Click below to jump to a section:
Historic Preservation Plan
Translating Community History
Historic Design Standards
North Loop, Hancock, and Upper Boggy Creek Historic Resources Survey
University, Windsor, and Hyde Park Historic Resources Survey
Historic Preservation Plan
A new historic preservation plan will replace Austin’s 1981 preservation plan with an inclusive, equity-focused, and community-oriented process and outcome. The planning process will happen in two phases, with Phase 1 starting in July 2021. Visit the project website to learn more and get involved.
Translating Community History
The Translating Community History project engaged community members in the College Heights and South East Austin focus areas about the buildings and stories that make an area special. The project included three parts:
- Neighborhood meetings with story-sharing and discussions
- A multi-part heritage project that knits together the past and present through archival research, present-day resident portraits, and personal stories:
- Watch the videos above
- Download the catalog PDFs here: College Heights/African American Heritage (PDF), South East Austin/Mexican American Heritage (PDF), and Patrimonio Mexicano-Americano y del Sureste de Austin (PDF)
- See a map with locations and photos of posters featuring community portraits
- Applications to list Huston-Tillotson University (PDF) and Parque Zaragoza (PDF) in the National Register of Historic Places
Translating Community History is supported in part by an Underrepresented Community Grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
Historic Design Standards
The Historic Design Standards were developed to clarify existing standards for historic landmarks and National Register districts. They also streamline the historic district application process, making it less costly and more equitable. Explore frequently asked questions.
The Historic Design Standards were created by a working group before the Covid-19 pandemic. City Council adopted the standards in November 2022. This followed public review of draft standards in summer 2019 and presentations to five City commissions in 2020:
Historic Landmark Commission—November 16, 2020 (read recommendation)
Planning Commission—November 24 and December 8, 2020 (read recommendation)
Zoning and Platting Commission—December 1, 2020 (read recommendation)
Downtown Commission—December 16, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. (recommended)
Design Commission—December 21, 2020, at 6 p.m. (read recommendation)
North Loop, Hancock, and Upper Boggy Creek Historic Resources Survey
This historic resources survey will evaluate 45+ year-old buildings in the North Loop, Hancock, and Upper Boggy Creek neighborhood planning areas as potential historic landmarks and historic districts. The survey will include the Delwood Duplex and Wilshire National Register districts.
Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting and Preservation Central is conducting fieldwork, archival research, and community outreach, with survey work expected to be completed in 2020.
University, Windsor, and Hyde Park Historic Resources Survey
Similar to the project above, this historic resources survey will evaluate 45+ year-old buildings in the survey area as potential historic landmarks and historic districts. The survey will include properties in the north portion of the Old West Austin National Register District, as well as properties in the Hyde Park National Register District that are not located in the locally designated Hyde Park Historic District.
HHM & Associates will complete fieldwork, archival research, and community outreach, with survey work expected to be completed in 2020.
University, Windsor, Hyde Park Historic Resources Survey (web)