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Tag Archives: historic preservation

West Downtown on track to receive national historic status

Austin could soon welcome a brand-new historic district into the mix, with an application for the West Downtown National Register District lined up to get the rubber stamp next month. Located west of the Capitol between Seventh and 15th streets,…

Council approves review of historic preservation incentives, with eye on equity

City Council wants incentives connected to historic preservation to be used more equitably, and has directed the city manager to review and suggest changes to city policies that could result in more historic designations in East Austin. Last week Council…

Preservationists lament the eroding of Travis Heights at Historic Landmark Commission

The city’s Historic Landmark Commission mourned the steady chipping away of homes recognized in the Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register district last week, with yet another falling to the housing market’s demand for more contemporary, spacious designs. The application to…

Council declines historic zoning for Westgate building

Nine of 11 City Council members voted last week to deny city historic landmark status to the clearly historic Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado, on a motion by Council Member Zo Qadri, whose District 9 includes the building. Council Member…

Report: ADU expansion, tax relief among city's options to promote preservation

Preservation advocates want the city to simplify the process for building accessory dwelling units, and use an ombudsman position to help navigate city processes as some of the steps needed to save existing housing stock while helping to address affordability.…

Westgate tower takes step toward historic zoning

City Council gave first reading approval to historic zoning for the Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado St. as part of the zoning consent agenda on Thursday. The Westgate, a physical landmark between the Capitol and University Tower, is considered an…

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Effort to designate West Austin house historic fails at Council

At its regular meeting last week, City Council did not pass an item that would have designated West Austin’s Delisle House a historic landmark. Before the vote, Mayor Steve Adler explained that the measure would need a nine-vote supermajority to…

Effort to save lakefront estate from demolition divides Planning Commission 

The Planning Commission was split Tuesday on whether to help save an eclectic lakefront estate from demolition by zoning it historic amid concerns over tax breaks and the likelihood that a previous owner participated in segregation as a business owner.  The…

Castleman-Bull house resolution OK’d with changes

City Council approved a resolution from Council Member Kathie Tovo last week directing City Manager Spencer Cronk to study questions about restoring the interior of the historic Castleman-Bull House, which has sat vacant since the Austin Convention Center acquired and…

Tovo pushes renovation of historic convention center house

For 22 years the city has owned the historic Castleman-Bull House, which sits vacant and unused at 201 Red River St. across from the Austin Convention Center’s service yard entrance. Now City Council Member Kathie Tovo hopes to push through…

Preservation leaders show concern over delay in Sixth Street historic district

The push to designate the East Sixth Street entertainment district as a city historic district has been postponed, with Council Member Kathie Tovo opting to wait for proposed new designed guidelines for properties that could be reconstructed as part of…

Demolition case reveals shortcomings in city's historic preservation policies

A monthslong debate over an East Austin bungalow has ended in a victory for the property owner, with City Council voting to reject historic zoning last Thursday. The home, located at 1403 E. Cesar Chavez St., initially came to the…

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