Hyde Park (Austin, Texas)

Last updated

Hyde Park Historic District
HydeParkNeighborhoodAustinTX.JPG
Hyde Park (Austin, Texas)
LocationRoughly bounded by Ave. A, 45th St., Duval St., and 40th St., Austin, Texas
Coordinates 30°18′21″N97°43′48″W / 30.30583°N 97.73000°W / 30.30583; -97.73000
Area138.5 acres (56.0 ha)
Architectural style Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Queen Anne
MPS Hyde Park MPS
NRHP reference No. 90001191 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 29, 1990

Hyde Park is a neighborhood and historic district in Austin, Texas. Located in Central Austin, Hyde Park is defined by 38th Street to the south, 45th Street to the north, Duval Street to the east, and Guadalupe Street to the west. It is situated just north of the University of Texas and borders the neighborhoods of Hancock and North Loop. [2]

Contents

Hyde Park traces its origins back to 1891 and is considered to be Austin's first suburb. [3] The neighborhood was originally developed by Monroe M. Shipe in 1891 as a "White Only" streetcar suburb with a large artificial lake, but it has since become one of the most densely populated areas in the city's urban core. [4] [5] [6] Part of the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District in 1990.

Hyde Park is located in city council District 9.

History

Located approximately twenty blocks from Austin's original town site, the area now known as Hyde Park was largely rural in character for much of the 19th century. The State Fair of Texas was held in the eastern sections of Hyde Park from 1875 until it was moved to Dallas in 1884. A portion of the State Fair's horseracing track is still reflected in the curved segment of 39th Street between Avenue F and Duval Street. [7]

Early promotional map of Hyde Park Map of Hyde Park.jpg
Early promotional map of Hyde Park

Established in 1891 by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Land and Town Company, Hyde Park was marketed under the direction of Monroe Martin Shipe as a majority-white, affluent suburb featuring large, majestic residences, separate from the racially integrated neighborhoods of the city. [8] Ads touted Hyde Park as "free from nuisances and an objectionable class of people, proper restrictions being taken to guard against undesirable occupants." [9] Critical to the suburb's success was the establishment of an electric streetcar system. After the City Council awarded Shipe a franchise in 1890, his Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company built its first line on Congress Avenue, west on Sixth Street, and north on Rio Grande Street and Old Georgetown Road (now Guadalupe Street) to Hyde Park. [10]

Hyde Park was initially marketed to Austin's elite in the 1890s, and Shipe achieved moderate success. The first houses built in the neighborhood were stylistic examples of late 19th-century domestic architecture. Many of them, such as the Oliphant-Walker House, were built in the Queen Anne style by locally prominent citizens. Noted sculptor Elisabet Ney was among the first to buy property in the area, which was heavily promoted as confirmation that Hyde Park was attractive to Austin's most talented and prestigious citizens. Ney built a small castle-style studio, named Formosa, in northwest Hyde Park that is now home to the Elisabet Ney Museum. [11]

By the late 1890s and early 1900s, however, the tone of Hyde Park's advertisements began to change. No longer was it promoted as an affluent residential area; instead, the suburb was described as an ideal place for the "working man or woman" to invest his or her earnings by purchasing a lot and building a residence. The key phrase in these promotions became affordability. [12] Hyde Park's architectural character shifted to smaller, more modest frame houses and bungalows. While steady construction of houses characterized the area through the early 1900s, Hyde Park's greatest building boom occurred between 1924 and 1935. Shipe Park was dedicated in 1928. [7]

Analysis of styles and dates of construction of domestic structures elucidates historic growth patterns within Hyde Park. The oldest houses are located near the State Hospital or along the former streetcar route on 40th Street. Later, as promotional emphasis shifted to a different socioeconomic group, more modest dwellings were constructed in areas somewhat removed from the streetcar line.

Today, Hyde Park consists of mostly renovated bungalow-style homes, and modern duplex-style residences, many with bright colors and unorthodox decorations, due in part to the residents preserving the city's informal "Keep Austin Weird" slogan. All street signs in Hyde Park are dedicated to its historical identity. Many "Austinites" consider Hyde Park Austin, TX's most locally cultured neighborhood. [ citation needed ]

Historic districts

The Hyde Park neighborhood contains two historic districts and several other individual historic buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [13] The Hyde Park Historic District is roughly defined by West 40th Street to the south, West 45th Street to the north, Duval Street to the east, and Avenue A to the west. [14] The district includes Victorian architecture, Tudor Revival architecture, and bungalows.

The Shadow Lawn Historic District in southeast Hyde Park is roughly bounded by 38th Street, 39th Street, Avenue G, and Duval Street. The district includes several homes of historic interest from the early twentieth century.

Historic buildings in Hyde Park

Shipe Park ShipfParkAustinTX.JPG
Shipe Park

Residential properties are the most prominent property type in Hyde Park, with single-family dwellings comprising about 95 percent of the neighborhood's built environment. Most lots within the neighborhood were improved between the late 1890s and 1935. Houses built during that period reflect the architectural tastes, trends and patterns that prevailed in Austin at the time. Bungalows are the most common house type, followed by examples of the stylistic influences of the Queen Anne and Tudor Revival styles. [12]

As Austin grew, Hyde Park once again underwent a boom of sorts. From 2001 to 2007, the median home price rose by nearly $70,000 to $320,000. [7] Despite the housing market crash in 2008-2009, homes regained their values and as of July 2013 the median home price was $350,000 with some properties selling for over $1.5 million. [15]

The 1.75-acre (7,100 m2) Shipe Park is located in Hyde Park. Shipe Park has two unlighted basketball courts, one multipurpose court, two picnic tables, one playground, a 444-square-yard neighborhood swimming pool, two lighted tennis courts, and indoor toilet facilities. [16]

Education

Residents are served by the Austin Independent School District. Residents are assigned to Lee Elementary School, Kealing Middle School, and McCallum High School. [17] The area is also served by Hyde Park Schools.

Sri Atmananda Memorial School, a private school, was in Hyde Park.

Related Research Articles

A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when the introduction of the electric trolley or streetcar allowed the nation’s burgeoning middle class to move beyond the central city’s borders. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing residences to be built farther away from the urban core of a city. Streetcar suburbs, usually called additions or extensions at the time, were the forerunner of today's suburbs in the United States and Canada. San Francisco's Western Addition is one of the best examples of streetcar suburbs before westward and southward expansion occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inman Park</span> Historic district on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Inman Park is an intown neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, and its first planned suburb. It was named for Samuel M. Inman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage Park, Chicago</span> Community area in Chicago

Portage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west, Irving Park to the east and Belmont-Cragin to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California bungalow</span> Architectural style

California bungalow is an alternative name for the American Craftsman style of residential architecture, when it was applied to small-to-medium-sized homes rather than the large "ultimate bungalow" houses of designers like Greene and Greene. California bungalows became popular in suburban neighborhoods across the United States, and to varying extents elsewhere, from around 1910 to 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont Heights, Long Beach, California</span> Neighborhood of Long Beach in Los Angeles, California, United States

Belmont Heights is a district in the south-east portion of the city of Long Beach, California, United States, bordering Bluff Park, Bluff Heights, Recreation Park, Belmont Park, Belmont Shore, and the Pacific Ocean. The district commemorates the old City of Belmont Heights, which was incorporated in 1908 and annexed to Long Beach in 1909. Belmont Heights' borders are Ocean Boulevard and Livingston Drive to the south, Redondo Avenue on the west, 7th Street to the North, and Nieto Avenue to the east. The area is mostly residential, but also has an active business district, the strip of Broadway east of Redondo Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland Heights, Houston</span> Historic Neighborhood in Houston, Texas

The Woodland Heights neighborhood is one of the oldest and most historic in Houston, Texas. It encompasses approximately 2000 homes in the 77009 ZIP code and is bounded on the north by Pecore Street, on the west by Studewood Street, on the east by I-45, and on the south by I-10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow Lawn Historic District (Austin, Texas)</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Shadow Lawn Historic District is a historic district in central Austin, Texas that has a cohesive collection of houses built in the southeast portion of Hyde Park during the late 1920s and 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old West Austin Historic District</span> Historic district in Texas, United States

The Old West Austin Historic District is a residential community in Austin, Texas, United States. It is composed of three neighborhoods located on a plateau just west of downtown Austin: Old Enfield, Pemberton Heights, and Bryker Woods. Developed between 1886 and 1953, the three historic neighborhoods stretch from Mopac Expressway east to Lamar Boulevard, and from 13th Street north to 35th Street. It borders Clarksville Historic District and the West Line Historic District to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Col. Monroe M. Shipe House</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Col. Monroe M. Shipe House is a historic two-story home in the Hyde Park historic district in Austin, Texas, United States. The building was completed by Monroe M. Shipe, founder of Hyde Park, in 1892. It uses an eclectic combination of styles, including a Stick style form, Queen Anne decorations, and a flat concrete roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildreth–Flanagan–Heierman House</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Hildreth–Flanagan–Heierman House is a historic home in the Hyde Park historic district in Austin, Texas. It is also a part of the Shadow Lawn Historic District, a subdivision of the Hyde Park neighborhood designated by Hyde Park founder Monroe M. Shipe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Page–Gilbert House</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Page–Gilbert House is a historic home in the Hyde Park Historic District in Austin, Texas, United States. It is also a part of the Shadow Lawn Historic District, a subdivision within the Hyde Park neighborhood established by Hyde Park founder Monroe M. Shipe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliphant–Walker House</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Oliphant–Walker House is a historic home in the Hyde Park Historic District in Austin, Texas. It is also a part of the Shadow Lawn Historic District, a subdivision within the Hyde Park neighborhood established by Hyde Park founder Monroe M. Shipe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter and Clotilde Shipe Mansbendel House</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Peter and Clotilde Shipe Mansbendel House is an historic home in the Hyde Park Historic District in Austin, Texas, United States. It is also a part of the Shadow Lawn Historic District, a subdivision within the Hyde Park neighborhood established by Hyde Park founder Monroe M. Shipe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenwood Historic District (St. Petersburg, Florida)</span> Historic district in Florida, United States

The Kenwood Historic District is a district located in St. Petersburg, Florida U.S.A. It was designated on August 4, 2003, and is located immediately west of downtown, bounded by 9th Avenue North, 1st Avenue North, 19th Street North and 34th Street North. It contains 2,203 historic buildings. The Grand Central adjoins the district at its southern boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillcrest (Little Rock)</span> United States historic place

Hillcrest Historic District is a historic neighborhood in Little Rock, Arkansas that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1990. It is often referred to as Hillcrest by the people who live there, although the district's boundaries actually encompass several neighborhood additions that were once part of the incorporated town of Pulaski Heights. The town of Pulaski Heights was annexed to the city of Little Rock in 1916. The Hillcrest Residents Association uses the tagline "Heart of Little Rock" because the area is located almost directly in the center of the city and was the first street car suburb in Little Rock and among the first of neighborhoods in Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willow–Spence Streets Historic District</span> Historic district in Texas, United States

The Willow–Spence Streets Historic District is a neighborhood that lies east of downtown Austin, Texas. Its houses, churches, and commercial buildings were built in the early twentieth century. It is bounded roughly by Interstate 35 to the west, East César Chávez Street to the north, and Spence Street to the south. It extends a few houses east of San Marcos Street along Willow and Canterbury Streets. It thus includes portions of Willow, Spence, Canterbury, San Marcos, and Waller Streets. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Home Park, Knoxville</span> United States historic place

Island Home Park is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located in the southeastern part of the city along the Tennessee River. Developed as a streetcar suburb in the early 1900s, the neighborhood retains most of its original houses and streetscapes, and is home to the city's largest concentration of Bungalow-style houses. In 1994, several dozen houses in Island Home Park were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Island Home Park Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkridge, Knoxville</span> United States historic place

Parkridge is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue east of the city's downtown area. Developed as a streetcar suburb for Knoxville's professional class in the 1890s, the neighborhood was incorporated as the separate city of Park City in 1907, and annexed by Knoxville in 1917. In the early 1900s, the neighborhood provided housing for workers at the nearby Standard Knitting Mill factory.

South River City is a community located in Austin, Texas. Also frequently called Travis Heights, the neighborhood is located south of the city's urban core, just below Lake Lady Bird in South Austin. The area encompasses a portion of ZIP code 78704.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe M. Shipe</span> American real estate and streetcar network developer

Colonel Monroe Martin Shipe, also called M. M. Shipe, was an American real estate developer who developed Hyde Park, an early streetcar suburb in Austin, Texas. He also founded the Austin Electric Railway Company, a streetcar network that initially served Hyde Park but expanded to become the public transit network for the city of Austin and, eventually, the direct predecessor of Austin's current transit agency, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Neighborhood Planning Areas". Austin City Connection. City of Austin. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved Sep 9, 2011.
  3. "Hyde Park". Austin Treasures. City of Austin. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2005.
  4. Julio, Julio (2007-02-02). "Hyde Park evolved differently than planned". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on 2010-01-28. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  5. R.U. Steinberg and John Slate, East Austin: A Planned Community. Austin Chronicle. 12/9/1988√
  6. Eliot Tretter, Austin Restricted: Progressivism, Zoning, Private Racial Covenants, and the Making of a Segregated City. Draft Report for Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis, University of Texas at Austin, 2012. Sounny-Slitine, Moulay Anwar; Tretter, Eliot. "Austin Restricted" . Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Austin City Connection. "Hyde Park Local Historic District". City of Austin. Retrieved 9 September 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. Tretter, Eliot M. (2012). "Austin Restricted: Progressivism, Zoning, Private Racial Covenants, and the Making of a Segregated City".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. "Austin's history of segregation threatens economy's future". projects.statesman.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  10. Ben Wear (March 8, 2010). "From mules to scrap: Austin's first rail era". Austin-American Statesman. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  11. "Austin landmark to undergo major restoration". News 8 Austin. August 17, 2009. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Hyde Park Historic District". Texas Historical Site Atlas. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved Sep 9, 2011.
  13. "TEXAS - Travis County Historic Districts". National Register of Historic Places . Retrieved Sep 7, 2011.
  14. "Hyde Park Historic District". Texas Historic Sites Atlas . Texas Historical Commission . Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  15. ""Hyde Park Housing Market Report
  16. "Shipe Park Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine ." City of Austin. Retrieved on September 26, 2009.
  17. "School Assignment by Residential Address Archived 2010-07-08 at the Wayback Machine ." Austin Independent School District. Retrieved on September 26, 2009.