Austin’s Original Public Green Spaces

In 1839, Sir Edwin Waller and a survey crew laid out the City of Austin on the north bank of the Colorado River between Shoal Creek to the west and Waller Creek to the east. Four square blocks within that grid, nearly equidistant from one another, were set aside for public use. One of those blocks is now the site of the downtown First Baptist Church. The other three squares, though transformed many times over in the last 170 years, remain today as downtown parks and public gathering spaces. These three parks are Republic Square, Brush Square, and Wooldridge Square.

Republic Square Park 5th/Guadalupe

Just after Edwin Waller had platted the City of Austin in 1839, city lots were auctioned under the shade of the live oak trees on what is now called Republic Square. A small grove of live oaks - known as the Auction Oaks - survive at the southwest corner of the square today.

In the early 1870's, Mexican immigrants began arriving in Austin in large numbers and most moved to the area just south, southwest and west of the square and courthouse/jail block. Austin newspapers dubbed the neighborhood "Mexico" and reported numerous accounts of fandangos, shootings and general wild conduct by the mid 1870's. Newspapers in the 1870's and 1880's also show that Mexican residents of the area celebrated Diez y Seis de Septiembre in the square, marking Mexico's (and Texas') independence from Spain

By 1905, the neighborhood to the west and south of the square was largely identified with Austin's Mexican population. Three "Mexican" churches, First Mexican Baptist (402 San Antonio Street), Methodist Episcopal (512 W. Fourth Street) and Mexican Methodist Church (400 block W. San Antonio at 502 W. Fourth Street) - were established within a block or two of the square. In 1907, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church was built directly across from and facing the square, at the northeast corner of Guadalupe and W. Fifth streets. Mexican Catholics attended St. Mary Immaculate Church until they built their own Spanish-language sanctuary across from the Public Square. In 1917, a parochial school associated with the church was established next to the church at 402 W. Fifth Street.

During World War I, Mexican patriotic celebrations were moved to East Avenue at E. Fifth Street for a few years, possibly because the National Guard used the Public Square for drilling exercises between 1902 and 1909. However, immediately after World War I there was renewed enthusiasm for activities at what was then called "Mexican Park". Mexican celebrations returned to the square, until 1927 when most Mexican cultural and patriotic events moved to Austin's East Side, first at Riverside Park and then permanently at Zaragosa Park.

Little information or historic reference has been found regarding the square or its use in the 1930's and 1940's. The surrounding neighborhood had transformed from a mixed residential/commercial zone into a predominantly light industrial, manufacturing and service-oriented district, a process begun after World War I. The park appears to have been vacant during this period.

Between 1950 and 1960 the park was converted to a parking lot. Ownership of the public square was contested by the city, county and state.

In 1974, the Sierra Club and the Parks and Recreation Department began discussions of converting the parking lot back into a public park. The restoration began in March of 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration. Several names were offered for the park but the Lions' Club of Austin's submission, Republic Square was chosen in tribute to the Republic of Texas.

In 1975, the city developed landscape plans for the park. The focal points were to be the Auction Oaks and a People's Fountain. Berms, or small grass-covered mounds, were planned to shelter the inner park area from its noisy and unsightly city surroundings, creating a sunken garden effect. A symbolic fault line representing the Balcones Fault was planned to divide the park into separate zones as is the case in Central Texas. Trees representing the different regions of fault line were to be planted on the different sides while Live Oaks would border the park and walkways extend from its four corners to the central plaza. The park remains today as it was developed in the 1970's.

Recent efforts by the Austin Parks Foundation, Downtown Austin Alliance, and Austin's Parks and Recreation Department to make Republic Square a vibrant part of downtown life have been warmly received. In 2002, the Austin Chronicle gave Republic Square a Best of Austin critics' pick award for Best Revitalization of a Park. In 2004, Republic Square won the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin readers choice award for Best Urban Public Space.

Brush Square Park 5th/Neches St.

In the years since its designation as a public square, Brush Square Park has seen many changes. In the early 1930s, the home of the famed writer pen named O. Henry was moved to the square and preserved as a public museum. In 1939, Fire Station #1, featuring modern art-deco architecture, was constructed there and still remains as an operating fire station. In October 2003, another historic home, the Susanna Dickinson House, was relocated to the square as well. During the next few years more changes to the square are sure to come, as stakeholders in the park seek to restore the Dickinson home and redevelop the square’s green space.

The Susanna Dickinson House is an 1870’s stone house that was the residence of Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig. Dickinson was one of the few survivors of the Battle of the Alamo and the person who delivered the news of the Texan army’s defeat to General Sam Houston. It was at this house where Dickinson, later in her life, talked to historians and journalists about the famous battle, providing details that became the basis of much of the state’s historical record. The house, in the German-inspired Texas Hill Country architectural style, has been documented as one of Austin’s oldest surviving residences, pre-dating both the University of Texas and the Capitol dome. After restoration, the house will be operated as a museum that interprets the life of Susanna Dickinson during the time of the Texas Republic and highlights her contributions to this state’s history. For more information about restoration plans and fundraising for the preservation of this historic house, call the Friends of the O. Henry Museum, Inc., at 512-472-1903.

The O. Henry Museum offers a look into the life of William Sidney Porter, the man who became famous under the pen name O. Henry. Known as "the master of the short story," Porter lived in this 1886 Queen Anne-style cottage from 1893 to 1895. His home has since been restored and now contains artifacts and memorabilia from Porter's life in Austin.

During his more than thirteen years in Austin, Porter worked in a variety of occupations. Some of his experiences as a pharmacist, draftsman, bank teller, and reporter would later figure in his short stories. Before leaving Texas in 1897, William Sidney Porter's first nationally published short story, The Miracle at Lava Canyon, appeared under the pen name O. Henry.

Wooldridge Square Park 9th/Guadalupe

Wooldridge Square remained undeveloped until the early 1900s. Mayor Alexander P. Wooldridge began pushing for Wooldridge Square to be made into a park in 1907, and with the financial help of neighborhood residents, it opened in 1909. This act of public service and leadership gained Wooldridge both a lasting tribute and a very nice view from his home, now the site of the Travis County Courthouse. He was not undeserving of these benefits: Wooldridge made significant contributions to improving residential life in Austin, including the public acquisition of our beloved Barton Springs.

The park gained popularity as a site for political rallies and music events. Its beautiful gazebo, designed by the Page Brothers, has served as a stage for speeches by politicians such as Lyndon Baines Johnson and Huey Long. Today a variety of civic events are still hosted in the park, ranging from children’s chess tournaments to swearing-in ceremonies for local officials.