Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2024 11 18

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SUMMARY: The applicant requests a finding of probable cause for landmark designation to allow for funding of a historic structure assessment for 1016 Main Street. Under Resolution No. 17, Series 2019, a property may be eligible for reimbursement for a historic structure assessment (HSA) from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) if the Historic Preservation Commission finds "probable cause to believe the building may be eligible for landmarking under the criteria in section 15.36.050 of the Louisville Municipal Code." Further, "a finding of probable cause under this Section is solely for the purposes of action on the pre-landmarking building assessment grant request, and such finding shall not be binding upon the HPC, City Council or other party to a landmarking hearing." HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Information from Gigi Yang, Louisville Historical Museum The history of 1016 Main exemplifies the modest lives of Louisville residents in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The property was used by several generations of the Ashe and Petrelli families as a source of rental income and as a home. It provides a distinctive example of mail-order house construction and of the building industry. The exact year of construction cannot be determined. Boulder County Records give 1910 as the house's date of construction, however, the County Assessor Card notes the house was 55 years old in 1950, placing the earliest date of construction at 1895. Numerous resources indicate that the house was constructed from a Sears and Roebuck kit. The Sears Catalog of Modern Homes, selling do-it-yourself kits for building a house, was available from 1908-1948, which would bring the earliest date of construction to 1908. Mary Quillian Ashe purchased the home in 1910, after having previously lived as a next - door neighbor. Mary and her husband, Thomas Gregory Ashe, who was a superintendent of the Lucas mine near Broomfield, moved to Texas with their six sons in 1911. However, the Ashe family retained ownership of the house for the next 27 years and used it as a rental until Mary's death in 1934. In 1938, the Ashe family sold the home to Victor and Mary Petrelli. Victor was born in Italy and came to the US in 1910. Mary was of Italian descent and born in New Jersey. The Petrellis spent their early years of marriage in Italy until coming back to the United States with their two sons. They moved from Wyoming to Louisville after purchasing the house at 1016 Main, and Victor and his eldest son, Eugene, found work at the Louisville Lafayette Coal Company. During World War II, Victor worked as a loader at the Centennial mine. Mary passed away in 1948 and Victor in 1961. The Petrelli family retained ownership of the property until 1982, when their three sons sold the property. Please see the attached Social History Report for a more detailed history.