Historic homes just outside downtown Austin
Old Enfield, part of a cluster of communities settled by some of the city’s first automobile owners, is home to dozens of designated historic landmarks. Just outside of downtown, Old Enfield is a longtime favored home for elected officials, from governors to senators to mayors. The community is bordered by Enfield Road on the south, Windsor Road on the north, and North Lamar on the east side. The western shoulder of the neighborhood sits on MoPac Expressway. For the residents whose homes back up to MoPac, there are noise barriers on the side of the Expressway. Aesthetically, few communities in Austin are like this enchanting neighborhood. Architecture styles here are among the grandest and most varied in Central Texas. Like everywhere else in the city, Old Enfield has compact, single-story ranch houses. But it’s also home to Pease Mansion, on Pease and Niles roads. Originally known as Woodlawn Mansion, two Texas governors resided in the circa-1850s, Greek Revival-style house. There is no single style of architecture that defines Old Enfield. Just down the street from Pease Mansion is a midcentury, Spanish Revival house with a gabled metal roof. And a modern Traditional house with English and Spanish Revival elements is located next door. For a lesson in modern and revival architecture, one can simply take a stroll down Niles Road in the middle of Old Enfield. Old Enfield is totally residential -- there are no shops, schools or businesses located in the neighborhood. However, parents can send children to any school in the Austin Independent School District or enroll them in one of the city’s many charter and private schools. The neighborhood is home to Pease Park and one of the largest swaths of Shoal Creek, including the Shoal Creek bike and hike trail, which runs from Lady Bird Lake and past 38th Street. The path is more than a dozen miles long, passing through several residential neighborhoods and around a few natural springs, ponds and tributaries. But much of the trail is hidden by Shoal Creek’s curtain of mature trees. While Old Enfield is an appropriate name for this historic neighborhood, there is one welcome newcomer. The 40-foot-tall observation treehouse in Pease Park, located a few steps from a 1920s-era Tudor cottage and small outdoor theater, can transport visitors to a different, high-in-the-woods world. For anyone who has an important milestone to celebrate, the Pease Park Conservancy leases the metal-framed globe for special events.
