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Tag Archives: historic preservation

Staffers provide update on new equity-focused historic preservation plan

As Austin faces rapid change, the city is drafting a new equity-based preservation plan – replacing the existing plan from 1981 – in hopes of better preserving Austin’s cultural heritage.  “Much has changed in Austin over the past 40 years…

Historic zoning for Chrysler Air Temp house draws mixed opinions

An Allandale house that helped pioneer the use of air conditioning in middle-class homes is up for historic zoning against the owner’s wishes. The Zoning and Platting Commission was split Tuesday on whether to recommend historic zoning, as members wrestled…

Budget pressures impact Council’s verdict on San Jacinto warehouse

Preservation prospects for the Nalley-Shear-Bremond warehouse at 301 San Jacinto St. appear grim. With no motion made by City Council members last Thursday, the case is effectively dead, clearing the path for developers to apply for a demolition permit. After…

Council takes first vote to declare warehouse historic

On a vote of 7-2-2, City Council on Thursday approved on first reading a request for historic zoning for the property at 301 San Jacinto St. downtown. Council members Pio Renteria and Paige Ellis voted no and Greg Casar and…

Planning Commission rejects historic zoning for San Jacinto warehouse

The Planning Commission Tuesday voted against historic zoning for a former warehouse in downtown Austin, siding with the property owner who wants to demolish the building over preservationists seeking to save it. The case began last year when the Historic…

Landmark commission experiments with new postponement tool

The Historic Landmark Commission is taking a fresh approach to resisting demolition, opting to indefinitely postpone several cases at its Nov. 15 meeting. After consulting with the city’s legal department, staffers recommended using the new tool in cases where applicants…

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How the Historic Landmark Commission works to preserve Austin’s history

The Historic Landmark Commission is an all-volunteer, 11-member board appointed by members of City Council. The commission reviews applications for heritage grants, considers historic designations, weighs the merits of tax exemption applications, and acts generally as an advocate for historic…

Can the Dry Creek Café be saved?

Austin realtor Sherry LeBlanc was devastated when she found out the Dry Creek Café & Boat Dock was set to close its doors on Oct. 31. The historic watering hole was “more of a community than a bar” for her…

Tovo eyes historic preservation funds for undisclosed property negotiations

The grant program that uses Hotel Occupancy Tax money to help improve historic sites could be put on hold for a year so the city could use its funding to purchase historic sites. At City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee…

Dilapidated Congress Avenue buildings move one step closer to reconstruction

After a yearslong saga, the owner of three run-down buildings at 907, 909 and 911 Congress Avenue will finally be able to reconstruct the buildings’ facades.  On Sept. 14, the Planning Commission overruled a decision by the Historic Landmark Commission…

City postpones skate shop demolition

A groundswell of support for a beloved Austin skate shop did not fall upon unsympathetic ears at the Historic Landmark Commission. Austin Community College was seeking a permit to demolish No-Comply Skate Shop at 812 W. 12th St. to make…

'This is sacred ground': Austinites and researchers seek to restore Mexican American cemeteries in Montopolis

Sandwiched between private properties in southeastern Travis County sits a little-known cemetery off Hoeke Lane, just west of U.S. Highway 183. From the outside, there’s nothing that indicates the site is the final resting place for a number of Mexican…

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