The home of a famed Texas modernist and buildings designed by the first Black architect licensed in Texas will be part of Preservation Austin's spring 2024 Homes Tour.
The 10 homes on this year’s tour — half viewable on the tour's first day, Saturday, April 20, and the others on Sunday, April 21 — represent a century of Austin’s heritage and range from a log cabin to a model of mid-century design.
In addition to the standard if always fascinating parade of homes, this year's event will feature the first Homes Tour Block Party in East Austin's Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Historic District, roughly bounded by East 21st Street on the north, Cedar Avenue on the east, East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the south, and Chestnut Avenue on the west. "This tight-knit neighborhood tells the story of the Black experience in postwar Austin and features the works of groundbreaking Black architect John S. Chase, FAIA," according to Preservation Austin's press release.
The Block Party will be held in partnership with the city of Austin’s Equity-based Preservation Plan initiative, a major revision of its outdated current preservation plan, which has been in place since 1981, recently opened for community and public review.
This VIP Party of this year's tour will be at Southwind, the former residence and studio of notable Austin artist Seymour Fogel, on Tuesday, April 16.
This will be the 40th year of Preservation Austin's Homes Tour. The group says its "goal with this event is to champion diverse neighborhoods and histories citywide to honor the contributions of all those who made Austin what it is today."
