At its April meeting, the Historic Landmark Commission postponed the case for 1400 Winsted Lane in search of more context for the property. Instead, staff returned with a new reading of the code that could change how the commission does business from now on. The commission was surprised to learn at its May 20 meeting that […]
Historic Landmark Commission
The city’s Historic Landmark Commission promotes historic preservation of buildings and structures. The commission also reviews applications and permits for historic zoning and historic grants.
Posted inPreservation
Eureka Holdings to begin repairing I.Q. Hurdle House
After a surprising turn of events last month brought the I.Q. Hurdle House from a demolition-by-neglect case to a Certificate of Appropriateness approval for maintenance and repairs, the Historic Landmark Commission expressed enthusiasm that the fate of the property was looking brighter. One month later, however, and that enthusiasm has melted into uncertainty as photos […]
Posted inPreservation
East Austin poised to gain a new local historic district
East Austin is on its way to anointing another local historic district. Amid support from dozens of neighborhood residents in the audience, the Historic Landmark Commission unanimously recommended the approval of the creation of a Robertson/Stuart & Mair Historic District. The district is roughly composed of structures in and around Robertson Hill, a neighborhood generally […]
Posted inPreservation
Eureka Holdings seeks rehabilitation approval for I.Q. Hurdle House
In less than a week, the I.Q. Hurdle House at 1416 E. 12th St. went from a demolition-by-neglect case to a voluntary restoration project. When Dallas-based Eureka Holdings – under the name Poisonous Poinsettia – bought the home of the celebrated minister and public school educator Isaiah Quit Hurdle a year and a half ago, there […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Eyes on the Prii
Now we’re here… As public engagement sessions go, the April 27 kickoff for the input gathering process for the Drake Bridge Commons Project was certainly among the more novel we’ve encountered. Among the planned activities: actors portraying historic Austinites William Drake, Emma Long and Walter Seaholm in a nod to the creation of the South […]
Posted inPreservation
West Austin home causes impasse at HLC
City code requires a structure to meet two out of five requirements in order to be designated historic. One of the most often-used requirements is that of historical association with an individual who “contributed significantly to the history of the city, state or nation.” The tricky part is that the individual must have been noteworthy […]
Posted inPreservation
East Austin home slated for historic zoning against owner’s wishes
It is rare in Austin that a home is preserved against an owner’s wishes. According to Preservation Austin, the city has disregarded an owner’s wishes in this manner exactly three times since 1974. Now there is a chance it will happen a fourth time. One hundred and seventeen years ago, German immigrants constructed what is […]
Posted inPreservation
A dozen Austin moontowers cleared to get needed steel replacement parts
Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission has approved using milled steel rods as replacement parts on 12 of the city’s iconic moontowers, sometimes known as moonlight towers. The commission OK’d the proposal from Austin Energy on Monday night. The electric utility is overseeing the restoration efforts, which began in 2014 and were initially expected to finish last […]
Posted inPreservation
Effort to historically zone Texas Supreme Court justice’s house narrowly fails at HLC
A debate over the definition of the word “significant” was the topic du jour at the March 25 meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission. The word’s interpretation came into question because, when it comes to determining whether a home is worthy of historical landmark designation, it must meet two of the five requirements with significance: archaeology, […]
Posted inPreservation
HLC accepts demolition of West Lynn home for ‘Tudor mansion’
After last month’s revelation of the design plans for 1602 West Lynn St. left members of the Historic Landmark Commission reeling, the four weeks between then and now allowed the commissioners to begrudgingly accept the previously presented plans and comments from staff at their March 25 meeting. “Unfortunately, things went awry at the end and we’re […]
Posted inPreservation
Ramshackle 117-year-old house slated for historic zoning against owner’s wishes
Despite what city staff called the “heartbreaking” condition of a historically contributing structure and an owner’s opposition to historic zoning, the Historic Landmark Commission determined Monday that a 117-year-old home was worth saving. In an effort to preserve one of the few examples of early-20th-century architecture from the German settlement in East Austin, the commission […]
Posted inPlanning
Brush Square Master Plan gets wholehearted approval from HLC
Brush Square may be the least memorable of the four original squares designed as part of the 1839 Waller Plan. Today, thanks to a new master plan, that may be about to change. Kim McKnight, a planner with the Parks and Recreation Department, came to the Feb. 25 meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission to present […]