Ed Van De Vort - Recipient of 2006 Katherine Drake Hart History Preservation Award
Although not quite an Austin native, Ed Van De Vort has earned the reputation of being one of Austin’s foremost authorities on Austin history. Whether he is pounding the pavement, giving historic tours of Austin for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau Heritage Division; speaking on topics of Austin history for local schools and civic groups; being interviewed for the Downtown Austin Alliance’s television series “Downtown – As Austin As It Gets;” or giving “Behind These Walls…Our Community’s Collective Memory” tours of the Austin History Center for the Austin History Center Association, Ed knows and loves Austin history.
And it is no wonder, having earned a double degree in theatre and history at the University of Idaho and then a Master of Arts in theatre arts from Northwestern University. Ed grew up in Arizona and, after completing his education, taught theatre arts at the University of Idaho and Washington State University. The professional theatre then lured Ed away from teaching, and he spent the next several years working as a performer, director, designer, and producer in the Chicago area.
Having retired from the theatre, Ed and his life partner, Jane Dinsmoor, moved to Austin in 1977. Ed and Jane worked in environmental engineering, establishing their own design firm. Around that time, Ed discovered the Austin History Center and began a long history of support for the Austin History Center. He began first as volunteer, working in the history center’s photography and architectural drawings collections.
As a 1986 Texas Sesquicentennial project, the Austin History Center and the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects established the Austin Architectural Archives at the Austin History Center, and Ed transitioned from history center volunteer to staff member, soliciting and cataloguing donations of architectural drawings and office files of local projects from Austin architects. Today, the architectural archives have grown to include 60,000 drawings by 150 architects on 2,300 projects. During that time, Ed also served as co-curator of the Austin History Center exhibit, “Austin and Its Architects” in 1986 and began to become involved in the Austin History Center Association, serving as chair of the Association’s Special Events Committee. Under Ed’s leadership, the Association established an annual holiday open house at the history center. Ed later served as Association Vice President and then as President in 1988-1999.
Although Ed left the employ of the history center, he has continued to be involved as volunteer for the history center and association. In 1993, Ed accepted a position as tour guide for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau Heritage Marketing Division where he conducts historic walking tours and helps develop brochures and other materials for the tours.
In 1999 after Jane’s death, Ed established the Dinsmoor Van De Vort Fund of the Austin Community Foundation for support to the Austin History Center Association. And when the Association established its Behind These Walls…Our Community’s Collective Memory tour program in 2002, Ed agreed to lead the tours. Since that time, Ed has led approximately 55 tours of the history center for this program.
Ed lived in north central Austin, along Shoal Creek, but entertained and educated Austinites and visitors alike up and down Congress and other historical sites. Ed died July 5, 2007,