Historic Resources & Surveys
- Overview
- Link to the Wiki
- Historic Resources & Surveys
- Maps & GIS Data
- Wiki in East Austin and North University
Austin contains a rich array of historic resources. While some historic resources have already been identified and designated at the local, state, and/or national level, others remain unidentified. There have been piecemeal efforts to conduct historical surveys in the past, but a comprehensive survey has not been conducted since 1984. Since that time, some of the surveyed properties have been significantly altered or demolished, while other properties have reached an age where they can now be evaluated for their historic significance. The Austin Historical Survey Wiki provides a means for surveying historic resources, while centralizing information for easy reference.
Downloads previously available through this web page have been moved to the Austin Historical Survey Wiki User Guide. See this Wiki User Guide page for a listing of previously conducted professionals surveys.
Additional sources of information about historic resources and historical surveys in Austin:
- City of Austin Historic Preservation Office — The Historic Preservation Office works to protect and enhance "neighborhoods, buildings and sites that reflect elements of Austin’s cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history." A list of Austin Landmarks by Address [pdf] is available from their website. Landmarks represent buildings and other historic resources that are already recognized as having historical significance.
- City of Austin Preservation Plan (1981) [pdf; 17.8mb]
- Texas Historic Sites Atlas - An on-line atlas featuring the location of Texas historical markers, State Archaeological Landmarks, National Register of Historic Places properties, and other historical resources of interest. Data from some neighborhood surveys is available through the Atlas.
How to Do Property Research For Surveys
- Real Property Information Sources - Austin History Center
- Researching Your House in Austin, Texas - Download from page on City of Austin Historic Preservation Office website
- Researching Specific Buildings - Architecture and Planning Library, University of Texas at Austin
- Walk Through Historic Buildings: Learn to Identify the Visual Character of Historic Buildings - National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services
Related Survey Projects/Information
- Census of Places that Matter — An effort to encourage widespread public participation in a survey of meaningful places in New York City.
- Cultural Resources Geographical Information System (CRGIS) Guidelines — Guidelines for the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) technologies in historic preservation.
- Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning and other National Register Publications issued by the National Park Service.
- Los Angeles Historic Resource Survey Project / Survey LA — A comprehensive citywide effort to survey Los Angeles’ historic resources.
- National Park Service, Heritage Documentation Programs — A part of the U.S. National Park Service that administers the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS), and Cultural Resources Geographic Systems (CRGIS).
