For local preservationists, Council facilitates a miracle on East 12th Street

City Hall was abuzz with more than just the holiday spirit last Thursday, with City Council adjourning its final meeting to the sound of cheers at a rare victory for preservationists at 1500 E. 12th St.

The fate of the Eisenbeiser building, a historic grocery and saloon turned barbershop and music venue, seemed grim just months prior, when it landed at the feet of the Historic Landmark Commission as a request for demolition. Yet against all odds, an application to zone the site historic cleared the extraordinary requirements to rule against a property’s owner’s wishes, which include a supermajority vote both at Planning Commission and Council. The case cleared that final bar in a 9-2 vote, with Council members Natasha Harper-Madison and Paige Ellis against. 

The case first made waves this past summer, when landmark commissioners blasted owner Eureka Holdings for the site’s blatant neglect and levied accusations of bad faith arguments for  demolition. Since then, what began as a last-ditch effort to save the century-old storefront has become an existential battle over East Austin’s heritage, galvanizing a sprawling coalition of civic organizations and neighbors and amassing 1,600 signatures in a petition for historic zoning. 

The groundswell is unsurprising given the growing resentment for Eureka Holdings, which after nearly a decade has yet to put forth plans to develop its numerous properties along the corridors of 11th and 12th streets. With the exception of their begrudging rehabilitation of the I.Q. Hurdle House, done only after the Historic Landmark Commission’s threats to pursue demolition by neglect, the real estate group’s stock of empty lots and vacant buildings continue to amass complaints as they languish in disrepair. 

Eureka’s seeming disinterest in a meaningful vision for its East Austin landholdings has struck a nerve among those versed in the history of the area, which was once home to a vibrant Black-owned business and entertainment scene. To critics, the neglect is yet another chapter in a long and painful story of its erasure and disenfranchisement.

“This is not about neighborhood politics or opposing progress, it’s about honoring the merit of a building and its cultural significance and about ensuring that development respects and incorporates the stories of its community,” said Miriam Conner, president-elect of Preservation Austin. “This demolition by Eureka would directly perpetuate the segregationist aims of the 1928 Master Plan, which continues to systematically displace Black residents and businesses.”

“I have lived in Austin since 1958, and started my career here as an aid to the honorable Jimmy Snell, where I worked tirelessly to upgrade city services to a neglected 11th and 12th street corridor,” organizer Brenda Malik added in a written statement read by Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Neighborhood Association President Misael Ramos. “I’m asking Council to take a stand against this predatory land speculation intent on taking advantage of your vulnerable black and brown residents, who are fighting not to be erased from the city’s history.”

Not all shared their view, including Harper-Madison, whose district encompasses the area. Citing her constituents in the Davis-Thompson Neighborhood Association, who voted in favor of the demolition 10-8, Harper-Madison argued the campaign was out of touch with the concerns of existing residents.

“I appreciate folks showing up with care and concern over East Austin, but I sure wish it had happened sooner. It certainly wasn’t there when the bullets were whizzing by, and gang violence and crack cocaine took over my neighborhood,” said Harper-Madison, who made a motion to deny historic zoning that failed to carry. “Generally speaking, I never vote against a private property owner’s wishes for the property they purchased. … That is capitalism. I can’t fight that, and neither can you.”

On the contrary, preservationists showed up in droves to put up that very fight, including Historic Landmark Commissioner JuanRaymon Rubio, who conducted a cost analysis identifying myriad opportunities to leverage public funding into a win-win scenario for preservationists and developers alike. Rubio says generous rehabilitation tax credit programs could provide from $1.17 million to $2 million in revenue for a project that both preserves and builds upon the existing site, with hundreds of thousands more on the table through local heritage grants, funds like Rally Austin and private partners like the St. David’s and Mabee foundations.

“Texas has one of the best state tax credits in the country. … We’ve got affordable housing funds, tax abatements, almost $400,000 sitting in public health for food access,” Rubio said. “This could be a bodega, an actual food source for the neighborhood and community. … We’re doing it on the west side, at places like Swedish Hill Bakery and Nau’s grocery. That’s the kind of creativity we want to see on the east side – projects that include those historic buildings and do something that will keep our heritage alive.”

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Posted In: Preservation, District 1