Five years ago, the property at 1119 East 11th St. was zoned historic in an effort to preserve both the legacy of the Thomas family and their involvement in the East Austin music scene, and an emblematic example of 20th-century East Austin bungalow architecture. Now several members of the Thomas family are asking for the […]
historic preservation
Official actions of a municipality such as the City of Austin taken to preserve structures with their jurisdiction. Preservation is often accompanied by a property tax exemption.
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Tourism Commission examines whether hotel tax could keep live music on Sixth Street
The handful of music venues still operating in the city’s historic district along Sixth Street could be considered for preservation and infrastructure improvements using money from the Hotel Occupancy Tax. That idea was one of several offered for further examination by the Tourism Commission this week as the group considered its overall mission and role […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Something we agree on
The link between governmental and residential Texas houses… Occasionally a contentious zoning case stirs up old memories that have been tucked away, but not forgotten. In the wake of the Historic Landmark commissioners’ reaction to the presented plans for 1602 West Lynn, Bergan Casey, the granddaughter of former U.S. Rep. J.J. “Jake” Pickle and a member […]
Posted inPlanning
Landmark commissioners say they feel double-crossed over West Austin property
Despite a local homeowner and the city spending months compromising, negotiating and working to comply with suggestions from Austin’s Historic Preservation Office, Historic Landmark commissioners were flabbergasted Monday night at the final plans for a multimillion-dollar home in Old West Austin. After the Historic Preservation Office failed to get a supermajority at Council to designate […]
Posted inPreservation
Commission divided on whether home of architecture icon should be a landmark
The Planning Commission declined to recommend historic zoning for a 70-year-old home in Old West Austin due to recent changes the property owner made to the house. The case demonstrated the tenuous standards that shape the city’s efforts to preserve historic buildings. The city’s Historic Preservation Office has recommended granting historic zoning to the house […]
Posted inPreservation
Old home in new historic district is approved for demolition
All things have their moment in the sun, and for an East Austin home at 4200 Wildwood Road, that moment seems to have come and gone. Today, the home is merely a cracked contribution to the Wilshire Woods National Register Historic District, but the Historic Landmark Commission hopes some new owners will spruce up the […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Lord of the files
Pig-headed politics… At a recent City Council work session, Council members were discussing proposed changes to the ordinance that dictates the extent to which people can exercise their First Amendment rights on library grounds. Specifically, what limits, if any, should be placed on those canvassing for candidates or gathering signatures for petitions outside of libraries. […]
Posted inPreservation
Property owners who forfeit landmark status will have to pay more
Owning a property that has been designated a historic landmark has its benefits and its drawbacks. The city of Austin, Travis County and the Austin Independent School District all offer hefty property tax exemptions for landmark properties – with the expectation that the property owner will take certain measures to maintain the structure’s historic character. […]
Posted inParks
The Norwood House may soon get a face-lift
On the northwestern corner of Interstate 35 and Riverside Drive is a plot of land that the city purchased in 1985 and that most Austinites know to be an off-leash dog park. However, also nestled on that same plot of land is a historic 1920s bungalow called the Norwood House. Although until now the bungalow […]
Posted inPreservation
Hillside Farmacy recommended for historical designation
There are buildings in this city for which historical zoning is a no-brainer. One of these properties is the Hillside Farmacy at 1209 E. 11th St. The application for this zoning change was presented to the Historic Landmark Commission along with a lengthy history as to the importance of the building to the East Austin […]
Posted inPreservation
An East Austin family unites to fight against historical designation for their home
Sometimes, despite their home’s historical ties, a family still believes it is time to sell it to a developer. One such example is a small 19th-century Victorian folk-style home at 1705 East Sixth St. It is one of the few buildings in the area still inhabited by a family, while the majority of the surrounding properties […]
Posted inPreservation
Council denies West Austin historic zoning
A divided City Council declined last week to zone a West Austin house as historic, but the owners have agreed to renovate the house in Italian Renaissance Revival style, so that it satisfies them as well as the neighborhood and the city’s historic preservation officer. Jay Riskind, who with his wife owns the Bryson-Krueger-Critz House […]