Father's Day Weekend: June 14-15, 2003

This Father's Day weekend June 14-15, we want to welcome you to our neighborhood. Hyde Park is more than a neighborhood with beautiful, historic homes. We are a neighborhood with a strong sense of community, and we want to share that with you as you enjoy seeing the wonderful homes in our neighborhood.

Twenty-eight years ago, Austin's Hyde Park was much different place than it is today. The neighborhood was in decline for many reasons, including a shift of population to newer, more fashionable neighborhoods and the suburbs. Many of the distinctive homes of the 1890s and early 20th century had been demolished or removed to accommodate apartment building, parking lots and various institutional uses. Many of the remaining houses had fallen into a state of neglect and disrepair. Some houses were abandoned, while others were no longer owner-occupied.

In 1974, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association was founded partially in an attempt to reverse this trend. The association encouraged restoration over elimination, it helped neighbors learn that older structures could be made viable again, and it assisted neighbors in identifying landmark homes, in obtaining historic zoning status, and in creating a new spirit of renewal and revival for this historic, inner-city neighborhood.

HPNA held its first Historic Homes Rediscovery Tour in 1977 to awaken interest in the history and the architecture of Hyde Park. A walking tour was created to educate attendees about Hyde Park's architecture and to show the treasures that would be found in older homes. Subsequent years — and homes tours — saw the neighborhood's decline slow down and a revitalized neighborhood emerge.

Today, many of our homes have been lovingly restored and our gardens our flourishing. The neighborhood is changing and yet we have stability in our long time residents — many have lived here all their lives and many more have lived here several decades. The collective pride of the neighborhood is evident, and we want you to experience it.

As you go through the neighborhood, you will have many opportunities to see and learn more about the neighborhood and meet neighbors in the homes and throughout the neighborhood. Enjoy our homes and our gardens, listen to the stories and slow down enough to go back to a slower, older time in Austin.

We thank you for being our guests and for helping us celebrate our neighborhood. You are helping us in our preservation and community efforts.