The Building and Standards Commission on Oct. 8 voted unanimously to modify a 1997 repair order for the historic Horton Duvall House (6706 Bluff Springs Road) and require deconstruction through demolition after city staff and preservation officials concluded the ruins are no longer salvageable.

Code investigator Farrah Presley presented photographs and staff findings showing extensive masonry loss, collapsed walls and vegetation growing through the remaining structure. Presley said the city’s structural engineer evaluated the site and determined the deterioration is beyond repair; the Historic Preservation Office coordinated a site visit and the Historic Landmark Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness for deconstruction on Sept. 3, 2025. The state Deputy Executive Director for Preservation also provided a supporting letter after reviewing the engineers’ March 2025 report.

Staff told commissioners the case began with a 1997 repair order calling for restoration; penalties assessed at $250 per week from the 1997 order have accrued to $358,607.14. Staff asked the commission to supersede the prior order, affirm the accrued penalty while stopping further interest accrual on that amount, and to order the owner to obtain permits and deconstruct the property within 45 days of the order being mailed. If the owner does not comply, the code official is authorized to proceed with deconstruction and to assess expenses as a lien; interest on assessed expenses will accrue at 10% per year.

Callen Contreras of the Historic Preservation Office reviewed the certificate of appropriateness process and emphasized that removal of a council‑designated historic landmark is “advisable only in the most serious and untenable of circumstances.” He said the Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Landmark Commission support mitigation measures that include respectful deconstruction and recycling of the limestone masonry, and future interpretive materials so the site’s history is not lost.

No property representative appeared at the hearing. The commission admitted staff exhibits, including historic preservation materials and engineers’ reports, then voted 7–0 to adopt staff’s recommendations.

The order will be mailed to the owner and staff said Austin Resource Recovery is coordinating potential reuse of limestone to divert masonry from landfill. The code official and the Historic Preservation Office will coordinate mitigation steps during deconstruction.