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| photo by Kevin Surbaugh |
Inscription:
In 1891 this neighborhood was among the first planned subdivisions in the city and the first development involving a design for streetcars.
Hyde Park was the vision of Monroe M. Shipe, who with the Missouri-Kansas and Texas Land Company, established a 36-block area patterned after the exclusive London neighborhood.
Distinctive elements in this district are the home and studio of German sculptress Elisabet Ney, residence of Swiss woodcarver Peter Mansbendel, the Moonlight Tower at 41st Street and Speedway, and the Avenue B Grocery Store, a vivid reminder of a now-rare property within a residential neighborhood.
Hyde Park's "long distance" from downtown (20 blocks) made it "The Pride of Austin" with amenities such as a park pavilion, green space, 2 lakes, and an electric street car that ran to downtown.
Growth, economics, permissive zoning and other factors combined with development pressures eroded much of the historic fabric. Through education, awareness of the benefits of historic preservation, proximity to shopping and access to the University and downtown, the area began a resurgence in restoration and rehabilitation.
Bungalows and Victorian style homes remain in the tree-lined neighborhood along with other styles and materials of differing scales which together demonstrate the enviable desireability of historic preservation here and elsewhere.
Erected:
May 4, 2002 by the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau (Historic Landmark Commission)
Location:
Shipe Park, 44th and Avenue F
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