Survey says Austin could benefit from promoting historic structures

The city, interested members of the public and HHM & Associates, Inc. have been working on a survey of historic downtown and near downtown buildings, trails and bridges to identify what landmarks might attract history-minded tourists to Austin.

The survey includes neighborhoods that are bordered by MoPac on the west, I-35 on the east between Lady Bird Lake and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Findings of the survey will be presented to the Historic Landmark Commission on July 2.

The city is interested in preserving its heritage, but there is also an economic motive. According to the survey, “A 2015 report by the University of Texas found that every dollar invested in the preservation of local communities triggered four to five dollars of private-sector investment; in Texas in 2013, preservation activities generated more than $4.6 billion in state GDP and created more than 79,000 local jobs. The City recognizes that by identifying and promoting sites of cultural importance, it can boost heritage tourism while also preserving threatened properties.”

The writers concluded that the city should revisit recommendations from 2016 and consider cost estimates for prioritizing areas for future survey. They noted that owners of historically designated homes and buildings can benefit from tax reductions and help in rehabilitating their buildings and urged the city to promote the city’s historic structures to tourists.

Surveyors found 1,313 buildings that qualify for historic status, some of which are already part of the National Register of Historic Places. Owners of homes and commercial buildings may choose to be part of the register. They may also seek historic zoning from the city but that is more costly and time-consuming, though the city’s Historic Preservation Office promises to provide help. Surveyors recommended some structures for designation as a local or national landmarks.

The report is divided by date of structure as well as type of structure. The first entries point out buildings erected from 1839 to 1865 and include examples of residential as well as commercial structures, religious and government buildings. Surveyors continued to look at buildings built up until 1975, the current cutoff for historic landmarks. They recommended seven different historic districts within the downtown area, including some already well known, such as Judges Hill and West Sixth Street. Others are less obvious, such as the Railroad Historic District. The report also recommended delisting the Rainey Street District, which has lost many of its historic homes and gained commercial structures over the years.

Downtown Austin has 291 contributing structures, Judges Hill has 124 and Enfield has 149, according to the survey.

There are some surprises in the report, such as recognition that the Union Pacific railroad overpass above Lamar Blvd. is historic. However, the writers did not find it to be particularly beautiful, describing it as “a steel beam form with no visible stylistic influences and an example of the transportation-related structures that characterize the industrial significance of this area. This structure contributes to the potential historic district.” That district, if formed, would be named Railroad industrial National Register Historic District.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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Posted In: Preservation, District 9