Craig Smyser

Austin Texas Real Estate

(512) 650-7300
  • Home
  • Search Homes
    • Craig’s Listings
    • Coming Soon
    • Search By School
    • Search by Community
    • Search by Zip Code
    • Advanced Search
    • Map Search
    • Search Sold Data
  • Buy
    • Love It or Leave It Guarantee
    • Property Tax Rates
    • Calculators
  • Sell
    • Selling Your House
    • Estates, Trusts, and Probate
      • Executors/Heirs
      • Attorneys
    • Sold Portfolio
  • Dave Ramsey ELP
  • Blog
  • About
    • Client Reviews
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for Blog / Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin – Camp Mabry

February 2, 2021 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

This 1916 Vintage Austin photo includes Building 41, the State Arsenal, at Camp Mabry. The building is still there, but looks a bit different because in 1975, a third of the building on the east side was removed to make way for the construction of Mopac. Before this building was completed in 1915, the Texas National Guard stored its ammo in the basement of the Capitol.Photo Credit: Austin History Center, C00741 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: Alamo Hotel

July 1, 2020 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

The Alamo Hotel can be seen in this Vintage Austin photo from 1947.  The 80-room hotel opened to the public in 1925 and sat at 6th and Guadalupe.  You can catch a glimpse of the Alamo Hotel in the Clash’s music video for “Rock the Casbah” and Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard’s video for “Pancho and Lefty.”  The site will soon be home to Austin’s tallest tower yet, 6 X Guadalupe. Photo Credit: Austin History Center, ND-47-172-01 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: Dairy Princess

June 1, 2020 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

This Vintage Austin photo features the participants of the Dairy Princess contest of 1959.  Since 1937, June has been designated as National Dairy Month because, according to the banner hanging behind the contestants June’s Best Meals Start with Dairy. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: O. Henry House

May 1, 2020 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

The home of author William Sidney Porter is in this Vintage Austin photo being moved from its original location at 308 East 4th Street to its present-day location at 409 East 5th Street.  The home was built in 1886 and Porter lived there with his wife and daughter between 1893 & 1895.  In 1930, the home was going to be demolished but was saved by a committee of women who proposed that the city accept the home as a donation.  The women restored the home and it opened as a museum in 1934.  The O. Henry House is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin – Space Shuttle Columbia

April 1, 2020 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

In 1981, on it’s way to Cape Canaveral to be prepared for its third orbital flight, the space shuttle Columbia made a refueling stop at Bergstrom Air Force Base, now Austin Bergstrom Airport.  While it was here in Austin, base officials wanted to allow as many people to see the shuttle as possible, so they opened the gates to the base and allowed thousands of cars through to get a glimpse. Fun Fact: one of the few remaining buildings from the base is the Twelfth Air Force Headquarters building that is now the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: I-35

March 3, 2020 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

What would you do for a traffic-less drive on I-35 like in this Vintage Austin photo from the 1960s? Looking north from Riverside Drive, if you look closely you can see the Capitol and the UT Tower standing taller than all the other buildings. Photo Credit: Austin History Center, PICA01315 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: UT’s Main Building

February 3, 2020 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

This Vintage Austin from 1883 shows the west wing of UT’s original main building. Construction began in the fall of 1883 and finished in the summer of 1884. The second photo is from 1925 after the building was expanded. The building was built in three stages: the west wing was completed in 1883; the central section in 1891; and the east wing came last in 1899. By the 1930s, the University announced they’d demolish this building to make way for a new administration-library building, despite faculty, students, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: Zilker Christmas Tree

December 2, 2019 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

This 1970s Vintage Austin photo of the Zilker Christmas Tree offers reassurance that not everything has changed in Austin over the last several decades.  Beginning in 1967, the moonlight tower in Zilker Park has served as the main support for the tree. There are 39 strands of multicolored lights with a total of 3,309 lights.  The two stars on top measures ten feet from point-to-point.  The distinctive spiral design is credited to a group of City of Austin electricians. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: UT Women’s Basketball

November 1, 2019 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

Can you imagine trying to perfect your jump shot while wearing a blouse and bowtie?  This photo highlights the University of Texas women’s basketball team.  While women played intramural basketball in previous years, beginning in 1901, Eleanor Novell arranged for the team to play one off-campus opponent each year.  This 1902 team, known as the “Town Girls,” was defeated by the “Varsity” team.  The final score, a whopping 7-4. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: Eliza Spring

October 1, 2019 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

This Vintage Austin photo includes a pair of ladies relaxing at Eliza Spring Pool.  The amphitheater was built by Andrew Zilker as a meeting place for the Elks Club.  The pool is no longer a swimming hole but instead serves as a safe habitat for the endangered Barton Springs & Austin Blind Salamanders.  The public can visit the spring and the Beverly Sheffield Education Center to learn more about the spring and its aquatic life. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: Bull Creek

August 1, 2019 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

Dated 1936, the falls of Bull Creek.  The back of the photo reads, “The high falls near ‘Slanting Rock’ swimming hole in upper Bull Creek.  This shows about half of the falls.”  I assume the creek has morphed since the 1930s so I’m not sure which falls this photo is actually referencing as there are several along Bull Creek today.  Head out for a hike and decide for yourself which falls you think are in this photo! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

Vintage Austin: Congress Bridge

July 1, 2019 Craig Smyser Leave a Comment

The vantage point for this Vintage Austin photo is near the present-day Austin American Statesman building looking north.  In the photo you can see a horse drawn carriage on the bridge (and they aren't waiting to see the bats fly!), the Capitol, and the frame of the Scarborough building, Austin’s first tower.  Located at 6th & Congress it stood eight-stories tall and is still there today. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Blog Posts, Nothing to Do with Real Estate, Vintage Austin

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Search By Community

Austin
Bee Cave
Cedar Park
Georgetown
Lakeway
Leander
Pflugerville
Rollingwood
Round Rock
Steiner Ranch
West Lake Hills
Large Neighborhoods

Search Options

Zip Code Search
School Search
Community Search
Map Search
Advanced Search

1835 Realty

6548 Comanche Trail
Suite 401-D
Austin, TX 78732

(512) 650-7300
Licensed in the state of Texas.
512-650-7300 (mobile) or 512-890-1835 (main office).
Craig Smyser, 1835 Realty, Austin, TX 78732 © 2021 Craig Smyser
Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice | Texas Real Estate Commission Information About Brokerage Services
Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Log in