TA24-J F-Pages - Flipbook - Page 55
to the lifeblood of a strong, vibrant, and connected community. The trolley
that ran across downtown Austin into the Chestnut neighborhood took you as
far as 12th and Chicon, where “one could 昀椀nd … the Harlem movie theatre,
Phelp’s Dry Cleaners, the red and white food Market, Lee’s shoe shop, Talley’s
Newsstand, Yates Drug store & Ice Cream Parlor, Marshall’s and Galloway’s
Barber shops and a cab stand. Scattered throughout the neighborhood were
other small businesses such as Hudspeth’s Corner and Breedlove’s Groceries,
Miss Sue’s Beauty Shop, Galloway’s Cleaners, Lyon’s Cafe, Dr. Givens dental
practice, Uncle June’s Barbecue and Aunt Scrap’s Kitchen,” as noted in the
“History of Austin’s Chestnut Neighborhood.” These popular locally owned
businesses bene昀椀ted from the continuous visitation and neighborly patronage
that the 昀氀exibility of routes and the open, walkable street grid allowed. Such
regularly occurring and compounding simple interactions create a shared sense
of belonging that fosters collaboration between individuals and relationships
of mutual support, establishing a meaningful and signi昀椀cant foundation for a
thriving community built organically and incrementally over time.
The Thoughtbarn studio found its home in the leafy Holly neighborhood.
Historic Inspiration and Missteps
The urban form of East Austin predates the implementation of zoning; its
open and permeable street network is a continuation of the downtown grid,
punctuated by pockets of commercial retail, light o昀케ce, civic, light industrial,
and public recreational uses, with residential dwellings in between, positioned
a stone’s throw away from the sidewalk.
In 1928, the city of Austin adopted its comprehensive city plan for the
establishment of a “modern and e昀케cient city.” With inherently racist and
classist motives for creating a singular segregated African American district,
the masterplan sought to relocate African American families scattered
across the city to the existing east end, where a signi昀椀cant African American
community had already established a vibrant neighborhood anchored by
beloved third places.
On an afternoon jaunt over to Ben’s BBQ , the Chuck Wagon, or the Southern Dinette on 11th Street, where there was always a warm welcome, several
spontaneous interactions with fellow patrons and neighbors would contribute
Smart Programming
At the north end of Austin’s M.M. Shipe streetcar route, the trolley would
traverse the historic suburb of Hyde Park, its street form also gridded and
remaining subordinate to the city. A natural pocket of commercial buildings
would emerge out of this terminus point where the trolley crossed 43rd Street
at Speedway Avenue before returning south to downtown.
Today that cluster of commercial buildings remains, a historic designation
of land use at the center of the a昀툀uent residential neighborhood made walkable and all the more desirable by its presence. Among these buildings are a
small grocery store, a Pilates studio, and the Blue Moon Glassworks studio,
with its modest o昀昀erings of classes in jewelry making, sewing, and glass arts.
The largest of the structures — formerly a much-loved and frequented neighborhood post o昀케ce — is now the First Light Book Shop, a recently completed
commercial interior 昀椀tout and renovation by Thoughtbarn, in collaboration
with interior designer Ann Edgerton.
Its bright interior is lit by skylights and serves a broad demographic of
patrons, including the smallest of clientele who sit for story hour, one of the
bookstore’s many events open to the public and free of charge. Appropriately
sized chairs populate the children’s area. Inside the bookstore is a small co昀昀ee
and snack counter. Neighborhood patrons come and go, occasionally pausing
to share with the baristas their version of how they miss the old post o昀케ce but
are glad the building has been given a new lease on life.
The Third Space
We thrive on human connection. It’s a notion we’ve long believed but that is
now substantiated by reports from the medical community, which outline the
positive impact of interaction with fellow community members on individual
health and wellness, in contrast to the negative impacts of social isolation,
which is on par with — and in some cases surpasses — clinical health and diet
in terms of its e昀昀ects on individual happiness and longevity.
Homogenized streetscapes are places for pro昀椀t and not for people, favoring
the car and the commodi昀椀cation of real estate. Low-density developments diffuse any possibility of activation of the public realm, preventing neighborhood
evolution and prioritizing the perceived bene昀椀t of private property ownership
over the value of a healthy society.
In May 2023, Austin City Council voted to eliminate minimum parking
requirements from the city’s land use regulations. This incremental change will
go some way to overcoming the site planning constraints small business owners
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