(This story has been updated with additional information.)
This year, the annual Preservation Austin Homes Tour is split between two days — Saturday and Sunday — in order to showcase two sets of houses that reflect 150 years of Austin heritage.
“Austinites can explore our city’s history while soaking up architecture, culture and design excellence along the way,” says Lindsey Derrington, Preservation Austin executive director. “We can’t wait to welcome over 2,500 guests to take part in this special weekend.”
This house on Holly Street holds significant history related to the Economy Furniture Strike, also known as the Austin Chicano Huelga, that catalyzed the city’s Mexican American civil rights movement in the late 1960s and early ’70s. Jim Ruiz served as the union treasurer. In 1965, he and his wife Caroline purchased this home, and it was here that Caroline stitched the Local 456 strikers’ banner. The property remains with the family, owned by Jim and Caroline’s son Michael Ruiz, and now is a de facto Huelga museum.
Tickets start at $50 and can be purchased in advance or in person during the homes tour.
In addition, on Saturday, the advocacy group offers a free walking tour that illustrates the legacy of pioneering Black architect John S. Chase, as Austin celebrates the 100th anniversary of his birth. University of Texas professor Tara A. Dudley will lead visitors along East Austin’s Keystone Addition, featuring homes built by Lott Construction Co., where Chase worked as a draftsman before and during his studies at UT. The tour is free with advance registration, and does not require a homes tour ticket.
This 1924 bungalow sits a block away from where the city’s first streetcar line attracted working-class housing, now part of the West Line Historic District and Castle Hill Historic District. This home was likely constructed by local builder Claude Traweek, and early residents included a postal worker and city engineer. A team that consisted of an architectural firm, builder and mechanical contractor renovated the home with a rebuilt foundation and new energy-efficient windows. They added 5,000-square-foot house out back.
Let’s face it, all newspaper articles about architectural tours are really about the pictures.
So we’ll offer a generous look at some of the 10 homes, along with captions adapted from research provided by Preservation Austin.
This Craftsman-style home on West 32nd St. — part of the Preservation Austin tour on April 27 — stands on a corner lot in the Aldridge Place Historic District. Likely constructed around 1912 for hardware store owner John C. Ross, for many years this residence was home to affluent professionals, including an author, a lawyer and a post office superintendent. Homeowners Mark and Shannon Hutcheson modernized interiors to highlight the preserved brick fireplace, stained glass windows and exposed wood beams.
Designed by prolific Austin architect Edwin C. Kreisle in 1927, this recently restored home on San Gabriel Street is a beacon in the historic Judge’s Hill neighborhood. Kreisle practiced architecture for nearly 60 years, building more than 1,000 homes as well as numerous public buildings including the Lions Municipal Golf Course clubhouse, Scarbrough Building — contributing to the 1930–31 Art Deco renovation — Austin Fire Stations no. 1 and 2, and the Santa Rita Courts — the first public housing project completed under the Housing Act of 1937.
Four historic homes in one on Woodlawn Boulevard: This 1940 four-plex in the Old Enfield neighborhood adds Texas flair to the Monterey Revival style that takes its name from its origins in northern California in the 1920s. This style — relatively rare in Austin — blends Colonial Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival influences.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 2025 Preservation Austin Homes Tour showcases local history
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