PRESENTER: Presenter
Katie Totman, HPO
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SUBJECT: Title
Case DM2026-0262: Discuss and consider local historic landmark eligibility and potential options for the property located at 533 North Houston Street in response to a demolition permit application.
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DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Community Planning
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 5
60-DAY REVIEW PERIOD DEADLINE: April 28, 2026
APPLICABLE CRITERIA:
Sec. 66-56. Criteria for the designation of historic landmarks and districts.
A historic landmark or district may be designated if it meets at least one of the following criteria:
(1) Possesses significance in history, architecture, archeology, or culture.
(2) Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local, regional, state, or national history.
(3) Is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
(4) Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.
(5) Represents the work of a master designer, builder, or craftsman.
(6) Represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood or city.
Sec. 66-60. Demolition and house move permit review for non-designated properties.
Applicability. The provisions of this section apply to any request to demolish or move any building, object, site, or structure that is not a historic landmark and is not located within a historic district. Please reference sections 66-57, 66-58 and 66-59 in this Code for the demolition and relocation process pertaining to historically designated properties.
(1) Initiation. All applications for permits to demolish or move buildings, objects, sites, or structures which are not already covered under the processes outlined in sections 66-57, 66-58 and 66-59 shall be referred to the city historic preservation officer for the purpose of determining whether the building, object, site, or structure may meet the eligibility criteria for local historic landmark designation found in section 66-56.
(2) House/building moves. If a non-historically designated structure located within the boundaries of the city limits is being moved to a new location within the city limits, the historic preservation officer may approve the move administratively. If a structure within the boundaries of the city limits is being moved outside the city limits including the ETJ, the historic preservation officer shall follow the process outlined in subsection (3) and evaluate the structure against the historic landmark criteria outlined in section 66-56.
(3) Assessment and recommendation. Following receipt of a complete demolition or house move application, properties shall be evaluated for eligibility under the criteria for the designation of historic landmarks and districts outlined in section 66-56. The city historic preservation officer shall determine whether the building, object, site, or structure may meet the criteria for landmark designation in section 66-56 within 30 days after receipt of the completed application. If the building, object, site, or structure is determined to have no cultural, historical, architectural, or archaeological significance, a demolition or house move permit may be issued immediately, provided such application otherwise complies with all City Code requirements.
(4) Decision. If said building, object, site, or structure is determined by the historic preservation officer to meet the landmark eligibility criteria, the demolition or house move permit shall not be issued and the historic preservation officer shall make such information available to the historic landmark commission for review and recommendations as to whether it should be designated a historic landmark. If the commission determines that the structure meets the eligibility criteria, the commission shall recommend to the city council that the building, object, site, or structure be historically designated. If the property owner objects to the historic designation, a three-fourths vote of the historic landmark commission or the planning commission and of the city council shall be required for historic designation of the property in question.
(Ord. No. 2024-52, § 1, 7-8-24)
FINDINGS:
a. A demolition permit application was submitted to the Transportation and Construction Services Department (TCS) for the structures currently addressed at 533 North Houston Street. Following initial research of the property, staff found the structure to be of historic age and potentially meets the landmark criteria.
b. SITE VISIT: Staff made a site visit on Tuesday, February 24, with three (3) members of the Historic Landmark Commission and met the applicant on site. The applicant showed us around the exterior of the structure and the interior.
c. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The primary structure appears to be an example of fachwerk construction based on the form and the building materials. Traditional German fachwerk is a construction method that consists of a heavy timber frame carefully fitted together with mortise and tenon joinery and infilled with brick, stone, or adobe brick. Adobe brick is commonly found to be covered by stucco or wood siding, though some examples with rock or stone infill can be seen left exposed. The building at 533 North Houston is covered by stucco or plaster material. There are several areas where the covering has fallen away and exposed the brick underneath. It features a full front porch with the roof extending to cover the porch, supported by simple wood posts. A narrow exterior chimney is on the north elevation closest to the North Houston Street side. The rear of the structure appears to be an enclosed porch or a later addition possibly. There is also a rectangular addition on the south side of the structure.
d. HISTORIC CONTEXT: The area in which the property is located is historically known as Comaltown. Comaltown was established around 1846 and was separate from the town of New Braunfels. The area was originally granted to Juan Martin de Veramendi, who was a public figure and politician. Following his death, the land was divided in the 1840s and given to his heirs who would later sell most of the property. In 1846, the Texas Legislature incorporated New Braunfels and Comaltown was included as part of New Braunfels. In 1850, about 45 citizens of Comaltown petitioned the legislature to become a separate city and to change the boundaries. The petition was rejected and Comaltown remained part of New Braunfels. In a bird’s eye view map of New Braunfels from 1881, Comaltown is visible with a public square and approximately 40 structures.
e. ASSOCIATIONS: While staff could not confirm who may have occupied the home, several land deed records were located. The earliest deed is from September 1852 where Maria Antonia Veramendi Garza, though her lawyer Daniel Murchison, sold the property to Ludwig Vogt (Voigt). There is a 14-year gap where it is possible Ludwig died because in 1864 Charles Truchs, who was indicated as the guardian of Emma and Pauline Voigt, sold the property to Friedrich Adolph Nagel. It is unclear whether Emma and Pauline were daughters of Ludwig or what the exact relation was. Friedrich Nagel, from what staff could find, was a farmer and lived on Hill Street according to census records. The property was sold to Michael and Wilhemine Benold in 1873. Michael is listed as a mason on the 1880 US census.
f. EVALUATION: To be eligible for historic landmark designation, properties shall meet at least one (1) of the six (6) designation criteria listed in Section 66-65 of the City of New Braunfels Code of Ordinances.
In determining whether the property is eligible for and merits designation, the Historic Landmark Commission should consider the following criteria:
(1) Possesses significance in history, architecture, archeology, or culture.
(2) Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local, regional, state, or national history.
(3) Is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
(4) Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; the structure is an example of fachwerk construction, a construction method commonly found in New Braunfels during the mid to late 1800s.
(5) Represents the work of a master designer, builder, or craftsman.
(6) Represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood or city.
Recommendation
STAFF ANALYSIS:
The main structure is an intact example of fachwerk construction. Staff encourages the retention of the structure where possible. Relocation is also a recommended alternative to demolition to avoid permanent loss of the resource, and the Historic Landmark Commission may consider this as an option, while even preliminary.
Should the Historic Landmark Commission recommend that the structure be historically designated, staff will present the request to City Council for a request for action. If Council concurs, then staff will initiate the historic landmark designation process by taking the request back to the Historic Landmark Commission, then to Planning Commission, and then to City Council for final action. If the property owner objects to the historic designation, a three-fourths vote of the historic landmark commission or the planning commission and of the City Council shall be required for historic designation of the property in question.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Combined Property Pictures
• Combined Historic Maps
• Combined Deed Research