Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-HC DATE: December 10, 2007 TO: Historic Landmark Commission FROM: Stephen C. Richardson, Planning Manager SUBJECT: Request for an HC-L (Historic-Cultural Landmark Preservation Designation) at 1315 Calder. FILE: 52-HC STAFF REPORT The Planning Manager recommends approval. Gregory Riley has applied for an HC-L (Historic-Cultural Landmark Preservation Designation) for his house at 1315 Calder. Mr. Riley recently purchased this property. He states that the property is to be restored to exacting historical standards with an eye toward A adaptive re-use @. The 3,887 sq. ft. house was completed in 1895 by capitalist Iradell Drew Polk. Mr. Polk was an early Beaumont booster with interests in fledgling businesses that would become some of the areas most important. These businesses included real estate, timber, oil and public utilities. Mr. Polk was a confidant of Patillo Higgins and a neighbor and friend of W.P.H. McFaddin. The original W.P.H. McFaddin home was directly across from the subject property. Itasca A Tassie @ Polk and Mamie McFaddin were lifelong friends. The house is an eclectic mix of Victorian and Beaux-Arts colonial. The house is one of the oldest remaining structures on Calder. Mr. Riley states that the house was remodeled in 1928 and was owned by the Polk family until approximately 1970. Most of the original architectural details intact including four masonry fireplaces. The house includes a formal parlor, library, five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The landscape was designed by the noted landscaper Ralph Edward Gunn. The Gunn landscaping is in a traditional southern style. Mr. Riley states that most of the original plantings will be reused in a modern interpretation of the Gunn theme. The house will be restored to the 1928 iteration. The 1928 remodel shows many similarities to the Beaux-Arts colonial McFaddin/Ward House. Similar elements include the wrap-around porch with Corinthian columns, upstairs veranda with railings and rooftop widows walk. Much of the exterior millwork is also very similar to McFaddin/Ward. Exhibits are attached.