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Austin Then and Now
Twenty-first century Austin has a reputation as a quirky, hip, culturally-diverse town that’s home to the world-famous South-by-Southwest music festival and the University of Texas Longhorns. It’s come a long way since Spanish explorers arrived circa 1709. Austin Then and Now rounds up all of the hot spots in a unique photographic history of Texas’ capital city.
• When Mirabeau Lamar succeeded Sam Houston as the President of the Republic of Texas, he moved the capital from Houston to Austin. The State Capitol that was eventually built in 1888 remains the largest statehouse in the U.S.
• Students will get a kick out of the side-by-side then-and-now photos of the University of Texas Tower and Main building — what was once a humble single building on 40 acres is now one of the largest public universities in the United States.
• Austin’s Driskill Hotel, one of the finest Victorian hotels in the west, has long been a destination for famous Texans. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson took Lady Bird to the Driskill on their first date!
• Austin’s most famous landmarks are featured, including the O. Henry House, the French Legation, the Governor’s Mansion, and other locations beloved by Texans.
• When Mirabeau Lamar succeeded Sam Houston as the President of the Republic of Texas, he moved the capital from Houston to Austin. The State Capitol that was eventually built in 1888 remains the largest statehouse in the U.S.
• Students will get a kick out of the side-by-side then-and-now photos of the University of Texas Tower and Main building — what was once a humble single building on 40 acres is now one of the largest public universities in the United States.
• Austin’s Driskill Hotel, one of the finest Victorian hotels in the west, has long been a destination for famous Texans. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson took Lady Bird to the Driskill on their first date!
• Austin’s most famous landmarks are featured, including the O. Henry House, the French Legation, the Governor’s Mansion, and other locations beloved by Texans.
- GenresNonfictionPhotography
144 pages, Hardcover
First published November 29, 2006
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 10, 2021
I'm in an Austin frame of mind. ;)
Austin, TX, or ATX in current common parlance, for me has been a place of great interest and growing attraction ever since we relocated there for a new job. I had never been to Texas, other than the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, which doesn't count. As a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee (but Red Sawks fan by birth), there was much trepidation. Afterall, much of what we hear about Texas was that everything is bigger, and you don't mess with it. Plus Jerry Jones. And Ted Cruz.
Once we got here, granted in the 'burbs of Wilco (Round Rock, Williamson County), we set out to investigate our new surroundings. Plenty of post-modern sprawl, with strip malls and roads everywhere. And the traffic. Wow. Weather borders on hellish for the summer, then pleasantly warm for the rest of the year, if a bit dry but with humidity and occasionally hail.
Our hearts were totally taken. The absolutely huge variety of different foods, all in their raw splendor, Mexican, Texan, and everything in between was almost too much to wrap one's head around. The eclecticism of the people, afterall we have to keep it weird, was just fantastic. Texas is a Southern State, part of the Confederacy, and as such comes with all of that "best" baggage of the American Experience. We had never lived in the South, sure I've visited, even vacationed in Florida, but nothing compares to full, 100%, 24/7/365 immersion into the pot.
Austin is the capital of Texas (both the Republic and the state) and is bluest (lefty?) of of a very conservative milieu. Some told us since we lived in Austin we weren't really in Texas. I grinned sheepishly since there was now way to wrap your head around what that means. Until you get out and visit some of the literal one-horse towns, and they ain't kiddin'. The cacti were awesome. And those horns are really long, no foolin'.
This book put more context into the Austin cityscape that we came to know and started to love, by showing where it came from, what was there, who used it, and why it's been changed, although the last part was very brief since it is a largely illustrated affair. The book published in 2007, and updated in 2014, dates the historical photographs and tries to match as closely as possible the current scene. This is used frequently with many historical publications and is done here quite successfully.
Even though we only spent a few short years there before being transferred to Kansas, our hearts are deeply stuck in the Heart of Texas. This kept me connected to it.
Austin, TX, or ATX in current common parlance, for me has been a place of great interest and growing attraction ever since we relocated there for a new job. I had never been to Texas, other than the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, which doesn't count. As a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee (but Red Sawks fan by birth), there was much trepidation. Afterall, much of what we hear about Texas was that everything is bigger, and you don't mess with it. Plus Jerry Jones. And Ted Cruz.
Once we got here, granted in the 'burbs of Wilco (Round Rock, Williamson County), we set out to investigate our new surroundings. Plenty of post-modern sprawl, with strip malls and roads everywhere. And the traffic. Wow. Weather borders on hellish for the summer, then pleasantly warm for the rest of the year, if a bit dry but with humidity and occasionally hail.
Our hearts were totally taken. The absolutely huge variety of different foods, all in their raw splendor, Mexican, Texan, and everything in between was almost too much to wrap one's head around. The eclecticism of the people, afterall we have to keep it weird, was just fantastic. Texas is a Southern State, part of the Confederacy, and as such comes with all of that "best" baggage of the American Experience. We had never lived in the South, sure I've visited, even vacationed in Florida, but nothing compares to full, 100%, 24/7/365 immersion into the pot.
Austin is the capital of Texas (both the Republic and the state) and is bluest (lefty?) of of a very conservative milieu. Some told us since we lived in Austin we weren't really in Texas. I grinned sheepishly since there was now way to wrap your head around what that means. Until you get out and visit some of the literal one-horse towns, and they ain't kiddin'. The cacti were awesome. And those horns are really long, no foolin'.
This book put more context into the Austin cityscape that we came to know and started to love, by showing where it came from, what was there, who used it, and why it's been changed, although the last part was very brief since it is a largely illustrated affair. The book published in 2007, and updated in 2014, dates the historical photographs and tries to match as closely as possible the current scene. This is used frequently with many historical publications and is done here quite successfully.
Even though we only spent a few short years there before being transferred to Kansas, our hearts are deeply stuck in the Heart of Texas. This kept me connected to it.
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November 27, 2020Some interesting photos of Austin and a few bits of interesting history.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews