Julian Read speaks at the announcement of the placement of the Capitol View Corridors on Preservation Texas' Most Endangered List of 2007.
Heritage Society of Austin's
Advocacy
For over 50 years, the Heritage Society of Austin has been Austin’s leading voice for the preservation of historic buildings and places. As a result of our advocacy and financial support, 300 historic properties, including Austin treasures like the Driskill Hotel, Paramount Theater, Governor’s Mansion, Laguna Gloria, and many private residences have been preserved.
In the last several years, we successfully advocated to maintain tax abatements for City Landmark properties and adoption of a Local Historic Districts program. We are monitoring implementation of these districts, urging the city to expedite applications in process and we are offering grants on a needs basis to assist neighborhoods in developing their applications. Currently, we are vigorously advocating to preserve the threatened Capitol View Corridors. We are actively participating in developing the new Downtown Plan to ensure that future development respects and complements Downtown's historic character, especially in historically residential neighborhoods.
In August 2009, we successfully advocated for changes to Austin's Preservation Ordinance to meet the standards of our peer cities.
The Heritage Society also maintains a Watch List of threatened properties and advocates on their behalf. Click here to notify us of a historic property at risk or a preservation issue of concern.
