is within the HNIZ boundary.
o Photo documentation of all four elevations using black and white or color photographs and copies of any available historic photographs.
§ Applicant has provided current and historic photographs of the home.
o Legal description of the property with a location map.
§ Included as an attachment.
o A site plan of the property shall be provided, if available.
§ Included as an attachment.
o Additional information as deemed necessary by the Director of Planning or their designee.
• Staff has reviewed the request and has found that it meets the minimum eligibility requirements of the HINZ program for a historic marker.
• The home is listed as a high priority building in the 2023 Historic Resources Survey. High Priority - 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.
Construction and alterations to the property:
• The Mary E Jackson House was built in 1929 and sits on the site previously occupied by the first brick residence built in McKinney. The Jackson House was built as a single-story, two-unit duplex.
• There were no known alterations to the house until 1975. Around that time and over the next several years stairs were added, the attic was finished out into living quarters, and the east side kitchen was enlarged.
• In 1984 repairs and updates included adding central air conditioning and enlarging the west side kitchen.
• In the 1990s the door connecting the two units was moved, and the water lines were replaced.
• In 2017 the hail damaged Vermont slate roof was replaced with Vermont slate, and the exterior wood columns were restored.
• In 2022, repairs were made to water-damaged oak floors in the east-side kitchen and a nearby bedroom.
History of the home and people associated with the property:
• The initial owner of the home, Mary E Jackson, contracted Abaldy R. Poole of Richardson to build the home in 1929.
• Mary E. Jackson was the wife of Walter B. Jackson, co-owner of the Ford dealership in McKinney during the 1910s. When he died in 1920 at the age of 46, she became the sole heir to his estate, including a filling station, a half-ownership in his Ford dealership, and two farms totaling 720 acres.
• The next owner was Mrs. Ethal Carr, who had been renting from Mary since 1934. Upon Mary Jackson’s death in 1958, Mrs. Carr purchased the home from Mary’s estate and lived there until her death in 1970. One month before the stock market crash of 1929, Mrs. Carr and her husband Isaac opened “Carr’s Apparel Shoppe” in the building that is now 111 West Virginia Street and the former office of former Texas Governor James W. Throckmorton. The store filed for bankruptcy in June of 1931, its inventory being sold to a Sherman businessman. Four months later Isaac and Ethel re-opened their store on the north side of the Square at 113 East Virginia. Mr. Carr died in 1934 and Ethel continued to own and manage the store for the next 36 years.
• The house has been owned by the current homeowner, Nancy Powell, since 1971.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The Historic Neighborhood Improvement Zone (HNIZ) Program was established in 2008 for the purpose of preserving the city’s unique and historic neighborhoods while encouraging property owners to maintain and/or rehabilitate residential properties and structures.
• The HNIZ Program includes a three-tiered incentive structure whereby residential properties that meet specified criteria are eligible to receive ad valorem tax exemptions on city taxes for a designated period.
• To be eligible for an HNIZ Program incentive, the following minimum general requirements apply:
o The property shall be located within the HNIZ Program area.
o The property shall be owner-occupied and shall maintain a homestead exemption from the Collin Central Appraisal District for the life of the incentive period.
o Verified, eligible improvements shall have received all necessary permits and approvals, including COAs.
o The structure, accessory structures, grounds, property elements and building elements with their materials and finishes have been maintained in good repair and in operable condition.
o There are no pending code violations.
o The total ad valorem taxes owed to the city must be current and paid on time.
• The historic marker is one of the requirements for the Marker Level incentive of the HNIZ program. This application does not award a tax exemption, but does allow for a future Historic Marker exemption on the property.
• Under Ordinance #2022-03-036, if the HPAB approves the Marker, the applicant will be responsible for purchasing and displaying the Historic Marker.