Wooldridge Square Improvements Begin

November 9, 2005

The City of Austin Public Works Department plans to improve sidewalks, replace dying trees, and move lighting at Wooldridge Square Park beginning November 21st, 2005. For more information, view the official press release. APF will continue to advocate for other Wooldridge improvements such as a new sprinkler system.

Republic Square awarded Best of Austin

September 30 , 2004

Republic Square won the 2004 Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin readers choice award for Best Urban Public Space. "...the Warehouse District's public square is taking shape as the kind of civic front porch Edwin Waller intended when he laid out Austin more than 150 years ago," the Chronicle wrote.

Susanna Dickinson House Makeover....

July 12, 2004

The Susanna Dickinson House at Brush Square got a a temporary makeover as volunteers attempted to recreate what the house's facade originally looked like, by painting in the missing windows, door, transoms, and other details. The finished product will be used to illustrate future real restoration. See News 8 Austin's coverage of the story.

Free Wi-Fi in the parks....

June 7, 2004

Austin was featured in Newsweek as one of the country's top Wireless Cities, citing in particular our free wireless in local parks.

May 18, 2004

Connecting Earth and Sky! Republic Square is now a free wireless hotspot. Through a collaboration of the Downtown Park Partners, City of Austin, Austin Wireless City Project, Schlotzsky's®, free public Wi-Fi is coming to Austin's parks. Auditorium Shores will be receiving the technology, along with Wooldridge Square and Brush Square. With this innovative fusion of green space and WiFi technology, Austin is now on its way to claiming a new title as "The Wireless Capital of the World."

Historic park gaining a bright future....

February 18, 2004

The Austin Parks Foundation, in partnership with a taskforce of Brush Square stakeholders, held two public meetings to gain community input regarding the future of Brush Square Park. With the O. Henry Museum and recently relocated Susanne Dickinson house located there, the park now rests within an up-and-coming epicenter of tourism. Redevelopment of the park's landscape and future uses of the park were discussed.


In Republic Square's Neighborhood....

February 11th, 2004

Austin Museum of Art has announced that its plans for making the city block directly south of Republic Square the museum's future home are being reexamined. After decades of planning to construct a new art museum at that location (4th Street and Guadalupe) AMOA determined the site plans to extend beyond its financial capacity during the current economic climate. A scaled-back and less-costly museum design or an alternate use for the square will be explored. The design for the redevelopment of Republic Square, which had been influenced by the expectation of the new museum, will be reevaluated.

Rethinking Republic Square....

January 30, 2004

The design of the new federal courthouse, which will become Republic Square Park's neighbor at San Antonio/5th Street, will be determined this month. Mayor Will Wynn is recommending closure of San Antonio Street between 4th and 5th Streets, in exchange for re-opening 9th Street, where the current courthouse has required that it be closed for security purposes. Alternate traffic flow options that would reduce congestion in the area of San Antonio Street are being evaluated. Pedestrianizing San Antonio Street would allow more flexibility in the shape of the new courthouse building, which will be oriented toward the park, as well as spur redevelopment efforts for Republic Square. (This recommendation was approved by Council on February 12th.)