Answers Without Questions
Wandering Austin on a couple of different occasions in the last week or two, I've collected a few more historical markers. The first I found when walking downtown with a friend to take pictures of the intersection at which she got a ticket for making an illegal left turn. Turns out there was no signage at all indicating the left turn was illegal, and the ticket was dismissed at her court date. She was a little disappointed, I think, that her pictures didn't come into play because the officer had written the ticket incorrectly. But! On that walk downtown, we collected a historical marker.
Then when I was out with my love on 6th Street, and The ROT Rally crowds got too dense and the motorcycles too loud and we wandered further afield, we collected another couple of markers. I love stumbling across little bits of history that answer questions I didn't know I had until I read it, like "who is Waller Creek named for?" and "how did that Congress Avenue promenade that's so much a part of my own story as a runner in this town come to be?"
The first of the markers tells how Austin High School has a history of getting destroyed by fire, and gives context to another name I've only heard because of what has since been named after him, McCallum High School, one of the schools that has its graduation at my beloved arena.
The second is the story of the development of Congress Avenue over the years, the city's most iconic view and the start of the Austin Cap10K, which I've talked about here and posted a picture of here.
And the third is a boring story of rich people and their house, which we didn't even look at that closely because it was late, and her feet were starting to hurt from walking in pretty shoes.
Historical Marker #15360:
An ornate, red brick building at this site served as the first structure in town built for the public high school, founded in 1881. Construction of the facility was hastened when the classrooms in the former temporary State Capitol at 11th and Congress were destroyed by fire. Completed in 1900 from the plans of Bert McDonald and James Reily, “Old Red” featured a domed rotunda. As the school grew, additions were made to the original structure. Under the supervision of principal James E. Pearce, 1895-1918, and superintendent A. N. McCallum 1903-1942, Austin high school developed a quality academic program. Innovations included the John T. Allan manual training center and one of the earliest domestic arts (home economics) departments in the nation. The buildings here could no longer accommodate the growing Austin high school by 1925 and plans were made to utilize the larger junior high campus at the corner of 12th and Rio Grande. The switch was made during the Thanksgiving holidays of that year and “Old Red” became John T Allen Junior high school. Classes were held at the site until 1956, when the complex was destroyed by fire.
Historical Marker #14389:
In his original 1839 plan for the Capital City, Edwin Waller, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and Austin's first mayor, designed Congress Avenue as Austin's most prominent street. Known for many years as "The Avenue", the street has been the scene of many important social, political, patriotic, religious, and military events. Early structures along Congress Avenue included government buildings, hotels, saloons, retail stores, and restaurants. By the late 1840s it was a well-established business district. The mid-1870s saw the introduction of gaslight illumination and mule-drawn streetcars, as well as construction of a new Travis County Courthouse at Eleventh Street. The present Capitol was built in 1883-88. Bricks replaced the original dirt street in 1910, and trolley cars operated on the avenue until 1940. Economic progress and modernization altered the avenue's appearance over the years, but it remains the city's most historic and identifiable street. In recognition of its architectural and historical significance, Congress Avenue from First Street to the Capitol was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Historical Marker #6440
Henry Hirshfeld (1834-1911), a native of Germany, was a prominent Austin merchant and a leader in the city's Jewish community. In 1873 he and hid wife Jennie (Melasky) built a one-story limestone cottage on the lot west of this site. Because of the financial success and a growing family, they later made plans for a larger home here. Construction of this two-story brick and cut stone house began in 1885 and the family moved in a year after completion. Designed and built by architect John Andrewartha, it features characteristics of Victorian and Eastlake styling. Exterior ornamentation includes a double gallery, a bay, strained glass, ornate woodwork, and intricate limestone detailing. The two-story stick style carriage house was built soon after completion of the main residence. The Hirshfelds had eight children. Two of their son's Jake and Sam, also became merchants and opened separate clothing stores. Jake and his brother Morris served as directors of the Austin National Bank, an institution their father helped establish in 1890. Family members continued to reside here until the death of the Hirshfelds' daughter Leila Hirshfeld Bernheim in 1973.
