Renovations

After the new Central Library building was built next door in 1979, the newly formed Austin History Center Association began consolidating community support for renovating the old central building to house the expanding Austin-Travis County Collection. Municipal CIP bonds and grants from the Economic Development Administration, the Heritage Society of Austin, the Junior League of Austin, and many private donations financed the renovation.

In the renovation program, enough original building documentation was found that it was possible to restore the building very closely to its original spirit despite changes to the building over the years. While the lighting fixtures on the porches and the rubber tile floors are original, other details are faithful reproductions. The refurbished building was opened again in 1983 as the Austin History Center, with the collections, research facilities, and exhibitions of the former Austin-Travis County Collection. Since then the Austin History Center Association has equipped a photography lab in the basement, installed new landscaping, and continues to help maintain the building’s historic significance. In 1992 voters passed a bond issue to correct problems with the building’s life/safety systems. In 1994-95 an infrastructure retrofit replaced climate control, electrical wiring and plumbing systems, and installed features that make the building accessible to people with disabilities.