Little known Austin area trivia....

Discussion in 'Around Austin' started by dallas_the_tiger, Nov 12, 2007.

  1. ScoPro

    ScoPro 1,000+ Posts

    Anybody remember The Id, a "beatnik" coffee house around 25th street & the Drag in the early '60s? Coffee, folk singing and poetry. Classic Maynard Krebs & Jack Kerouac stuff. [​IMG]
     
  2. Praise of Folly

    Praise of Folly 100+ Posts

    The State Fair used to be held in Hyde Park in Austin.

    Even before Monroe M. Shipe developed Hyde Park as one of Austin's first suburbs, the area was well known as a center for recreation. The flat, smooth terrain made it an ideal site for racing horses, and the Capital Jockey Club racecourse, located in the southeast corner of the area, was called "the finest in the South." The state militia also took advantage of the expanse of flat land to hold drills and sham battles at its annual summer encampment which attracted thousands of spectators. In 1875 the Capital State Fair Association located the state fairgrounds adjacent to the racetrack, constructing a 3,500 seat grandstand, a large exhibition hall, stables, cisterns and wells to accommodate visitors to the fair. Initially successful, the fair began to lose money and relocated to Dallas in 1884.

    Pictures and links

    Hyde Park used to have a lake.

    A portion of the State Fair's horseracing track is still reflected in the curved segment of 39th Street between Avenue F and Duval Street.
     
  3. doylehargraves

    doylehargraves 500+ Posts

    Didn't see this mentioned.... the original Antone's used to be in place that is now that convenience store on the south side of 6th, (the corner of 6th and Brazos).
     
  4. CBDTexas

    CBDTexas 100+ Posts

    Before it was 1st Street, what is now Cesar Chavez was originally Water Street. This includes the section beyond Mopac that is now Lake Austin Blvd. It was often referred to as "Dam Street".
     
  5. Mesohorny

    Mesohorny 1,000+ Posts

    UT held bonfires during Roundup weekends at the triangle where Guadalupe and N Lamar intersect. I think the last one was abt '69 or '70. It was then used as a free "People's Garden" for urban / hippie farmers. More than one plot had skunk weed among the tomatoes and peas.

    KRMH-FM was cooler than KLBJ ("good karma").

    Amy's Ice Cream parlor on Guad used to be The Sit 'n' Bull topless joint.

    The original Mother Earth was at 10th and Lamar where the used CD store is (Cheapo?).

    There were drive-in movies all over town into the '70s: The Burnet Rd (now a storage place but the sign still lives), The Longhorn (183 and Burnet Rd), one at Ben White and S. Congress, a twin-screen at Ben White and IH 35, a twin screen on Cameron Rd north of 183, one on N Lamar just south of the DPS.

    the original Posse at Rio Grande and 24th (west of Cain and Abels) was a drive-thru and sold qts of Old Milwaukee three for a dollar.

    Hippie Hollow used to have more naked girls than guys, especially when the 18 y.o. girls came to town for summer school.

    The Stallion DID indeed have the best CFS in town, with yellow gravy.
     
  6. Longhorn Al

    Longhorn Al 500+ Posts

    There was a root beer and burger stand where the armory went in. My grandmother was a carhop there in 1926. She lived off East Avenue around 26th. She'd take the trollie cars to work and would ride on the back of Harley's and old Indian motorcycles down Congress, weaving between the cars and trollies.

    My dad says she also remembered that the area around South First and Barton Springs, where the Hooters and everything is, was just a big gravel pit.
     
  7. TornJock

    TornJock 100+ Posts


     
  8. clandestine

    clandestine 25+ Posts

  9. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    My FIL says that when he attended Travis High, there were only 3 high schools in Austin. Travis, Austin High & Johnson (I think that last one is right).

    He said they used to have a big bonfire event @ near Town Lake & it was mostly stacked by high school kids (he said they did a better job than aggy ever could hope to do; it never fell over until burned).

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  10. Longhorn Al

    Longhorn Al 500+ Posts


     
  11. Longhorn Al

    Longhorn Al 500+ Posts

    The pizza thread reminded me of something my parents told me about.

    There used to be an Italian professor at UT. After class, he'd make pizzas in a little place. Everybody loved them. This must have been in the 70s or so.

    Anyone have some details?
     
  12. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    Did he make these pies on 6th & like death metal?

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  13. CaptainEd

    CaptainEd 1,000+ Posts

    professor hoek
     
  14. ScoPro

    ScoPro 1,000+ Posts

    About a half block up from where South Congress intersected with I-35 (before the street was re-routed), there was a seedy old motel called M&M Courts. It was one of Miss Hattie's ***** houses in the early '60s. The hookers weren't much to write home about. She also ran a house over in Taylor.

    She had a pretty nice home just off Oltorf between I-35 & Congress. High School kids used to paper her front yard now & then.
     
  15. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    What were her rates, Sco?

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  16. ScoPro

    ScoPro 1,000+ Posts

    A fratrat buddy said it was $20 for a Half & Half. [​IMG]
     
  17. Longhorn Al

    Longhorn Al 500+ Posts

    That was around where my dad lived for awhile as a kid. Beverly's Bar and the 81 Tavern are still there on the west side of Congress. My dad told me about the ***** house when he was a little boy. His mom told him to stay away from it. haha

    Oh, his dad also ran the 81 Tavern (or 81 Club) for awhile as well.
     
  18. EB22

    EB22 100+ Posts

    This is a pretty good list too:
    The Link

    apologize if this was already posted, I did not read all the posts
     
  19. THEU

    THEU 2,500+ Posts

    I read the threads and was surprised not to see this tid bit.

    The Clash filmed as least part of their music video for "Rock the Casbah" in Austin. The most memorable scene for me was filmed in front of the Burger King on Guadalupe just north of campus. It shows a Jew dancing around with an Arab.
     
  20. GreasenUSA

    GreasenUSA < 25 Posts

    you must have not read past the first post then
     
  21. Mesohorny

    Mesohorny 1,000+ Posts

  22. texmex_horn

    texmex_horn < 25 Posts

  23. ScoPro

    ScoPro 1,000+ Posts

    More info on the history of the old Skyline (with pics):
    The Link
     
  24. TomTerrific

    TomTerrific 500+ Posts

    What a great thread.

    I really enjoyed that.

    I haven't thought about Tricky Mickey's in a long time.

    Why has that office building on land that the AWH was on never seemed to be occupied?

    What happened to the "Tree House" bar, and why has it been left to ruin?

    Seems like expensive real estate.
     
  25. dallas_the_tiger

    dallas_the_tiger 100+ Posts


     
  26. TxStHorn

    TxStHorn 1,000+ Posts

    Is that the one on Barton Springs?

    I don;t know if I'd want to buy a condo 10 feet away from a train tresle.

    [​IMG]
     
  27. Texoz

    Texoz 1,000+ Posts

    I have a question about the TXDOT offices & property over at 45th & Bull Creek. It looks like there used to be a school there, including baseball field and maybe football field? Anyone remember what school was there?

    Also, it's a great piece of property and I'm wondering what's going to happen with it. I'm guessing it's state property. I doubt they'll leave it undeveloped, but it would make for a nice park.
     
  28. Idahorn2

    Idahorn2 250+ Posts

    Sometime between '67 and '71 there was a tall, good-looking, swarthy guy who hawked sandwiches from a hamper on the sidewalk in front of the Coop. He seemed pretty exotic, may even have had an earring. He was very outgoing; lots of coeds bought sandwiches from him and gave him admiring looks. He did this for maybe a year, then disappeared.

    I heard shortly thereafter, authoritatively, that he was actually a drug dealer and that he had been murdered.
     
  29. Mesohorny

    Mesohorny 1,000+ Posts

    that guy started selling sandwiches in the evenings at the old New Orleans Club on Red River (they had an outdoor stage on the hillside in back - similar to Stubb's now - which is where he sold). as best as I can recall, he wasn't a dealer but was shot in a robbery at the club. I remember he was a real nice, out-going guy.
     
  30. ScoPro

    ScoPro 1,000+ Posts

    Whatever happened to Blind George who used to play the piano at the New Orleans Club?
     

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