South River City, Austin, Texas
South River City is a community located in
South River City is bounded to the west by
The area known as South River City developed in the late 19th and early 20th century as Austin's first planned urban communities south of the
The portion of South River City north of Oltorf Street is located within city council District 9. The portion south of Oltorf Street is located within District 3.
History
The Swisher Addition and birth of South Congress
As was the case with other South Austin neighborhoods, the area around present-day South River City was slower to develop. Prior to the late 19th century, transportation to and from Downtown Austin was dependent on ferries and pontoon bridges.
James Swisher settled on a bluff in present-day South Austin with his family in 1846, and initially operated a tavern and a hotel. It was Swisher who granted
Platted in 1877, it was noted as an addition to "South Austin" rather than Austin, perhaps acknowledging South Austin's separate identity from the capital city. Swisher allotted a very generous 120 foot right-of-way through the center of his grid-style residential addition. The wide avenue was laid out in a direct line with Congress Avenue on the north side of the river. This visionary and civic act dedicated a grand view from Swisher's farm to the public domain.[4] South Congress Avenue, in spite of being separated from the downtown portion of the street by about a mile over the Colorado River and low-lying areas, preserved the major approach to the Capitol and city center for future residents and visitors. A permanent and fully paved connection from Bouldin Creek to the north side of the river would not be complete for another 50 years. Streets were named Monroe, James, Annie, Nellie, Elizabeth, Mary, Johanna, Eva, Newton and Brackenridge. These names have survived to the present.
Swisher's Addition was not immediately successful. The wooden bridge collapsed in 1883, and while an iron bridge was built later that same decade, the concrete Congress Avenue Bridge and streetcar lines did not extend to South Austin until about 1910. Because this impeded would-be residents from being able to commute to downtown jobs with ease, development was slow and South Congress Avenue remained a country road through a largely rural landscape throughout the remainder of 19th century.
Fairview Park
Despite Swisher's minimal success, other developers tried their luck in South Austin. In 1886 Charles Newning bought the northern portion of the Swisher farm with plans of developing an “upscale, owner-occupied, garden suburb." In contrast to Swisher's grid-style addition on the high, relatively flat ground of the area, Newning's development was created over a hilly area with two creeks through it and numerous city views from its hillsides and terraces. Newning’s vision became Fairview Park – named because this area offered a “fair view” of the city from the bluffs.
Mr. Newning’s ideal development was never realized in large part because he did not anticipate the extent to which commercial development would occur on South Congress, the difficulty of crossing the river, and the distance from town. Before the turn of the century a number of
Travis Heights
Following the completion of the concrete
Based on his earlier experience with Charles Newning and Fairview Park, General Stacy laid out his South River City subdivision with both curving and grid streets and provided lot sizes and prices to fit a range of customers, from the builders of modest bungalows to grand home sites with commanding vistas. Travis Heights was an immediate success and a great surge of home building took place in the 1920s, so that by the General's death in 1928, 600 lots had been sold and more than 160 homes built.[5]
Demographics
According to data from the
Recreation
Perhaps the greatest contribution Stacy made to the future livability of not only Travis Heights, but the entire South River City Neighborhood, was the dedication of land adjacent to Blunn Creek and the bluff which drops down to Lake Lady Bird as public parks. Stacy’s sons, Harwood and Gillespie, added more and along Blunn Creek. This parkland later became known as Stacy Park. While Stacy Park was intended as a major recreational area, it also served as a natural divider between Travis Heights and the Fairview Park and Swisher subdivisions.[7]
Education
The neighborhood is zoned to the Austin Independent School District.
- Travis Heights Elementary School
- Lively Middle School
- Travis High School
References
- ^ "Neighborhood Planning: Greater South River City". City of Austin. Retrieved Nov 24, 2011.
- ^ "History of Travis Heights". Travis Heights Fairview Park Historic District. 2010. Retrieved Nov 24, 2011.
- ^ "Greater South River City Neighborhood Plan" (PDF). City of Austin. Sep 29, 2005. Retrieved Nov 24, 2011.
- ^ Carole, Carole E. "Swisher, James Gibson". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved Nov 24, 2011.
- ^ McGraw, Marburger & Associates. "History of South Congress". Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ "South River City Detailed Profile". City-data.com. Retrieved Nov 23, 2011.
- ^ Clark-Webb, Mike (Dec 4, 1998). "Our Little Town: Travis Heights Arrives". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved Nov 24, 2011.
External links
30°15′29″N 97°46′52″W / 30.25806°N 97.78111°W
