Favorite historical Austin haunts including the Broken Spoke will get some financial support this year after the City Council's January approval of a $31.7 million spending package for its Historic Preservation Fund grant program.
The council approved the amount for its annual spending package, which supports efforts to preserve and improve historic Austin properties, for its 2023-24 fiscal year. The grants are funded with 15 percent allocation of the city's hotel occupancy tax revenue. The city’s financial department estimated the tax generated $163.8 million in 2023, going by preliminary, unaudited collections.
The council also increased the $59,000 cap on individual heritage grant awards to $250,000, with "staff discretion to recommend to Council grant requests above this threshold."
Award recipients include the owner of 421 East Sixth Street, where Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar operates, for a $257,000 roof repair; the Kreisle Building at 412 Congress Avenue, which will get $250,000 grant for the company to support roof repairs and accessibility upgrades to the building, currently home to Speakeasy night club; legendary South Austin dance hall the Broken Spoke, which will receive $50,000 for porch repairs.; and the Center for Women and Their Work, which will get $105,000 for roof, gutter, and door and window frame repairs at its office at 1311 East Cesar Chavez Street.
Grant funding for city-owned properties and services includes $11.9 million for capital projects, including improvements to Barton Springs and other historic sites managed by the city's park's department and history center. Operations with tourism-focused investments at historic locations will get $2.2 million, and $11.3 million will go to land appropriation.
The city's Iconic Venue Fund, created to preserve live music venues in the city, was will receive $2.5 million.
