As East Austin’s Rehoboth Primitive Baptist Church moves on to roomier digs up north, its congregation is preparing to say goodbye to its home of six decades in more ways than one. What was once holy ground at 5303 Samuel Huston Avenue landed on the Historic Landmark Commission’s radar last month, with a request from […]
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
East Austin bids adieu to another historic bungalow
After a century on East Austin’s Cotton Street, a little blue Craftsman bungalow is finally biting the dust, with new owners getting the go-ahead from the city’s Historic Landmark Commission to proceed with demolition. A different outcome seemed possible just last month, when commissioners voted to initiate the site’s historic zoning based on ties to […]
Posted inPreservation
Historic Landmark Commission votes to preserve east side building over developer’s wishes
After a lively series of debates, Historic Landmark Commission members are making moves to halt the bulldozing of a century-old building at East 12th and Comal streets. 1500 E. 12th St. caused a stir this past July when owner Eureka Holdings, which holds a large swath of real estate along the 11th Street corridor, filed […]
Posted inPreservation
Umlauf Vision Plan aims to revive iconic sculptor’s home and studio as museum
Plans to significantly expand the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum are continuing to drum up enthusiasm, with Historic Landmark commissioners granting the project their blessing last week. The Umlauf Historic Preservation, Expansion, and Unification Plan hopes to add thousands of square feet in new gallery and programming space while opening up new areas of the […]
Posted inPreservation
Despite appeal, new home project to move forward in East Austin historic district
A last-ditch effort to stop construction of a new home in the Robertson/Stuart & Mair Historic District failed at the Planning Commission, despite mixed feelings about the structure from the chair of the Historic Landmark Commission. Neighbors Mark Rogers and Sue Gaul appealed the Historic Landmark Commission’s decision to issue a certificate of appropriateness to […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission considers imposing historic zoning for neglected east side building slated for demolition by Eureka
Dallas-based real estate developer Eureka Holdings is once again ruffling feathers on 12th Street, with an application to demolish a century-old storefront at the Comal Street intersection meeting some resistance from the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. The two-story building has lived many lives, from a German beer hall weathering Prohibition to Civil Rights-era meeting place […]
Posted inPreservation
After decades on the back burner, revitalization efforts at historic Black cemetery are in full swing
After an uphill battle for recognition, things are looking up for Bethany Cemetery, with a vote at this month’s Historic Landmark Commission meeting initiating the site’s historic zoning process. The cemetery, founded in 1893 by and for Black Austinites, houses the graves of dozens of enslaved people later freed, Buffalo Soldiers and early Black settlers. […]
Posted inPreservation
St. Joseph Hall cleared for demolition on St. Ed’s campus
Historic Landmark Commission members have given their unanimous blessing to the demolition of St. Edward’s University’s St. Joseph Hall, despite its architectural significance and historic association with the Brothers of the Holy Cross. The hall, which stands at 3001 S. Congress Ave., was designed by San Antonio firm Julian & White and constructed on a […]
Posted inPreservation
At massive Hill’s Cafe redevelopment, cottage demolition put on hold
Pieces continue to fall into place for a planned mixed-use development at the former site of Hill’s Cafe, though Historic Landmark Commission members put one of those pieces on hold at their most recent meeting in the hopes that a 1940s cottage might find a new home. Commissioners voted 9-1 to postpone a proposed demolition […]
Posted inPreservation
City’s historic preservation commission and code enforcement look to get in sync
After several recent cases that illustrated a divide between the city’s code enforcement policies and historic preservation aims, Historic Landmark Commission members are working to make sure things are more aligned and less hopelessly complicated for property owners who find themselves in the gray area between the two departments. Chair Ben Heimsath explained that they […]
Posted inPreservation
Condemned homes get a stay of demolition at landmark commission
In an effort to sort out the complicated details, Historic Landmark Commission members have unanimously supported a delay on demolishing two East Austin homes that are both historic and condemned. Both homes, which were built around 1916, are Hofheinz houses, a distinct folk architecture style built in Austin and rented to working-class East Austin families […]
Posted inPreservation
Developing a former summer camp proves to be more than a seasonal project
Efforts to redevelop a former ranch and summer camp in Northwest Austin have hit another snag with the city’s Historic Landmark Commission, which has voted for a second time to postpone the convoluted case. The house at 7304 Knox Lane first appeared as a demolition case last spring, when commissioners unanimously ruled to initiate historic […]