Generous Funding Supports Our Initiatives President's Message
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FORMERLY HERITAGE SOCIETY OF AUSTIN SAVING THE GOOD STUFF Summer 2013 H Volume 17 No. 3 H Generous Funding Supports Our Initiatives President’s Message H Tere O’Connell, AIA ust when finances looked to be challenging, J Preservation Austin was awarded three generous grants from private foundations that will help us carry forward with our mission to promote Austin’s diverse cultural heritage through the preservation of historic places. We are so thankful to Board Members Mandy Dealey and Melanie Martinez and staff members Angela Reed and Jacqui Schraad, and Mike Ward and the volunteers at Pioneer Farms for their work to write and shepherd these successful grant applications through the process. In late May, we learned that we received a $20,000 grant Tere O’Connell presents a $5,000 grant check to Michele Webre in support from the Butler Family Foundation, with thanks to board of the Travis Heights/Fairview Park Local Historic District nomination. member Melanie Martinez. The majority of the grant will fund our efforts to promote the formation of local to lead teams of volunteers to populate the Historic Wiki historic districts (LHDs) and the landmarks program, Survey with data, and to develop three more downloadable and $5,000 will go to the nascent Travis Heights / historic tours, including Historic Music Venues, The Tejano Fairview Park Local Historic District application effort Trail, and the African American Cultural Heritage District. to give them the boost they need to get them closer to Please contact Angela Reed at [email protected] completing the project. if you would like to volunteer with the Historic Wiki effort. The Fath Family Foundation was very generous to The second grant received from the Fath Foundation Preservation Austin, with two grants championed by is a very generous $50,000 that will provide the funds former president and current board member Mandy needed to complete the restoration of Wessels Dance Dealey. A grant of $25,000 was awarded to Preservation Hall at Pioneer Farms. This is a tremendously exciting Austin to support our LHD efforts, our ongoing efforts Continued on page 3 SAVE THE DATE Photo Courtesy Red River Restorations River Red Courtesy Photo Windows Restoration 2012-2013 Board of Directors Workshop H OFFICERS H Tere O’Connell, President Lin Team, 2nd VP Tom Stacy, President-Elect Paula Aaronson, Secretary John Hindman and his August Harris, 1st VP Jim DeCosmo, Treasurer fellow craftsmen from John Rosato, Immediate Past President Red River Restorations will teach the essentials H DIRECTORS H of repairing wooden Paula Aaronson Brianna Landry Kim McKnight sash windows in this Lisa Byrd Tim League Andrea McWilliams Restored Kyle Train Depot window. hands-on workshop. Danette Chimenti Emily Little Maureen Metteauer Held at the beautifully restored Commodore Perry Estate, Mandy Dealey Jennifer Marsh Marion Sanchez participants will learn to glaze, paint, weather strip and John Donisi Melanie Martinez Tammy Shaklee unstick painted-shut windows. You will also learn how to Jerry Harris Peter Flagg Maxson Nikhil Sinha Shelly Hemingson John Mayfield Eric Smith safely remove lead paint. Courtney Hoffman Nancy Nichols Edward Tasch Saundra Kirk Kristy Ozmun Stephen Webb Saturday, July 27, 2013 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm H VOTING REPRESENTATIVES H The Chapel at Commodore Perry Estate Michael Holleran, UT School of Architecture 4100 Red River Street, Austin, Texas 78751 Stacie Rychlik, Inherit Austin $75 per person John Rosato (as above), Landmark Commission Mike Ward, Pioneer Farms Comfortable work clothes are suggested. Refreshments will be provided. H H WATERLOO SOCIETY H Paula & Lee Aaronson Patsy Wood Martin & Jack Martin Get the earliest notice Ann Griffith Ash Peter Flagg Maxson & Melanie & Ben Barnes John C. R. Taylor III of event ticket sales BlueCross BlueShield of Texas McBee Family Foundation and updates. Booth Heritage Foundation (Suzanne Jill & Dennis McDaniel Like us at https:// Deal Booth & David G. Booth) Emily Moreland Sabrina & Jay Brown Rosemary Morrow www.facebook.com/ Ann Butler Carole & George Nalle PreservationAustin Danette Chimenti Cheryl & John Sauder Tim Cuppett & Marco Rini Tammy Shaklee & Clif Mitchell Mandy Dealey Sue & C. Aubrey Smith, Jr. Cissie & Dillon Ferguson Eric & Cynthia Smith H STAFF Regan & Billy Gammon Lin Team & Lewis Donelson Beth & Tom Granger Bratten Thomason Jacqui Schraad, Executive Director Becky & Bob Buslett/Green Pastures Candace & John Volz Angela Reed, Preservation Program Manager Frost Bank David Wilson Debbie & Mark Hanna Patricia Winston & Bill Head Mailing Address - P.O. Box 2113, Austin, TX 78768 Dealey Herndon Eva & Marvin Womack Physical Address - 500 Chicon, Austin, 78702 Courtney & Clark Hoffman Ph. (512) 474-5198 Fax (512) 476-8687 Mrs. Janie Holloway & [email protected] www.preservationaustin.org Mr. John Weisinger 2 SUMMER 2013 H Call for Nominations Preservation Merit Awards P reservation Austin annually presents awards to honor individuals and organizations for their visionary approach to preservation and commitment to maintaining Austin’s unique architectural, cultural, and environmental heritage. By creating more recognition for outstanding preservation projects and people engaged in preservation, we hope to inspire others to carry on the important work of safeguarding Austin’s heritage. Projects must be located within the City of Austin and completed on or after January 1, 2011 and prior to the date applications are due. Nomination Guidelines and Form found at www.preservationaustin.org/programs/preservation-awards/ Nominations must be received on Monday, July 29th, 2013 by 3:00 p.m. Packages may be mailed to Preservation Austin, ATTN: PA Awards, P.O. Box 2113, Austin, TX 78768; hand delivered to our office at 500 Chicon Street in Austin; or sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Contact Angela Reed at [email protected] or 474-5198 with questions. H Generous Funding continued from page 1 effort that will finally come to fruition Wheel or Dale Watson playing there weddings and special events, and will within the next three months. This now. provide income to help Pioneer Farms work will include exterior painting continue to grow and prosper. You and construction of the restrooms, The finishing touch to the Pioneer can contact farminfo@pioneerfarms. catering kitchen and related utilities. Farms event center will be the org if you know of funding sources or The dance hall was originally located addition of a congregational would like to help. All donations are tax near the community of West Point, church that can be used for historic deductible. north of La Grange, and sat vacant for programming, weddings and special at least 40 years. The one-story wood events. Historically, churches were These are exciting times. I’m going to frame building dates to the early 20th the first public buildings constructed go shine my boots for that dance floor. century, and was built by two brothers in many early Texas settlements, in a design common for dance halls signifying the importance of faith Best Regards, in the late 1800s. It has a clear span in the community. We have our floor and fold-down outside windows. eye on a special property to be Tere O’Connell It fits in perfectly at the south side of sited to the east side of Sprinkle PRESIDENT H the Pioneer Farms town square. Barring Corner square. We are in need of any unforeseen circumstances (heaven $200,000 to complete this aspect forbid), it will be available to rent in of work. Once completed, the event the fall. I can almost hear Asleep at the center will be a perfect setting for PRESERVATION AUSTIN 3 Inside the Austin Woman’s Club By Gayle Hight T he Austin Woman’s Club. It’s that big, white castle on the hill, catty- corner from a restaurant called Ranch 616. Have you ever wondered what’s The North-Evans Chateau inside? In the early days, there was a lush Woman’s Club has been active in Located at 710 San Antonio Street, sunken garden – where the parking the Austin community. In its early the Austin Woman’s Club is in the lot now stands. And underneath it all, years the Club was an advocate for Bremond Block of the National an offshoot of Shoal Creek known as preservation, protesting cutting down Register Historic District. In “Little Shoal Creek” ran through the trees on the courthouse lawn and preservation and historical circles, it’s property. In 1917, the City diverted the paying to mark the city streets in the known as the North–Evans Chateau. creek with an underground concrete neighborhood. They also urged the Most recently, its d.b.a. is Chateau tunnel. City Council to leave the “moon glow Bellevue, a popular event venue, towers.” During WWII, volunteers came Deep Austin Roots especially for weddings. (www. to the Club to roll bandages for injured chateaubellevueaustin.org) The grammatically correct name is troops. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Austin Woman’s Club (www.austinwc. third floor became boarding rooms for My first tour of the Austin Woman’s org), but that’s not what the founders female students from The University Club was in 1987, when I joined the of the Club named it in 1928. In 1929, of Texas. Junior Austin Woman’s Club. (You the Club bought the mansion for “graduate” to the senior club at age Only Three Other Former Owners $36,000 from Frances Hurlbut, former 55.) The mansion has an impressive wife of Maj. Ira Evans. (Read more The North-Evans Chateau is one of Romanesque Revival limestone about Maj. Evans below.) Austin’s few surviving large-scale masonry exterior, but it’s the interior Victorian residences. Originally from that really wowed me. You will probably recognize names France, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey North built of some of the Austin Woman’s Club the original section of the mansion You’ll find room after room of hand founders: Mrs.