 | Points of Interest |
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[ North | Rosewood 1 | Rosewood 2 | 5th/6th/7th Area 1 | 5th/6th/7th Area 2 | South | Southeast 1 | Southeast 2 ]
Photographs by Kenny Braun
The letters and numbers in parentheses indicate map number.
E= Southeast | F= 5th/6th/7th | N= North | R= Rosewood | S=South
Central City Entertainment Center (R-87) Hargrave and Rosewood. It's hard to believe Eastside youth have done without a local bowlerama all these years, but that's been the sad story. Finally, the city is stepping up where developers wouldn't to provide a family-oriented hangout with bowling lanes,a movie theatre, and a roller rink. We can't wait to see the league jackets... http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/housing/hscecc.htm
CivicEvergreen Cemetery (R-84) 3300 E. 12th, 453-2320. When Evergreen opened in 1928, prominent families transferred the remains of their loved ones to the stately new grounds.
French Legation Museum (R-7) 802 San Marcos, 472-8180. Until the 1870s, this was the most prominent building east of the Capitol. Today the site is maintained by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and drips with all the grandeur (note the elegant furniture) and some of the racism (note the mysteriously missing slave quarters) of Old Texas. Enthusiastic tours given on the half hour, Tues-Sun, 1-5pm. Also available for weddings. http://www.french-legation.mus.tx.us
Holly Power Plant (S-52) Holly Street, 505-7800. Big, loud, and ugly. (Plus it smells bad.) First fired up in 1960, Holly currently runs at about half of its 540 megawatt capacity and produces roughly one-tenth of the city's power. In response to community complaints, this stinkin' behemoth is due to be shut down in 2005.
J.W. Thompson Home (R-34) 1171 San Bernard. Businessman John W. Thompson built this tidy Victorian home in 1877, back when San Bernard Street ran through one of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods. His daughter occupied it until 1966. Now owned by the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
Longhorn Dam (S-53) Pleasant Valley & Town Lake. Built in '59-'60 to form a cooling lake for the Holly Power Plant, Longhorn Dam is Town Lake's big cement pappy, standing 36 feet high and running a cool 506 feet across. The "reservoir impoundment length," according to Austin Utilities, is 5 3/4 miles, creating a freshwater lake with a surface area of 525 acres and a 12.5-mile shoreline. Think about *that* next time you're three cans into a six on Auditorium Shores.
Meals on Wheels and More (R-88) 2222 Rosewood Ave., 476-6325. Hot meals prepared and delivered to the home-bound and needy of Austin. Call to make donations or volunteer service.
Moonlight Tower (R-42) corner of Pennsylvania & Leona. One of 17 remaining of 31 original towers installed in 1895. Illuminates a circle of 3,000 feet.
Mount Carmel Grand Lodge Temple (R-48) 1704 E. 12th, 478-1153. A Masonic Grand Lodge founded in 1940 by Isaac A. Craig Sr.
Mt. Bonnell Lodge #2, F&AM, Prince Hall Affiliation (R-33) 1154 Angelina. The massive brick building dates back to 1875.
Mt. Calvary Cemetery (N-23) I-35 & Manor, 473-9437. Surrounded by a complex of university maintenance buildings, Mt. Calvary Cemetery subtly thwarts UT's efforts to engulf everything in its path. Since its opening between 1870 and 1875, the cemetery has been the final resting place for some of Austin's earliest residents.
Oakwood Cemetery (R-60) 1601 Navasota, 478-7152. Reading headstones at Oakwood Cemetery, dating from 1839, is a browse through a Who's Who guide to Austin history. Herein lies the former podium-rattling Texas governor James Stephen Hogg, gunslinger turned cowtown marshall Ben Thompson, and city father Elijah Pease.
St. Joseph Grand Lodge (R-12) 1017 E. 11th, 477-5380. Old spooky brick lodge with three-story Doric columns and sheer, windowless facade. Answering machine message advises you to have a blessed day and offers another number "if you want to talk to the Grand Master."
Texas State Cemetery (F-39) 909 Navasota, 463-0605. Texas' war heroes, founders of the Republic, jurists, writers, and former elected state officials rest peacefully among native trees, grasses, and wildflowers. Not unlike most Texans' vision of heaven.
Travis County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (F-119) 624 N. Pleasant Valley, 479-4580. The Sheriff's East Austin probation office: When ol' Uncle Lew has to come take a "pee" test, this is where he does it.
UT Vehicle Maintenence (N-24) I-35 & Manor.
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Alamo Park & Rec Center (N-22) 2100 Alamo, 474-2806. Cozy block-size park and adjacent rec center are undergoing construction but are open for business. Grounds include baseball and basketball facilities.
Parks
Boggy Creek Greenbelt (E-125) 2300 Rosewood. East Austin's only recreational green space. Hike-and-bike trails and picnic tables under an abundance of shade trees.
Burnett "Blondie" Pharr Tennis Courts (N-75) 4201 Brookview, 477-7773. Next door to Patterson Park, these courts are a great place to pretend you're Martina Hingis. With the airplanes flying overhead, it's just like playing in the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows!
Comal Park (S-6) 300 Comal, 477-PARD. Small neighborhood park.
Downs Field/Mabson Field (R-71) 2812 Rosewood. Home of the Huston-Tillotson Rams.
Fiesta Gardens (S-46) 2101 Bergman, 480-8318. Tucked on the shores of Town Lake, Fiesta Gardens is a popular setting for both community and family events. It has a bandstand and festival grounds, a large hall and patio for rent, a lagoon and grandstand, and the maintenance yard used by Austin PARD. Cinco de Mayo celebrations have been held here for more than 60 years. Over 17,000 people attend the Diez y Seis de Septiembre festival.
Kealing Park (R-36) 1500 Rosewood Avenue, 499-6700. Sandwiched between Kealing Junior High and the gaily painted Carver Library, the park is not just another little urban retreat in a neighborhood blessed with plenty of green spaces, with the requisite picnic tables, playground equipment, and basketball court. It is also home to a swimming pool, the treasure of all treasures under the summer sun.
Lott Park (R-3) 1180 Curve. Picnic tables and a basketball court.
Metz Recreation Center & Park (S-54) 2407 Canterbury, 478-8716. Swimming pool, ball yard, rec center, covered hoops courts, and a small playground -- a nice park in the shadow, rattle, and hum of the Holly Street Power Plant.
Oswaldo "A.B." Cantu Pan-American Recreation Center (S-96) 2100 E. Third, 476-9193. A community center for youth, teens, and adults, the Cantu Pan-Am Center has been serving East Austin since 1956 with a variety of sports, recreational, and day camp programs. Current classes include ceramics and Ballet Folklorico. Also check for a Tuesday night summer concert series at the center's Hillside Theater.
Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center (E-127) 2608 Gonzales, 472-7142. The Zaragoza Park Recreation Center celebrated its second anniversary this past Cinco de Mayo. The center offers a wide variety of activities including summer camps, sports teams, day care, and after school tutoring. They are always looking for both participants and volunteers.
Patterson Park (N-74) 4201 Brookview, 477-PARD. Swimming, volleyball, picnic areas, tennis, and barbeque pits are all offerings at this oasis off Airport Boulevard.
Rosewood Park & Recreation Center (R-69) 2300 Rosewood, 472-6838. One of the oldest public spaces in Austin, Rosewood's playing fields lie at the base of a scenic hill topped by the handsome old rec center, which houses a computer lab, dance space, gymnasium, and auditorium. Also the site of a homesteader's cabin built in 1863.
Roy Velasquez, Sr. Complex (S-47) 2201 Riverview. Run by Austin Parks & Rec, these ball fields are home to the Greater East Austin Youth League.
Sanchez Park (S-37) 1000 Holly, 477-PARD. Public park with picnic areas and a baseball field behind Sanchez Elementary School is maintained by the city and enjoyed by kids all over the neighborhood.
Town Lake Park (S-44) Town Lake. The eastern wing of a park that stretches west of Loop 1, this bit of Town Lake Park has all the riverside appeal of its cohorts to the west without the big crowds. A fine place to have a bite, fly a kite, launch a boat, or just lie in the grass and count your toes.
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Allan Elementary (E-80) 4900 Gonzales, 414-2304. One-story red brick building in residential area. D.A.R.E. (to stay away from drugs) office looks out onto modest playground out front.
SchoolsBlackshear Elementary School (R-26) 1712 E. 11th, 414-2021. Large, across from H-T College. Keeping their promise to install, upgrade, and enact major renovations. Bond dollars at work.
Campbell Elementary (R-61) 2613 Rogers, 414-2056.
Florence R. Brooke School (E-3) 3100 E. Fourth, 414-2043. Local elementary school. http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu
George I. Sanchez Elementary (S-36) 73 San Marcos, 414-4423. Year-round AISD elementary school offering dual-language program in English and Spanish. http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu
Govalle Elementary School (E-95) 3601 Govalle, 414-2078. Sprawling one-story white-brick educational cornerstone in residential area. http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu
Huston-Tillotson College (F-41) 900 Chicon, 505-3139. A descendent of the oldest higher-education institution in Austin, Huston-Tillotson continues to build on its tradition of excellence.
Kealing Jr. High (R-41) 1607 Pennsylvania Ave., 414-3214.
Maplewood Elementary School (N-70) 3808 Maplewood, 414-4402. Our area year-round campus. One of the smallest and most evenly racially/culturally mixed schools in AISD.
Metz Elementary (S-55) 84 Robert T. Martinez, Jr., 414-4408. Year-round school with a dual-language program in English and Spanish. http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu
Oak Springs Elementary (E-121) 3601 Webberville, 414-4413.
Rice Elementary (R-70) 2406 Rosewood, 414-4475.
Sam L. Martin Junior High School (S-41) 1601 Haskell, 414-3243. http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu
Texas School for the Deaf (E-57) Seventh & Airport, 389-7221. The East campus.
Zavala Elementary (S-99) 310 Robert T. Martinez, Jr., 414-2318. http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu
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