Decision on 1880 West Campus home postponed

As West Campus changes at a dramatic clip, glimpses of its past still remain. One of those windows into the past is a small folk Victorian at 704 W. 22nd St. that was built in 1880 by a local grocer. Although almost 140 years old, the home is “remarkably intact,” Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky told the Historic Landmark Commission at its Sept. 23 meeting. Staff members who recommended zoning the property historic called the house “an important link between the past, present and the future,” though today it is sandwiched between modern student housing. Sadowsky explained that the home was once the site of such antics as neighbors stealing George S. Heflybower’s prize-winning chickens and was the home of one of the trailblazing educators at the Texas School for the Deaf, which in 1905 was known as the Deaf and Dumb Institute. While the commission had initiated the historic zoning process for the property, due to changes in rules at the state level, it was unable to vote to move the case any further. Therefore, in a 6-1 vote, commissioners postponed the case until their October meeting. Commissioner Witt Featherston voted against the postponement. Commissioners Emily Reed, Terri Myers, Emily Hibbs and Mathew Jacob were absent.