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Austin’s best preservation projects named

Preservation Austin celebrates outstanding recent contributions to keeping city’s architectural, cultural, and environmental heritage alive

Photo of white Victorian house/restaurant with large oaks
Green Pastures
Nick SImonite

In space of only a few years, local nonprofit Preservation Austin has done a stellar job of refreshing and reinventing what was formally known as the Heritage Society of Austin. While continuing its work as an effective advocate for preserving structures important in local history, the organization expanded to help efforts to recognize the city’s deep and varied cultural history as well.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the annual presentation of its Preservation Merit Awards. Established in 1960, the juried annual program recognizes recent projects that have helped preserve Austin's architectural, cultural, and environmental heritage in outstanding and visionary ways.

This year's nine recipients have been named some the best preservation projects from the past two years. They include South Austin's Green Pastures, East Austin's Downs Field, B'Nai Abraham Synagogue on the Dell Jewish Community Campus, and the Texas State Capitol.

Recipients will be honored at the Preservation Merit Awards Celebration at the Driskill Hotel on Nov. 3. Below are examples of the work of the 2017 recipients.

Photo of a restored midcentury modern home
Darnell House, midcentury Pemberton Heights home
Leonid Furmansky

Darnall House (1941)—Pemberton Heights

Recipient: Tadd and Holly Lanham

Preservation Award for Rehabilitation

Architect: Atlantis Architects

Photo of white Victorian house/restaurant with large oaks
Green Pastures
Nick SImonite courtesy of Preservation Austin

Green Pastures (1895)—Bouldin Creek

Recipient: Greg Porter

Preservation Award for Rehabilitation

Architect: Clayton & Little Architects

Photo of a restored Deco gas station
Megabus station, downtown Austin
Chase Daniel

Megabus (1941)—Downtown

Recipient: Bob Woody

Preservation Award for Rehabilitation

Architect: Derrington Building Studio

Photo of a frame 1981 house
Owings-Allen-Miller House in East Cesar Chavez
Lindsey Derrington, Preservation Austin

↑ Owings-Allen-Miller House (1891)—East Cesar Chavez

Recipient: Keikhosrow and Homa Kavoussi

Preservation Award for Rehabilitation

Architect: Holland Architectural

Capitol, scaffolding, cherry pickers
Texas State Capitol under renovation
State Preservation Board

Texas State Capitol Exterior Preservation Project (1888)

Recipient: State Preservation Board

Preservation Austin for Restoration and Special Recognition Award for Craftsmanship

Architect: Kevin Koch, State Preservation Board

Midcentury modern brick house on hill
Thorne House
Nick Simonite

Thorne House (1954)—Highland Park West/Balcones

Recipient: David and Tracey Hime

Preservation Award for Rehabilitation and Addition

Architect: Clayton & Little Architects

1935 white frame house with extension
Young House
Casey Woods

↑ Young House (1935)—Chestnut

Recipient: Erica and David Heroy

Preservation Award for Addition

Architect: Erica Keast Heroy, Architect

Interior of synagogue
B'Nai Abraham Brenham Historic Synagogue
Myles Shaftel

Shalom Austin for Stewardship of B'Nai Abraham Brenham Historic Synagogue

Entrance to small outdoor baseball field with mosaic murals
Downs Field
Lindsey Derrington, Preservation Austin

Six Square: Austin’s Black Cultural District, with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, City of Austin Public Works Department, Huston Tillotson University, and the Rosewood Neighborhood Contact Team for Stewardship of Downs Field