AUSTIN, Texas — A century-old vacant building in East Austin has been saved from demolition.
Records indicate the building may have been sitting along East 12th and Comal Street since 1889. On Thursday, city leaders voted to make it a landmark by a supermajority, with only councilmembers Natasha Harper-Madison and Paige Ellis voting against landmark status.
Earlier this year, Dallas developer Eureka Holdings applied to demolish the building, which led to the Austin Historic Landmark Commission signing off on a recommendation to make it a landmark.
Preservation Austin explained the building's history, saying its significance was "undeniable."
"This is really an important corner in East Austin ... it deserves careful attention," said Meghan King with Preservation Austin. "It shouldn't be demolished for a vacant lot."
King noted how people who immigrated from Germany, along with African-American businessmen, set up shop there throughout the years. The property was once a barbershop, a saloon, and even a place for The Gamma Eta Alpha chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
But the building has been vacant for quite some. An engineer with Eureka Holdings opposed the preservation, saying the building presents too many safety hazards.
"The building ... has far less historical value than the staff reports indicate, and far more public benefits can be gained by enabling safe demolition," Nick Sandlin said during a meeting in September.
Eureka reportedly owns dozens of properties in the area and has issued eviction notices to commercial tenants for other properties along East 12th Street. Preservation Austin accused Eureka of having no plans to preserve "the history of the Black community that built and shaped East Austin."
