Posse Forms to Save the Norwood Estate
Visit www.RestoreNorwood.org to learn more about the Norwood Posse's effort to restore the Norwood House on the northwest corner of I-35 and Riverside Drive.
See beautiuful photos of the former glory at the Austin History Center's website featuring The Norwood Estate.
In 1922, Ollie Osborn Norwood, a municipal securities and bonds broker, built his home overlooking what is now Lady Bird Lake and Interstate Highway 35. He added a fine teahouse/gazebo, state-of-the-art greenhouse, terraced gardens and one of Austin’s first geothermal-fed swimming pools. This classic bungalow quickly became one of Austin’s showplace homes. In 1927, Norwood went on to build the gothic Norwood Tower at 114 W. 7th Street in downtown Austin, said to be one of the nation’s first fully air-conditioned skyscrapers. For decades, along with the Capitol and the UT Tower, it remained among Austin's tallest buildings.
Norwood died in 1961 but his wife Calie Gove Neal Norwood lived there overlooking the Colorado River for a while afterwards, moving to a smaller house before dying in 1976. Calie’s great-grandfather, Edward LeGrand, was the 58th signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and one of Sam Houston’s colonels at the Battle of San Jacinto. The house was sold and rented, most recently in the early 1980s to a publishing company but, because the estate was in an ultra-scenic location, investors began exploring building condos.
The neighborhood association, South River City Citizens, steadfastly dueled with these interests over the years, successfully staving off unwelcome development. In 1985 the last owner put the property on the market. Staff at Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department saw the great potential of the site and the city council authorized $2.5 million in certificates of obligation to buy it. Unfortunately, the PARD staff lacked a fundable plan to transform the house into a usable public facility. So it just sat there, abandoned.
In 1998 members of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce launched a restoration effort in conjunction with PARD and the City Council. The goal was to renovate the house and transform it into a visitors' center and institute for the economic impact of women’s issues. They organized a gala fundraiser in 1992 with wide support from the business community but dreams of turning this project into a showcase of the beauty and importance of historic preservation diminished.
Some say the lack of support from The City of Austin (the owners), prevented the Chamber from achieving their goal. In any case, after moving the house back to its original site, the Chamber let the unfinished project go in 1999, and it was, once again, abandoned. Since then vagrants have been in and out, knowing nothing about the asbestos or other dangers. Today there are holes in the roof, the ceilings are falling in, the windows are boarded up….yet its owners dutifully mow the lawn around the fence that surrounds it.
SRCC members responded to this regrettable situation by convening the Norwood Committee of volunteers calling themselves the Norwood Posse. Their first action was covering the house with tarps to minimize water leakage onto the fine wood floors.
A neighborhood contractor's exam shows the house is indeed fixable. Previous estimates to PARD have been around $1 million. PARD says they would do it, but their wishlist is long, and funds are short. The Norwood Posse firmly believe it can be done much more affordably and the architect who worked with the Chamber effort has many files about the last renovation plan available and agreed to help.
Both Travis County Adult Probation and Austin Community Court have agreed to refer clients who are required to perform community service restitution…..possibly carpenters, plumbers, et al, to work at the site. Numerous other contacts are being made to assemble a coalition of interested parties that, together, can bring new life to this example of demolition by neglect.
The evolving restoration plan places heavy emphasis on volunteer labor, donations of needed materials by local businesses, grants and, most importantly, tax-deductible donations by those who share the vision of restoring this south Austin landmark. This is not like sending off a check to some unseen organization. This is investing your money in a local public park facility.
Soon, we will announce which non-profit foundation will collect donations. Think about becoming a part of our effort, financially or by donating your time. We have before us the opportunity to visibly contribute to the public good.
–by Wolf Sittler