OWANA 2010 Steering Committee Nominees

This fall, the OWANA Nominating Committee was chaired by Linda MacNeilage and included members Bev Brooks, Rosemary Merrian, Kay Hart and Jean Stevens.

The new nominees for the 2010 Steering Committee are:

• Mary Chris Crawford,
• Kay Hart,
• Veryan Thompson, and
• Marjorie Hook.

Current Steering Committee members who wish to be nominees for the 2010 Steering Committee are:

• Beverly Brooks,
• Christine Buendel,
• Tracen Gardner,
• Sara Kennedy,
• Linda MacNeilage,
• Maureen Metteaur,
• Richard McCown,
• Laura Porcaro,
• Chritopher Rankin, and
• Paul Seals.

Additional nominations can be made from the floor at the General Membership meeting on Tuesday, December 1.

West Austin Park & Pool Update

OWANA members and neighborhood residents have worked together with the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department (PARD) over the last few months in order to plan improvements for the West Austin Park and Pool.

In addition to all of these plans, the OWANA Parks Subcommittee continues to develop a strategic plan for both West Austin and Mary Baylor Parks.

Tennis Court

At the November Steering Committee meeting, the Steering Committee voted unanimously to support the PARD proposal to remove the tennis court and surrounding fence. PARD will replace the tennis court with either dirt, grass, or crushed gravel and a fence will remain in areas where the drop is 18” or more in height. All this will be done without the need of a financial contribution by OWANA.

Swimming Pool

Also at the November meeting, the Steering Committee voted unanimously to support the PARD proposal for West Austin Park pool as shown in the PARD proposal drawing

The OWANA Parks Committee will continue to work with PARD to provide additional neighborhood input for final design for the pool.

Shade Structures & Landscaping

Finally, a motion passed unanimously that instructed the OWANA Parks Committee to work with PARD to reach an agreement for the design, budget, and construction of a shade structure and additional landscaping near the West Austin Park pool, to be paid for with OWANA funds.

The December General Meeting will include a presentation about the plans for West Austin Park and a vote concerning approval by the OWANA general membership to proceed with these improvements financed by OWANA funds.

The history of two more of the houses on the Heritage Socitey of Austin’s 2009 Homes Tour. Thank you to The Heritage Society and Marty Moulthrop for their permission to rewrite portions of these articles in the OWANA Owl.

Simmons-Glaser House
1112 West Tenth St.
c.1903

The land on which this home sits was part of the 1848 Raymond Tract; it subsequently was divided and subdivided by Charles H. Silliman and W. O. Hutchison. The owners have been unable to find any records of the actual date of construction or the identity of the builder; however, City Directory listings show that the first owner was attorney David E. Simmons and his wife Virgilia in 1903. After a succession of owners the house was acquired in 1913 by Samuel Adolph Glaser, who was an Austrian immigrant and a self-taught barber. He and his wife, Emma, and two children resided here for over 20 years. Emma ran a florist business from the house, aided by her son. Samuel was also a volunteer fireman and was known to be one of the finest musicians in the Protection Hose Company’s band, and other local bands as well. He was a well-known barber and either owned or was associated with many barber shops in the city, including the first one at Camp Mabry. In 1937 Glaser lost the house in foreclosure. According to his daughter-in-law, he was more inclined to spend money on his shops than pay his mortgage. The house was owned and occupied from 1946 to 1973 by two sisters, after which it became a rental. It may have been during this time that it was made into a duplex.

When the present owners purchased it in 1995, they found that the house was no longer a duplex, but individual rooms were still rented out. They returned it to a single-family residence and opened the passageway from the downstairs hall into the dining room, as it had been originally. The original footprint of the structure had been altered by a previous owner with the addition of a one-story kitchen in the rear. Standing in the kitchen, one sees the original stone outer wall of the house, which is now the south wall of the kitchen. The present owners added a second story to this addition in 1996, creating two bedrooms and a bathroom. More recently, the kitchen has been remodeled, as have the master bedroom and bath.

Stylistically, The Simmons-Glaser House can be labeled Second Empire, due to its prominent mansard roof. The house retains various original features, such as longleaf pine floors, the stone wall in the kitchen and den, transoms over the exterior doors, and woodwork in the original rooms downstairs. The owners believe that the two front doors may be original, as well.

Although modified to accommodate life in the 21st century, this unique home has kept its vintage charm and character. Hats off to the owners!

McBride-Knudsen House
1109 West 10th St.
c.1896

Nick Dawson was a Pennsylvanian who came to Austin in 1851 and became a builder, contractor and real estate agent. He was an organizer and early member of the Austin Home Builders Association. He built stone houses in South Austin, as well as similar houses here in the Castle Hill area. Dawson acquired this lot in 1896 with the intent to build a one-story stone residence on it; he sold it to Douglas McBride a few months later. McBride, a messenger with Wells Fargo and Company, owned the house until 1902. Several years later it was purchased by painter and paper-hanger Rasmus Knudsen and the house was to remain in the Knudsen family from 1907 to 1985. For most of these years the home was a rental, and housed a succession of students, State workers, a lawyer, an optician, writers, clerks, meat packers, and teachers.

The McBride-Knudsen House has not been altered externally compared to similar stone homes in the neighborhood. A glance at old photographs shows that roof lines, windows, doors and even porch details look much the same. Original features inside include woodwork, floors and most windows. In the late 1990s, a previous owner enclosed the rear porch, using wood siding and paint colors to match a previous addition. At that time all the trim was painted using historical colors. The kitchen has also been renovated; however, the owner believes that the corner cabinet is original to the house. The interior has been repainted using period colors.