An inside look: Preservation Austin Homes Tour to showcase local historic sites

Preservation Austin is getting “Out Of The House” with this year’s Annual Homes Tour.

Instead of guiding attendees through the halls of historical houses, this year Preservation Austin’s 30th annual tour will showcase sites around town from schools to churches to city buildings.

The event is Preservation Austin’s biggest fundraiser, going to support advocacy efforts in historic places. This will be the first in-person event held by the nonprofit since 2019.

Take a peek at the tour’s schedule.

Baker School | 3908 Avenue B

(Atelier Wong)

Built in 1911 in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood, the Baker School was first an elementary school, then a middle school, then a high school, then an administrative building for the city’s school district and now serves as the headquarters for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Castle Court Offices | 1105 Castle Ct.

(Rob Gomez)

As part of the former Texas Military Institute, the Castle Court Offices were built out of rubble limestone in 1873 and are located just near the Castle nearby. Originally the kitchen and mess hall, it is now used for office space.

Holly Street Murals | 2298 Riverview St.

(Catalina Cherñavvsky Sequeira)

Located on the sound wall of the now-defunct Holly Street Power Plant, local artists Felipe Garza, Robert Herrera, Oscar Cortez and Fidencio Duran painted the murals in the 1990s to reclaim their neighborhood, which did not want the plant in the first place.​

John & Drucie Chase Building | 1191 Navasota St.

(Anne Burnett)

Designed by the first Black graduate of UT’s School of Architecture and first licensed Black architect in Texas, John Saunders Chase, the 1,450-square-foot John & Drucie Chase Building was built in 1952 and served as the headquarters for the Colored Teachers Association of Texas. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Moya House | 1102 E. Cesar Chavez St.

(Ashley Garmon)

The only true home on the list, the 1930’s-built Moya house was home to Richard Moya, a Chicano activist and the first Mexican American Austinite to achieve public office in the city in 1970. His bungalow is now an event space.

Travis County Probate Courthouse | 200 W. 8th St.

(Casey Dunn)

An Austin-centric example of the New Deal-era architecture, the Old Federal Courthouse was built in 1936. The courthouse has been successfully updated since it was purchased by Travis County in 2016 and is currently seeking LEED Gold certification.

Wesley United Methodist Church | 1164 San Bernard St.

(Leonid Furmansky)

The city’s oldest church congregation, which formed in 1865, stays at Wesley United Methodist Church, which relocated from downtown to East Austin in 1929. The site of worship is characterized by its stained glass windows, Gothic Revival architecture and interior beams.

Tickets are on sale through Friday, starting at $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers, and the tour will begin at the Baker School.