After striking out once, a new plan to save a piece of East Austin’s history won the support of Historic Landmark Commissioners at their most recent meeting. In July, commissioners recommended historic zoning for the Old Negro Women’s Home (also known as the King’s Daughters Home), which is located at 1210 Rosewood Ave. Since then, […]
Preservation
Posted inPreservation
Hyde Park loses another historic home
At their most recent meeting, Historic Landmark Commissioners were dismayed to find a Hyde Park project that they had approved had taken a turn for the extreme. “This a virtual demolition,” declared Commissioner Terri Myers. The house at 4207 Ave. H was once a contributing structure in the Hyde Park Historic District. It will no […]
Posted inPreservation
Historic naming procedures enshrined
Following up on a request from one historic home owner, the Historic Landmark Commission has filled a gap in their rules and officially established naming conventions for historic buildings. Up until this point, according to Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky, historic buildings were named by him at the time of application for historic designation using […]
Posted inPreservation
Austin loosens rules for designating buildings historic
It may be easier for properties in Austin to be zoned historic now. Until a few weeks ago, if a property owner filed written opposition to the designation, the city’s Historic Landmark Commission needed a two-thirds vote to override those wishes and recommend the site for historic zoning. An ordinance passed by City Council last […]
Posted inPreservation
Commission considers a house by other name
Much like Tara and Wuthering Heights, historic homes in Austin have names of their own. But a recent bid for immortality on Judges Hill at the Historic Landmark Commission revealed the naming process might stand to have a few established parameters. At the Sept. 25 meeting of the commission, Mo Olian requested to have his […]
Posted inPreservation
Council OKs historic zoning for apartment house
City Council approved historic zoning on Thursday for the 1930s-era Tucker-Winfield Apartment House at 1105 Nueces St. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan voted against the designation and Council Member Ellen Troxclair abstained. Flannigan objected to the designation, at least in part, because the city’s historic preservation staff could not point to a particular historic figure associated […]
Posted inPreservation
After demolition plans are scrapped, segregation-era school could become museum
After much debate over redevelopment, Austin is considering buying the Montopolis Negro School to preserve the segregation-era property. At the height of segregation, there were 42 schools for black children throughout Travis County; the Montopolis school is one of the few still standing. The school sits vacant in a largely empty field in East Austin. […]
Posted inPreservation
Botched demo agitates Preservation Office
A pile of rubble on the east side could spark changes in how the city handles demolitions. At the most recent meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission, Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky presented “unfortunate news” about the demolition of 1401 East Third Street. Instead of the careful demolition that he had anticipated, the lot had […]
Posted inPreservation
Penick Place historic bid goes ‘a bridge too far’
Will Penick Place be Austin’s next local historic district? It’s possible, but a rough start at the Historic Landmark Commission means that neighbors hoping to enshrine their neighborhood will have to rethink their priorities, and most likely scrap a dogged attempt to preserve vacant lots along Riverside Drive. Those pushing for a local historic district […]
Posted inPreservation
Demolition ahead for Pressler Street bungalow
The West Line Historic District will be losing a Pressler Street bungalow to demolition. A bid for historic preservation against the wishes of the owner fell flat at the most recent meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission. Commissioners voted 8-0 to allow the demolition of the 1930 home at 802 Pressler St., taking a moment […]
Posted inPreservation
Plan to move Old Negro Women’s Home out of town stalls at City Hall
Despite palpable compassion for its owner, the Historic Landmark Commission threw its full weight behind keeping the building that was once the Old Negro Women’s Home in East Austin at its last meeting. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of individual historic landmark status for the home at 1210 Rosewood Ave. over the objections of the […]
Posted inPreservation
Another Montopolis Negro School clash at Travis County
Opponents of a plan to redevelop a chunk of land in Southeast Austin upon which sits a former segregation-era school for African-Americans were handed a pair of setbacks on Tuesday. After a heated discussion, the Travis County Commissioners Court declined to take action on a resolution that would have expressed support for the preservation of […]