Austin History Center

United States historic place

Austin History Center
(NRHP: Austin Public Library)

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark

The Austin History Center main entrance

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Location| 810 Guadalupe St
Austin, Texas, USA
Coordinates| 30°16′17″N 97°44′44″W﻿ / ﻿30.27139°N 97.74556°W﻿ / 30.27139; -97.74556
Built| 1933 (1933)
Architect| Hugo Kuehne
J. Roy White
Architectural style| Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.| 93000389[1]
RTHL No.| 6425
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| May 6, 1993
Designated RTHL| 1993

The Austin History Center is the local history collection of the Austin Public Library and the city's historical archive.

The building opened as the official Austin Public Library in 1933 and served as the main library until 1979,[2] when library functions moved to the John Henry Faulk Library, a newer facility next door. Its site, which overlooks one of four public squares platted in Austin in 1839, was obtained from the Texas Legislature in 1913 for construction of a public library. The Renaissance Revival structure, built in 1933 during the implementation of the 1928 Austin city plan, was designed by local architect J. Roy White,[3] working for the architectural firm of Austin native Hugo Kuehne, founding dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture. The building also contains work by several Austin craftsmen, including ironworker Fortunat Wiegl, wood-carver Peter Mansbendel, and fresco artist Harold "Bubi" Jessen.[2]

View of the Austin History Center

The Austin History Center celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005. As of 2008 it houses thousands of documents, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories. It features special exhibits and speakers on a regular basis.

The historic library building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1993.[4] A Texas Historical Commission marker placed in front of the library identifies it as a Texas Historic Landmark recorded in 1993.[2]

## Interior architecture and design

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### Loggia fresco

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The front entrance to the Austin History Center has a loggia, an exterior covered corridor, supported by Corinthian column arches that complement its architectural style. Accomplished local craftsmen contributed to the design of the original building.[5] Among these local craftsmen, Harold “Bubi” Jessen hand-painted a fresco on the ceiling of the loggia. The plaster of the groin vaulted ceiling features winged horses and curved flowing lines. Bubi Jessen came to Austin, Texas as a child from Germany. He attended the University of Texas as an architecture student. He later became an instructor and designed more than 20 buildings for the University of Texas.[6] Jessen was also the author of a children's book titled “Humbert the Lion”.[7]

### Ironwork

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There are three large wooden double doors with transom windows above that lead into the main entrance lobby of the Austin History Center. The glass of the doors, transom windows, and exterior window balconies all have ornate ironwork created by master ironsmith Fortunat Weigl. Fortunat immigrated to Austin, Texas from Albing, Germany. He started F. Weigl Iron Works with the help of a local woodcarver, Peter Mansbendel.[8] F. Weigl Iron Works was operated by Fortunat Weigl and his two sons, Fortunat Lee Weigl and Herb Weigl from 1935 to 1977 at First St. and Red River St., where it has now become Iron Works Barbeque.[9] The legacy of the Weigl family iron smithing trade continues with Weigl Iron Works in Fredericksburg.

### Interior wood detailing

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Contributing to the interior wooden craftsmanship of the Austin Public Library was the handiwork of a Swiss immigrant woodcarver named Peter Mansbendel. Peter started wood carving from an early age and studied in London, Paris, and New York. While in New York, Peter Mansbendel met his future wife Clotilde Shipe, whose father, Monroe M. Shipe, was the real estate developer of the Hyde Park subdivision in Austin, Texas.[10] Samples of Peter Mansbendel's work can be found in the Union Building of the University of Texas at Austin in the form of carved plaques of former university presidents.[11] In San Antonio, Mansbendel replicated the doors of Mission San Jose in black walnut wood.

### Main lobby

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The main lobby of the Austin History Center features a tripartite division of the walls. An oak wainscoting dado lines the lower perimeter of the room, while imitation travertine Corinthian pilasters appear along the wall between the doors that lead up to a full entablature at the ceiling. The ceiling is made of plaster and has five paneled sections with chandeliers adding to the classical design of this room. Throughout the lobby and into some of the other rooms are rubber tile floors that are original to the building since 1933.[12]

### Holt Gallery

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The David Earl Holt Gallery Room, located just to the left of the front lobby, accommodates up to 62 people and is available for reservation by non-profit organizations.[13] Visitors may enter this room from the hallway through large wooden double doors that have glass transoms overhead. Inside the room is a fireplace between the two entrance doors. The fireplace mantle and surround is original to the building since it was the Austin Public Library in 1933. The fireplace surround features pilasters on each side supported by high relief brackets and a carved stone mantelpiece with a bas-relief carving by Fred Eder. Oak trim baseboards line the interior room floor.

### Mayor's Room

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The Mayor's Room, which is entered either from the hallway or from the Holt Gallery, gets its name from the pictures hung around the room of Mayors of Austin since 1839.[12]

### O. Henry Collection

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The O. Henry Room contains a large collection of a mixed array of material from William Sydney Porter. William Porter was a local to Austin in the late 1800s and used the pen name O. Henry when writing short stories. Some original O. Henry furniture found in this room and most of the available materials were donated by Judge Trueman E. O'Quinn while other materials were acquired from Jenny Lind Porter, Ethel Hofer, the Maddox family, the Austin Heritage Society, and the Austin History Center Association.[14]

### Reading Room

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The Reading Room, located to the right of the lobby, is where visitors may reside while reviewing their research. This room features broadloom carpet, original tables and chairs from 1933, as well as table lamps specifically designed for this room during the 1980s renovation by Bell, Klein & Hoffman.[15] The exterior walls of this room feature large arched windows, while the room is divided by floor to ceiling columns with brackets in the corners. Half wall shelving exists between the columns to separate the research area from the reference material space.

## References

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1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
2. ^ a b c "Details for 1933 Austin Public Library (Atlas Number 5453006425)". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
3. ^ "J. Roy White Drawings". Texas Archival Resources Online. University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
4. ^ "Austin Public Library". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
5. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Austin Public Library / Austin History Center". October 1990.
6. ^ "Longtime Austin Architect Dies". Austin American Statesman. Austin History Center Archives. December 15, 1978.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: others (link)
7. ^ "Jessen and Jessen collection". Texas Archival Resources Online. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018.
8. ^ "Weigl Iron Works Papers". Texas Archival Resources Online. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021.
9. ^ Hammers in hand: Weigl family iron works: an exhibition / organized by Laguna Gloria Art Museum, December 19, 1980-February 8, 1981. Austin, Texas: Laguna Gloria Art Museum. 1980.
10. ^ "Peter Heinrich Mansbendel Papers". Texas Archival Resources Online. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021.
11. ^ Mansbendel, Peter (1977). Peter Mansbendel: a Swiss woodcarver in Texas: an exhibit/prepared by the University of Texas at San Antonio, Institute of Texan Cultures, 1977-1978. San Antonio, Texas: University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures of San Antonio.
12. ^ a b "History of Our Building". Austin History Center. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013.
13. ^ "AHC Meeting Room and David Earl Holt Photo Gallery". Austin History Center. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013.
14. ^ "O.Henry (William Sydney Porter) Resource Guide" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 23, 2021.
15. ^ Bell, Klein & Hoffman Architects & Restoration Consultants, Inc. 1981. Old Main Library Renovation Floor Plans. Austin, Texas: Austin History Center.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austin History Center.

* Austin History Center
* Texas Historical Commission
* Teachinghistory.org review of AHC website Austin Treasures

* v
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Downtown Austin

Areas|

* Bremond Block Historic District
* Congress Avenue Historic District
* Rainey Street Historic District
* Red River Cultural District
* Sixth Street

Civic|

* Austin Central Fire Station 1
* Austin City Hall
* Austin Convention Center
* O. Henry Hall
* Texas Governor's Mansion
* Texas State Capitol
* Travis County Courthouse
* United States Courthouse (1936)
* United States Courthouse (2012)
* William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building

Education|

| Primary and secondary
schools|

* Austin ISD
* former Austin HS (now ACC Rio Grande)
* Headwaters School (former Khabele School)

|

Colleges and universities|

* Austin Community College (ACC) Rio Grande campus

Skyscrapers
and complexes|

* 360 Condominiums
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* Spring
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Parks|

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Other landmarks|

* Buford Tower
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* The Contemporary Austin
* Driskill Hotel
* Gethsemane Lutheran Church
* Lundberg Bakery
* Paramount Theatre
* Liberty Lunch (closed)
* William Sidney Porter House
* Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge
* Seaholm Power Plant

CapMetro Rail stations|

* Downtown

This list is incomplete.

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National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas

Archaeological|

* Andrew M. Cox Ranch Site
* Levi Rock Shelter
* Smith Rock Shelter

Business|

* Arnold Bakery
* Austin Daily Tribune Building
* Blue Bonnet Court
* Brown Building
* Cambridge Tower
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* Haehnel Building
* Lundberg Bakery
* Millett Opera House
* Norwood Tower
* Paramount Theatre
* J. P. Schneider Store
* Scholz Garten
* Victory Grill
* Westgate Tower

Civic|

* All Saints' Episcopal Church
* Anderson Stadium
* Austin Central Fire Station 1
* Baker Center
* Austin Fire Drill Tower
* Austin History Center
* Austin State Hospital
* Battle Hall
* Camp Mabry
* George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center
* Central Christian Church
* Chapel for the Children
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* General Land Office Building
* Gethsemane Lutheran Church
* Dewitt C. Greer State Highway Building
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* Lamar Boulevard Bridge
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* Oakwood Cemetery
* Royal Arch Masonic Lodge
* James E. Rudder State Office Building
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* St. Mary's Cathedral
* Scottish Rite Dormitory
* Seaholm Power Plant
* Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters
* Texas Governor's Mansion
* Texas State Capitol
* Texas State Cemetery
* Third Street Railroad Trestle
* Town Lake Gazebo
* United States Courthouse (1936)
* University Baptist Church
* University Junior High School
* Anthony and Louise Viaer Alumni Hall
* Wesley United Methodist Church
* West Fifth Street Bridge
* West Sixth Street Bridge

Districts|

* Bremond Block Historic District
* Clarksville Historic District
* Congress Avenue Historic District
* Hyde Park Historic District
* Little Campus
* Moore's Crossing Historic District
* Old West Austin Historic District
* Rainey Street Historic District
* Shadow Lawn Historic District
* Sixth Street Historic District
* Swedish Hill Historic District
* Travis Heights-Fairview Park Historic District
* West Line Historic District
* Willow–Spence Streets Historic District

Private|

* Aynesworth–Wright House
* Judge Robert Lynn Batts House
* Genaro P. and Carolina Briones House
* Brizendine House
* Carrington–Covert House
* Daniel H. and William T. Caswell Houses
* Frank M. and Annie G. Covert House
* Cox–Craddock House
* J. Frank Dobie House
* Fischer House
* Granger House and The Perch
* Hildreth–Flanagan–Heierman House
* Henry Hirshfeld House and Cottage
* A. J. Jernigan House
* Keith House
* Laguna Gloria
* Peter and Clotilde Shipe Mansbendel House
* Mayfield–Gutsch Estate
* McKinney Homestead
* Millett Opera House
* Neill–Cochran House
* Oliphant–Walker House
* Page–Gilbert House
* Perry Estate–St. Mary's Academy
* William Sidney Porter House
* Louis and Mathilde Reuter House
* Roberts Clinic
* Robinson–Macken House
* Sheeks–Robertson House
* Col. Monroe M. Shipe House
* Smith–Marcuse–Lowry House
* Southgate–Lewis House
* Wahrenberger House
* Woodlawn
* Goodall Wooten House
* Worrell–Ettlinger House
* Ziller House

Recreational|

* Barton Springs
* Deep Eddy Pool
* Lions Municipal Golf Course
* Mount Bonnell
* Wooldridge Park
* Zilker Park

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
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National|

* United States

Other|

* Yale LUX

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