Site

The Austin History Center is situated just south of Wooldridge Park, which was one of four areas designated on Austin’s original 1839 plan as public squares. The land originally was marked for church use and housed three separate congregations. After their relocation in 1914, Mayor Wooldridge successfully petitioned the state legislature to designate the lot for public library use. The site lay vacant until 1925 when the Austin Chapter of the American Association of University Women organized a house-to-house canvas for book donations and money for a new building. The Austin Public Library Association built a temporary wood frame building on the site in 1926, and in 1928 Austin voters approved $150,000 for a permanent building.