Hyde Park Timeline
Key events and milestones in Hyde Park’s history, organized chronologically to show how the neighborhood has evolved over time.
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Before Hyde Park existed, this land passed through a series of early owners during the Republic and early Statehood periods of Texas.
April 20, 1840
The State of Texas patented 369 acres to Thomas Gray. A patent is an original grant of land from the state to an individual.1850
Thomas Gray conveyed the land to Joseph Lee for a homestead.1857
The State Insane Asylum, now the Austin State Hospital, was founded.1872
Joseph Lee sold 206.25 acres to a group of investors from Travis and Guadalupe counties. -
Before residential development, the land that would become Hyde Park was used for large-scale ventures and land speculation.
1872
Joseph Lee sold 206.25 acres to a group of investors from Travis and Guadalupe counties.June 2, 1885
The investors conveyed 85 acres to the Capital State Fair Association, which constructed exhibit buildings, livestock pens, judges’ stands, two racetracks, and a 300-foot grandstand with seating for 3,500.Late 1880s
After encountering financial problems, the Capital State Fair closed. The property was reconveyed to Edward Christian, one of the original investors who had purchased land from Joseph Lee.1890
After purchasing the property from Edward Christian’s wife and partners, L. Fellman sold it to William B. Clarke, Victor B. Buck, and George Rockwell of Kansas City, Missouri, and A. W. Terrell of Travis County. -
Under the direction of Col. Monroe Shipe, Hyde Park was conceived as Austin’s first streetcar suburb, combining transportation, utilities, and residential development.
May 13, 1890
Col. Monroe Shipe of Abilene, Kansas purchased the entire 206.25 acres for $70,000.December 8, 1890
Col. Shipe and his wife, Adele, conveyed the land to the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Land and Town Company for $180,000.January 3, 1891
Hyde Park Addition, the first of two subdivisions south of 45th Street, was filed with Travis County. The Addition ran from Guadalupe to Duval and from 39th to 45th Streets, excluding the area between Guadalupe and Avenue D from 39th to 43rd Streets.February 26, 1891, 4:00 pm
The Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company, led by Col. Shipe, ran its first electric trolley from Congress Avenue to Hyde Park.1891
The first Hyde Park school was built by Monroe Shipe on Speedway. The Austin School District later assumed administration and renamed it Baker School in honor of DeWitt Clinton Baker.April 22, 1892
Hyde Park Addition No. 2 was recorded. This subdivision covered the area between Guadalupe and Avenue D and from 39th to 43rd Streets. Shipe originally intended this land as parkland with a lake and pavilion.1892
Hyde Park Addition No. 2 was platted. Col. Shipe’s house and Elisabet Ney’s studio were built. Fifty-nine lots were sold to sixteen owners, all but two of them corner lots.May 1895
The moonlight tower on Speedway was illuminated for the first time. Because the City of Austin power system was not yet complete, it ran on electricity generated by Col. Shipe.1896
Two hundred fifty-nine lots were sold, primarily corner lots and those near Avenue F and 40th Street. -
During this period, Hyde Park matured from a speculative development into a stable residential neighborhood with schools, infrastructure, and local commerce.
1898
Hyde Park Annex, the first subdivision north of 45th Street, was recorded. It extended from Avenue B to Duval and from 45th to 47th Streets.February 6, 1903
Four blocks of Hyde Park Addition No. 2, previously unplatted, were subdivided. This area lay between 41st and 43rd Streets and from Avenue B to Avenue D.1909
Avenue B Grocery was built. It began operations the following year under the proprietorship of Marshall L. Johnson.1910
W. T. Caswell platted the Ridgetop Annex. The original Hyde Park Baptist Church building was purchased for $450, moved to 40th Street, and opened on December 18 as Hyde Park Presbyterian Church. Its presence forced the closure of a nearby saloon due to alcohol proximity laws.1911
The original Baker School on Speedway was demolished, and a new Baker School was built at its present location.1913
Sewer service was installed in Hyde Park.1918
Oakland Square Addition, located from 38th to 38½ Streets west of Speedway, was platted.1922
The southeast corner of Hyde Park Addition, where Col. Shipe’s house stood, was replatted and renamed Shadow Lawn.1924
Monroe Shipe died. -
Following Monroe Shipe’s death, Hyde Park experienced a period of rapid construction, civic investment, and increasing integration into the City of Austin.
1924–1935
A major building boom took place throughout Hyde Park.1925
J. J. Hegman platted the Hegman Subdivision near Avenue F and Rowena, north of 47th Street.1927
The commercial building at 4101 Guadalupe was constructed. Its early tenants included A&P and the Hyde Park Variety Store.1928
Shipe Park, previously called Hyde Park Playground, was dedicated. The first City of Austin comprehensive plan was adopted.1929
Fire Station 9 was built. Bluebonnet Tourist Camp opened and was later renamed Blue Bonnet Court in 1939.July 1930
Charlie “Fatty” Fariss gained notoriety by tree-sitting for fourteen days at 41st and Guadalupe, reportedly sponsored by the Hyde Park Cash Grocery.Summer 1930
Guadalupe Street was paved. An electrical substation was built at 38th and Grooms, now known as Sparky Park.1931
Austin adopted its first zoning ordinance.1935
The log clubhouse at Shipe Park was constructed.1939
Lee Elementary School was built.1941
Hyde Park celebrated its 50th anniversary. The streetcar system ended its operations.December 21, 1946
Jane Shipe and Clotilda Ida Mansbendel released their reversionary deed restrictions, allowing property owners to obtain liens without requiring subordination of the restrictions. -
In the decades following World War II, Hyde Park faced increasing development pressure as the University of Texas expanded and city zoning policies shifted.
1950s
Many Hyde Park homes became rental properties after the University of Texas ended its requirement that students live on campus.1960s
The City of Austin adopted a policy of up-zoning Hyde Park properties to allow apartment construction. As a result, some houses were demolished and replaced with apartment buildings.1971
City Council recommended closing Fire Station 9, but Hyde Park residents, led by Dorothy Richter, successfully opposed the plan.1972
The Elisabet Ney Museum was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.Fall 1974
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association was formed. The City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission was established.1975
Hyde Park residents again defeated a City recommendation to close Fire Station 9.1976
Austin’s moonlight towers were listed in the National Register of Historic Places.Late 1970s
The City of Austin reversed its earlier policy of up-zoning Hyde Park for apartment development. -
Beginning in the early 1980s, Hyde Park residents organized to protect the neighborhood’s character through planning, zoning reform, and historic designation.
1983
Hyde Park Compatibility Standards were developed to limit the impacts of new development adjacent to single-family homes.1984
An interim ordinance went into effect requiring site plan approval before construction. Commercial and multifamily projects built next to single-family homes required City Council approval.1985
Hyde Park neighbors completed a neighborhood plan, though it was not put into effect. The City of Austin adopted a new city-wide zoning ordinance that incorporated compatibility standards.1986
The Hyde Park National Register nomination project was initiated.August 1990
The Hyde Park and Shadow Lawn National Register Districts were approved by the Department of the Interior. The Hyde Park Baptist Church Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD) was adopted, and HPNA began its NCCD project.June 1991
Hyde Park’s Centennial Celebration took place, including the Hyde Park: Life on the Avenues exhibit at the Elisabet Ney Museum, publication of Hyde Park: The First 50 Years, and the Hyde Park 5K Run.August 1991
The Texas Neighborhood Conservation Fund received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. HPNA and TNCF hosted a Conservation District workshop and published a statement of issues in the Pecan Press.January 1992
The NCCD project published a vision statement in the Pecan Press. The Texas MHMR Board approved a major planned unit development at 38th Street.June 1992
The Hyde Park NCCD database, including its land use survey, was completed.January 1993
A cellular transmission tower was proposed for Hyde Park, prompting organized neighborhood opposition.April 1993
HPNA adopted the Guadalupe Corridor Plan.1994
A new transmission tower ordinance was adopted, resulting in the tower being placed atop the Austin State Hospital instead of within Hyde Park.April 1994
HPNA adopted an infrastructure plan, later incorporated into the Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan.August 1994
Hyde Park Marketplace opened at 4101 Guadalupe following renovation of the original 1927 building.1995
HPNA sought funding to complete its NCCD project.1996
HPNA raised funds to keep Shipe Pool open. The Guadalupe Owners and Merchants Association was formed.Spring 1998
City Manager Jesús Garza announced that Hyde Park alleys would remain open and waste collection would continue in the alleys.Fall 1998
The City of Austin assigned Neighborhood Planning staff to assist with the Hyde Park NCCD.1999
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan was adopted by vote of Hyde Park residents. Traffic calming circles were installed. Walgreens was constructed at 45th and Guadalupe.April 13, 2000
City Council formally adopted the Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan.January 31, 2002
City Council adopted the Hyde Park NCCD on an emergency basis.January 2002
The Shipe Park Arch was erected at 45th Street.Summer 2002
The Planning Commission rejected two Hyde Park Baptist Church site plans, preserving the neighborhood’s historic character. -
In recent decades, Hyde Park has balanced historic preservation with neighborhood vitality and adaptive reuse.
December 2010
Austin City Council officially designated most of Hyde Park south of 45th Street as the Hyde Park Local Historic District.2013
A plaque honoring Dorothy Richter was dedicated at Fire Station 9.2014
City Council committed $3.1 million to rebuild Shipe Pool. The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association celebrated its 40th anniversary.2021
The United States Postal Service closed the post office at 43rd Street and Speedway.2023
First Light Books and Tiny Grocer, including the Bureau de Poste restaurant, opened in the former post office building at 43rd and Speedway.2024
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association celebrated its 50th anniversary as a vital community organization. -
April 20, 1840 – The State of Texas patented 369 acres to Thomas Gray. (A patent is an original grant of land from the state to an individual.)
1850 – Thomas Gray conveyed the land to Joseph Lee for a homestead.
1857 – The State Insane Asylum (now the Austin State Hospital) was founded.
1872 – Joseph Lee sold 206.25 acres to a group of investors from Travis and Guadalupe counties.
June 2, 1885 – The investors conveyed 85 of the acres they had purchased from Joseph Lee to the Capital State Fair Association, which constructed exhibit buildings, livestock pens, judges’ stands, two racetracks and a 300-foot grandstand with a seating capacity of 3,500. After they encountered financial problems, the fair closed, and the property reconveyed to Edward Christian, one of the originals investors who had purchased land from Joseph Lee.
1890 – After purchasing the property from Edward Christian’s wife and partners, L. Fellman sold it to William B. Clarke, Victor. B. Buck, and George Rockwell of Kansas City, Missouri & A. W. Terrell of Travis County.
May 13, 1890 – Col. Monroe Shipe of Abilene, Kansas purchased the entire 206.25 acres for $70,000.00.
Dec. 8 1890 – Col. Shipe and his wife, Adele, conveyed the 206.25 acres to the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Land and Town Company for $180,000.00.
January 3, 1891 – The Hyde Park Addition, the first of two subdivisions that make up Hyde Park south of 45th Street, was filed with Travis County. The Addition ran from Guadalupe to Duval, 39th to 45th, but did not include the area between Guadalupe and Avenue D and 39th Street and 43rd Street.
February 26, 1891, 4pm – Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company, under the leadership of Col. Monroe Shipe, ran its first electric trolley car from Congress Avenue to Hyde Park.
1891 – The first Hyde Park school was built by Monroe Shipe, on Speedway. The Austin School District eventually took over its administration and renamed it Baker School after DeWitt Clinton Baker, Travis County school inspector.
April 22, 1892 – Hyde Park Addition #2, the second of two subdivisions that make up Hyde Park south of 45th Street, was recorded. This was the area between Guadalupe and Avenue D and 39th Street and 43rd Street. Shipe originally intended this area as parkland, with a lake and pavilion. The lake was drained in the mid-1890s, to allow for more residential area.
1892 – Hyde Park Addition #2 was platted. Col. Shipe’s house was built. Elisabet Ney’s studio was built. Fifty-nine lots were sold to sixteen owners; all but two were corner lots.
1894 – Frank T. “Fruit Tree” Ramsey founded Ramsey’s Austin Nursery just north of 45th Street, east of Guadalupe. By 1904, the nursery grew and sold a million fruit trees yearly.
1885 – The first Hyde Park Baptist Church building was completed.
May 1895 –The moonlight tower on Speedway was turned on for the first time. The City of Austin power system was not yet complete, so it ran on current from Col. Shipe’s own generator.
1896 – Two hundred fifty-nine lots were sold; the majority were corner lots and lots near Avenue F and 40th. The first Hyde Park Baptist Church was built. (That building is now Hyde Park Presbyterian Church.)
1898 – The Hyde Park Annex, the first subdivision north of 45th Street (Avenue B to Duval, 45th Street to 47th Street), was recorded.
February 6, 1903 – Four blocks of Hyde Park Addition #2, formerly unplatted, were subdivided. This was the area between 41st and 43rd Streets, Avenue B to Avenue D.
1909 – Avenue B Grocery was built. It began operations the following year, under the proprietorship of Marshall L. Johnson.
1910 – W.T. Caswell platted the Ridgetop Annex. The original Hyde Park Baptist Church building was purchased for $450 and moved to 40th Street, where it opened on December 18 as the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church. A saloon was operating in that area. Because alcohol could not be sold in the proximity of a church, the opening of the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church caused the saloon to close. The same building was moved to 40th and Avenue B in 1921.
1911 – The original Baker School on Speedway was demolished and Baker School was built at its present location.
1913 – Sewer service was installed.
1918 – Oakland Square Addition, 38th to 38 1/2 Street, west of Speedway, was platted.
1922 – The southeast corner of the Hyde Park Addition, where Col. Shipe’s house was located, was replatted and renamed Shadow Lawn.
1924 – Monroe Shipe died.
1924-35 – A building boom took place in Hyde Park.
1925 – J.J. Hegman platted the Hegman Subdivision (Avenue F and Rowena, north of 47th Street).
1927 – The building at 4101 Guadalupe was constructed. The tenants were A&P and Hyde Park Variety Store.
1928 – Shipe Park, previously called Hyde Park Playground, was dedicated. The log clubhouse dates from 1935. The first City of Austin comprehensive plan was adopted.
1929 – The Fire Station was built. Bluebonnet Tourist Camp was built. (It was renamed Blue Bonnet Court in 1939.)
July 1930 – Charlie “Fatty” Fariss gained notoriety by participating in one of the numerous fads that swept America from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s – tree sitting. Like flagpole sitting, tree sitting was an endurance test. Fariss sat in a tree at 41st and Guadalupe. He was reportedly hired by the Hyde Park Cash Grocery on 41st Street. Fatty stayed up in the tree for fourteen days, while people threw him food.
Summer, 1930 – Guadalupe was paved. The electrical substation, now Sparky Park, was built at 38th & Grooms.
1931 – Austin’s first zoning ordinance was passed.
1939 – Lee Elementary School was built.
1941 – Hyde Park’s 50th birthday. The streetcar system ended its operations.
Dec. 21, 1946 – Jane Shipe and Clotilda Ida Mansbendel released their deed restrictions. The Shipe and Mansbendel restrictions were reversionary; if purchasers violated them, the property would revert to the sellers. This made it difficult for purchasers to get liens against their properties. The release of these deed restrictions enabled purchasers to get liens without requiring the establishers of the reversionary restrictions to subordinate the restrictions to the liens.
1947 – TheTrinity Methodist Churchh educational building was built at 50th and Evans. The church added additional construction over a period of years, prospered and grew, and eventually moved to its current location at 4001 Speedway after the Hyde Park Methodist Church vacated the Speedway location.
1950s – Many homes became rental properties. The University of Texas ended its policy requiring students to live on campus.
1960s – The City of Austin adopted the policy of up-zoning Hyde Park properties to allow the construction of apartment buildings. UT was growing and because students were no longer required to live on campus, there was a need for apartments. As a result, houses were demolished and apartments buildings were constructed.
1971 – City Council recommended closing Fire Station 9, but a delegation of Hyde Park residents led by Dorothy Richter descended upon the council and the plans were canceled.
1972 – The Elisabet Ney Museum was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Fall 1974 – The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA) was formed. The City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission was established.
1975 – Hyde Park neighborhood again waged a successful fight against a City recommendation to close Fire Station 9.
1976 – The moonlight towers were listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
1979 – The Hyde Park Baptist Church (HPBC) property was up-zoned and a new sanctuary was built.
Late 1970s – The City of Austin reversed its former policy of up-zoning for apartments.
1983 – Hyde Park Compatibility Standards were developed.
1984 – An interim ordinance, a precursor to compatibility standards, went in effect. It required approval of a site plan before building construction. This meant that commercial and multifamily property constructed next to single family property required approval by City Council.
1985 – Hyde Park neighbors completed a neighborhood plan, which was not put into effect. A new zoning ordinance, with compatibility standards, was adopted by the city. This was a city-wide rewriting of the zoning code.
1986 – The Hyde Park National Register nomination project was initiated.
August 1990 – The Hyde Park and Shadow Lawn National Register Districts were approved by the Department of the Interior, with 273 contributing structures and 237 noncontributing structures. The Hyde Park Baptist Church Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD) was adopted. HPNA started its NCCD project.
June 1991 – Hyde Park Centennial Celebration took place, with the Hyde Park: Life on the Avenues exhibit at the Elisabet Ney Museum. Hyde Park: The First 50 Years was published. The Hyde Park 5K Run took place. The Hyde Park NCCD project began surveying owners and blocks.
August 1991 – Texas Neighborhood Conservation Fund (TNCF) received a grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation. HPNA and TNCF brought Stanland & Associates to Austin for a Conservation District workshop. The NCCD project published a statement of issues in the Pecan Press.
January 1992 – The NCCD project published a vision statement in the Pecan Press. The Texas MHMR Board approved a site plan for a major development, a PUD, at 38th Street.
June 1992 – The NCCD database, with its land use survey, was completed.
January 1993 – A cellular transmission tower was proposed for Hyde Park. There was neighborhood opposition.
April 1993 – HPNA adopted the Guadalupe Corridor Plan.
1994 – A new transmission tower ordinance was adopted, which resulted in the location of the cellular transmission tower atop the Austin State Hospital building instead of in Hyde Park.
April 1994 – HPNA adopted an infrastructure plan, which became part of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan adopted in 1999.
August 1994 – Hyde Park Marketplace opened at 4101 Guadalupe. It was a renovation and reuse of the original 1927 building.
1995 – HPNA sought funding to complete its NCCD.
1996 – HPNA raised funds to keep its pool open. The Guadalupe Owners and Merchants Association was formed.
Spring 1998 – City manager Jesus Garza announced that Hyde Park alleys would remain open and waste collection would continue in the alleys.
Fall 1998 – The City of Austin assigned Neighborhood Planning staff to help with the Hyde Park NCCD.
1999 – The Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan was adopted by vote of Hyde Park neighbors. Traffic calming circles were installed in Hyde Park. Walgreens was constructed at 45th and Guadalupe.
March 3, 2000 – Hyde Park Baptist Church filed a site plan for a garage building, initiating a process that led to lengthy negotiations between the neighborhood and the church.
April 13 2000 – City Council adopted the Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan.
December 13, 2001 – Hyde Park Baptist Church filed three site plans with the city in its quest to establish a larger church complex in Hyde Park.
January 31, 2002 – City Council adopted the Hyde Park NCCD on an emergency basis.
January 2002 – Shipe Park Arch was erected at 45th Street.
Summer, 2002 – The Planning Commission rejected two of the three Hyde Park Baptist Church site plans, a victory for neighbors who sought to preserve the original character of Hyde Park.
December 2010 – Austin City Council officially designated most of Hyde Park south of 45th Street as the Hyde Park Local Historic District (LHD).
2013 – A plaque honoring Dorothy Richter was dedicated at the Fire Station. Learn more about Dorothy Richter.
2014 – City Council committed $3.1 million to rebuild Shipe Pool.
2014 – The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association turned 40.
2021 – The USPS Post Office at 43rd and Speedway closed in June.
2023 – First Light Books and Tiny Grocer / Bureau De Poste restaurant opened in the former USPS Post Office location, the first of several businesses in the repurposed Post Office location at 43rd and Speedway.
2024 – The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association celebrated its 50th year as a vital community organization.