Water tank comes ...and goes, rejected as false history

Even though the Mercer St. Historic District is littered with rainwater tanks, the Dripping Springs Historic Preservation Commission rejected (by a vote of 2 to 3) a Certificate of Appropriateness for the tank placed at 300 Mercer St., based on “false history,” and blocking partial view of true historic buildings.

The rustic old rainwater tank (since removed) was placed at the former Red & White Grocery Store, built in 1952 by Solon Glosson over the site of the A. L. Davis building, which burned down in 1951. The store was eventually remodeled in 1980 with a “false front” style parapet, clad in non-historic limestone, and spanned by a non-historic porch.  In 1987 the DS Post Office began operating from the building.

Because the building had been substantially altered and dates outside the period of significance, the current owners, Springs Provisions, installed the tank to use it for their logo. It complied with the historic “look” of the street, and in this way, they would not deface an actual Mercer St. “artifact” by graphics. The sign plan would be a creatively compatible element to the district. 

For this reason, and lacking the required COA, the applicant appealed for an approved recommendation from the DS Planning and Zoning Commission at the Nov. 27 meeting, to aid in their appeal to the City Council.

City historic consultant Keenan Smith presented the pros and cons at the P&Z meeting, without bias, but the appeal was denied by the P&Z commission based on preferred compliance with the DS Historic Preservation Commission. “A significant new element needed to be introduced in regard to this matter for us to go against the Historic Commission decision,” P&Z Chairman Mim James said. None was offered at that time.