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Restoration Plans
Austin historic preservation consultant Gregory Free leads a guided tour for Humanities Texas board members and other invited guests in October 2007
Restoration of the Byrne-Reed House will return the structure to its original historical appearance while making it safe, efficient, and accessible for staff and visitors.
Photographs document some exterior changes in the previous years; a sleeping porch along the southernmost side of the house was extended to encompass all of the terrace, and striped canvas awnings were added to shade the second story windows along the front of the building. In the conversion from residence to office, a maze of small rooms replaced the large interior spaces, and throughout the building, drop ceilings and acoustical tile have hid from view a vaulted vestibule, gracious molding, and other architectural features.
The most dramatic change occurred around 1970, however, when a new owner enclosed the porches and terraces and entombed the entire exterior structure in white stucco. While the resulting appearance is considerably different from the circa-1906 house, glimpses throughout the building confirm that much of the original structure and detailing remains underneath the modern sheathing.
The restoration will involve removing the current 1970s-style white stucco façade to reveal the original exterior structure, updating all mechanical systems, restoring the circa-1906 first floor layout, and housing staff offices on the upper floors while re-creating as much of the original floor plan as feasible. The versatile public space on the first floor will include a 600-square-foot meeting room with seating for groups of seventy-five or more and galleries in which, for the first time, Humanities Texas can host on-site programs and provide a venue for other organizations’ regular events.
Humanities Texas will undertake a restoration that minimizes the environmental impact of daily operations. Staff are researching the requirements for achieving a rating through Austin’s Green Building Program and/or the international Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System Existing Building program.
A thoughtful, sustainable restoration will transform the building into a more functional space for Humanities Texas, while restoring to the capital city a forgotten architectural treasure.
Many original architectural features remain intact under the façade or above the acoustical tiles. The arch that once graced the entrance from Rio Grande Street now bisects a first floor conference room; a curved bookcase embedded into the room’s wall marks the location of the side arch that signaled the transition to the east porch. In the reception area, lifting the acoustical tiles shows that the ceiling molding visible in the current front entrance actually extends approximately forty-five feet. Not only do most first floor arches remain, at least several windows on the second and third stories survive intact—including a leaded glass window overlooking what once was the east terrace. Glimpses above the existing lay-in ceiling and from inside closets reveal door and window frames of the original house throughout every room on the first and second floors, providing visible evidence of the original interior and exterior layout.
Watercolor by Gregory Free & Associates