Curious about the rich history of Downtown Austin and nearby neighborhoods? Or are you a longtime resident or Downtown visitor? Learn more – or share your knowledge and experiences – as part of an exciting City project to document the architecture and heritage of the oldest part of Austin.

Through one-the-ground building documentation, archival research, and oral histories, the Downtown Austin Historic Resource Survey will serve as a comprehensive snapshot of the area that, over the course of 185 years, grew from the small frontier settlement of Waterloo into today’s economic and cultural powerhouse.

The City's Historic Preservation Office will host a virtual meeting to share information about the survey with the public on Monday, May 13, at 6:00 p.m. Register here to attend the meeting. Meeting materials will be available online afterwards.

Community members and stakeholders also are invited to provide input on important places and stories in an online questionnaire at https://forms.gle/zKqWRXUPm673PZvt5. The questionnaire will close on Sunday, June 16.

“This survey will provide valuable information about Austin’s Downtown and nearby neighborhoods,” said Kalan Contreras, the City’s Historic Preservation Officer. “We hope community members will attend the meeting and take the questionnaire to add depth to the survey data.”

Historic resource surveys are a planning tool to identify properties that may be eligible for designation as local historic landmarks, historic districts, or listing in the National Register of Historic places. Surveys do not include zoning or land use changes, and all building documentation takes place from the public right of way.