The Historic Landmark Commission approved plans for a public artwork installation on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Congress Avenue this past Monday, but not before a heated dispute over the piece’s cultural merit. Plans for the statue, a 12-foot optical illusion that, from the proper vantage point, reads “Keep Austin Weird,” came before […]
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
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 oppose historic zoning but are willing to negotiate alternatives to demolition. Commissioners elected to use […]
Posted inPreservation
A win for preservationists at historic San Jacinto warehouse
Austin’s warehouse district is on the way to gaining one more protected landmark as of this past Monday, after the Historic Landmark Commission rejected an application to demolish a historic grocery warehouse at 301 San Jacinto Blvd. Despite the property owner’s wishes to embark on a new development, commissioners presented overwhelming evidence that the property […]
Posted inPreservation
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 preservation in the city. The powers and authority of the landmark commission rest on one […]
Posted inPreservation
Neighbors oppose East Austin demolition case
The Historic Landmark Commission reviewed an application to demolish another East Austin home at its Oct. 25 meeting. The proposed demolition of the home, at 1601 Cedar Ave., garnered a significant amount of interest from the surrounding neighborhood. Citing potential historical and architectural significance, the commission voted to initiate historic zoning of the circa-1915 property, […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission resists demolition of San Jacinto warehouse
The Historic Landmark Commission faced a proposal to tear down a historic Austin property this past Monday, reviewing an application to demolish a warehouse at 301 San Jacinto Blvd. The brick building, which was constructed in 1912, has since passed through the hands of several notable Austin grocers. Hoping to collect information to justify preservation, the commission […]
Posted inPreservation
Demolition on San Marcos Street postponed as neighbors resist redevelopment in East Austin
Opinions clashed over the fate of two cottages at 82 San Marcos St. last Monday, as the Historic Landmark Commission evaluated an application for their demolition. The two homes, built in 1941, are located in the Willow-Spence National Register Historic District in East Austin. After a lively round of public testimony, the commission unanimously approved […]
Posted inPreservation
Clarksville demolition cases reveal challenges faced by preservationists
The Historic Landmark Commission grappled with its own limitations this past Monday as it oversaw the outcome of two Clarksville demolition cases with palpable disappointment. The two homes, located at 1805 Waterston Ave. and 1104 Toyath St., are both contributing properties in the Clarksville National Register historic district whose owners seek to replace them with […]
Posted inPreservation
New supermajority law for historic districts now in effect
The already tough task of creating historic districts in Austin just got a little harder, thanks to new state laws. In 2019, the Texas Legislature changed the rules governing the designation of historic landmarks by requiring a supermajority of the Historic Landmark Commission or Planning Commission, and a supermajority of City Council, to zone a property […]
Posted inPreservation
Fire destroys log cabin and preservation hopes
Plans to reconstruct and relocate a 19th-century log cabin at 5613 Patton Ranch Road are now moot after a fire destroyed the property. “We’ve reviewed the fire report and the cabin is a total loss,” Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky explained at the Historic Landmark Commission’s Aug. 23 meeting. “It’s a very unfortunate loss. We’ve had […]
Posted inPreservation
East Austin stadium celebrated by Black community nominated for national historic status
At first glance, Yellow Jacket Stadium feels a bit unassuming. Visitors see a track, a football field, a few sets of bleachers, and a parking lot with room for only a handful of vehicles. Unlike other athletic sites like Burger Stadium or House Park, Yellow Jacket doesn’t sit right off the highway but in the […]
Posted inPreservation
Partial demolition granted for Avenue A home located outside of historic districts
Earlier this week, the Historic Landmark Commission unanimously voted to co-sign some major redesign plans at 4315 Avenue A, a property located in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Owner/applicant Nathan Hobbs is seeking to expand the size of the home, which was first constructed around 1921, by partially demolishing it, adding rooms and building a second […]