Friday, March 18, 2011
Norwood news March 15, 2011
Today was the kick-off meeting with the consultants hired by PARD to conduct a feasibility study to determine future uses of the entire Norwood tract. Public input will be a significant part of this process. Current plans call for four meetings at the Mexican American Cultural Arts Center....the first to be April 12 or 13. Exact date is yet to be determined. To see a draft press release about this study and an initial proposal by Casabella Architects go to: http://www.charwolf.com/norwood/articles.htm
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Norwood House - 2 years since this began
Over the past two years I've donated thousands of hours to research, emails, meetings,etc. All that time finally resulted in the temporary roof cover in place as of late April. My volunteer work is possible due to the money I earn as a woodworker. If I had spent those many hours actually working on the house......much, much more would have been accomplished.
However, as many know, our government has a pattern of not being able to respond, cost effectively and thoughtfully, to broad social and environmental issues.
That being the case, it falls upon the shoulders of those who want to make a difference, to put their time where their mind is. I have time because I have no debt, including a mortgage, so do not need to earn lots. Of course, it helps that I don't have luxury tastes. So most of my time is available for Norwood. In woodwork everything is always clear. At the end of the day one can see the fruits of labor. With Norwood, there is no immediate gratification. The fact that it is public property, is the singl;e biggest barrier to making change happen. We paid over $4,000 to get the shingles & roofing felt removed by an abatement contractor. If the house were privately owned, a group of friends could have done the work for free. Why? The city has stricter rules than the private sector........for the same work. I guess it's about CYA........always a problem in our overly litigitous society.
However, as many know, our government has a pattern of not being able to respond, cost effectively and thoughtfully, to broad social and environmental issues.
That being the case, it falls upon the shoulders of those who want to make a difference, to put their time where their mind is. I have time because I have no debt, including a mortgage, so do not need to earn lots. Of course, it helps that I don't have luxury tastes. So most of my time is available for Norwood. In woodwork everything is always clear. At the end of the day one can see the fruits of labor. With Norwood, there is no immediate gratification. The fact that it is public property, is the singl;e biggest barrier to making change happen. We paid over $4,000 to get the shingles & roofing felt removed by an abatement contractor. If the house were privately owned, a group of friends could have done the work for free. Why? The city has stricter rules than the private sector........for the same work. I guess it's about CYA........always a problem in our overly litigitous society.
Monday, June 2, 2008
A Bit of History
In 1922, Ollie O. Norwood built his home on a scenic 3 acre tract overlooking what is now Lady Bird Lake. He commissioned well known Texas architect Hugo F. Kuehne to design it. The Norwood estate included a state of the art greenhouse, a fountain, a gazebo/teahouse, and the first geothermal fed swimming pool in Austin. Norwood later went on to build the Norwood Tower in downtown Austin, the world’s first fully air conditioned “skyscraper”, a full 15 stories!
In its time the Norwood Estate was an elegant craftsman/bungalow style home surrounded by lush gardens. The house survived a number of attempts to commercialize the site until the City of Austin purchased the entire parcel in the mid eighties. Since then a number of restoration efforts were initiated….none of them successful. The most recent was begun in 1989 by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas. Despite all their efforts the project was never really got off the ground except for moving the house back to its original location.
It now stands with a fence around it, a roof with many holes and cement and lathe falling down from the deteriorated ceiling and littering the fine hardwood floors. When the house was moved the brick exterior was removed…some say they are stored in an yet undiscovered location.
A recent article in the Statesman re-ignited interest in the state of the home and South River City Citizens (SRCC) convened a committee to reinvigorate plans to bring this Austin treasure back to life. This group of volunteers is called the Norwood Posse.
The architect, Kuehne, was also noted for designing a number of buildings throughout central Texas….most importantly, the original Austin Public Library that is now the Austin History Center. He was also a founder of the University of Texas School of Architecture.
The Norwood Posse is committed to the restoration of this home. We are developing a plan that minimizes cost to the city and returns the house to its original appearance. Once this is completed, the house will be a valuable addition to the public park system, available for the general public to use in a variety of ways. In addition, a valuable piece of Austin history will take its rightful place as a fine example of Kuehne’s work and Norwood’s vision.
In its time the Norwood Estate was an elegant craftsman/bungalow style home surrounded by lush gardens. The house survived a number of attempts to commercialize the site until the City of Austin purchased the entire parcel in the mid eighties. Since then a number of restoration efforts were initiated….none of them successful. The most recent was begun in 1989 by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas. Despite all their efforts the project was never really got off the ground except for moving the house back to its original location.
It now stands with a fence around it, a roof with many holes and cement and lathe falling down from the deteriorated ceiling and littering the fine hardwood floors. When the house was moved the brick exterior was removed…some say they are stored in an yet undiscovered location.
A recent article in the Statesman re-ignited interest in the state of the home and South River City Citizens (SRCC) convened a committee to reinvigorate plans to bring this Austin treasure back to life. This group of volunteers is called the Norwood Posse.
The architect, Kuehne, was also noted for designing a number of buildings throughout central Texas….most importantly, the original Austin Public Library that is now the Austin History Center. He was also a founder of the University of Texas School of Architecture.
The Norwood Posse is committed to the restoration of this home. We are developing a plan that minimizes cost to the city and returns the house to its original appearance. Once this is completed, the house will be a valuable addition to the public park system, available for the general public to use in a variety of ways. In addition, a valuable piece of Austin history will take its rightful place as a fine example of Kuehne’s work and Norwood’s vision.
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