The city of Austin is beginning the process of using eminent domain to seize the 1-acre plot at 500 Montopolis Ave., home of an 83-year-old building that was once the Montopolis Negro School. The structure is a rare vestige of the system of “Rural Negro Schools” operated by Travis County prior to desegregation. In June, […]
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 inPreservation
Despite owners’ wishes, historic zoning advances
Staff won a preliminary victory in its quest to zone a 1923 West Austin house historic against the owners’ wishes last week. The City Council vote was 6-3, but with two members off the dais and not voting, the final decision remains very much in doubt. Council members Greg Casar and Delia Garza were absent […]
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Council OKs Smoot Terrace Park Historic District
Council gave final approval Thursday to creation of the Smoot Terrace Park Historic District just west of downtown, after neighbors decided to eliminate three properties owned by people who signed a valid petition opposing the historic district. That meant Council could designate the district without a supermajority of nine votes – which is required by […]
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Fence unites landmark commission
Should new fences in National Register historic districts come before the Historic Landmark Commission? The answer appears to be “probably.” At their most recent meeting, Historic Landmark commissioners considered whether to summon the owners of 906 E. 14th St., which is located in the Swede Hill Historic District. Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky explained that, […]
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ZAP considers West Austin historic zoning
Going against the wishes of the property’s owners and their neighbors, a majority of the Zoning and Platting Commission endorsed a bid for historic zoning in Old West Austin at its most recent meeting. Though it wasn’t enough for a recommendation, commissioners voted in favor of the zoning change for the 1923 Bryson-Krueger-Critz House at […]
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One of Austin’s oldest homes needs help
At 9019 Parkfield Drive sits one of the oldest structures in the city of Austin. However, as it currently stands, it is easy to pass it by as a teardown. In partnership with Sam Williams, the 30-year tenant of this property, who was asked to vacate the property by Aug. 2, historian Bill McGarry applied […]
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Commissioners dive into St. Edward’s records
There are many reasons that a building can be historic. One of them is if a structure is a part of a historic district where an architect has produced a significant body of work that embodies a period style and makes the building a landmark. One building does not, however, make a historic district. Unless […]
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Commissioners request authentic reconstruction for Lamar Bridge
Sometimes, accidents happen. In an emergency addition to the Historic Landmark Commission agenda on July 23, commissioners heard the case of the Lamar Boulevard Bridge over Shoal Creek. Last month a vehicular collision damaged the bridge, which lies between 12th Street and 15th Street. A portion of the original railing was torn off and landed […]
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Do historic districts help or hurt affordability?
There is a wide range of views about how historic preservation rules relate to Austin’s housing affordability problems. Some argue that actions taken to prevent the demolition of old homes advance affordability because, in general, older homes are cheaper than new ones. When a home is torn down, it is almost always replaced by one […]
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Council seeks more historic preservation funds
Several City Council members agree with their colleague Leslie Pool, who says the city’s Historic Preservation Office is “desperately understaffed” and badly in need of more funding in order to make sure that Austin can keep many of its historic structures. Pool is sponsoring a resolution on this week’s agenda along with Mayor Pro Tem […]
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Palm School survey offers ground rules for redevelopment
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Thursday received a long-awaited report on the historic bona fides of the county-owned Palm School building during a briefing that offered potential redevelopment scenarios of the 19th-century downtown Austin structure. All of those scenarios would preserve the original structure itself and see new buildings of varying sizes rise up […]
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Council approves preservation projects with $5.5M from hotel tax
More than a dozen projects related to the preservation of Austin’s historic buildings will move ahead, with more to follow in coming budget years, using money from the city’s portion of its Hotel Occupancy Tax. Last month City Council approved a budget transfer of $5.5 million to the city’s historic preservation fund to pay for […]