AUSTIN (KXAN) – A building that has stood since the 1840s is likely to meet its end by the end of this year.
According to the Texas Historical Commission, the Governor Horton Place at 6706 Bluff Springs Road once belonged to Albert Horton, the first person elected lieutenant governor after Texas joined the union.
The structure is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, but fell into disrepair after a destructive fire in the 1990s and years of poor maintenance. A city engineer assessed the structure in June, finding it a “safety concern to those living on the property and those [who] have access to the property.”
In March, KXAN reported on a large homeless encampment that had emerged around the building. As many as 24 people lived in the encampment before city staff moved them into shelters and cleaned the area.
“[The Texas Historical Commission] office understands the growing concern by the community and by the City of Austin that the site of The Governor Horton Place has become a safety issue due to the weakening of the remaining walls. Since there is no security at the site, fears have been expressed over potential injury, due to the large tract of property and numerous access points,” Bradford Patterson, Deputy Executive Director for Preservation Programs, said in a July letter to Austin’s Historic Preservation office.
“Based upon the deteriorated condition shared by the City of Austin in information submitted and noted during the site visit by Texas Historical Commission staff, we understand the demolition and clearing of The Governor Horton Place,” Patterson continued.
Austin’s Development Services Department told KXAN it plans to request a demolition order from the Building and Standards Commission at its Oct. 8 meeting.
“Pending the remainder of approvals, we would seek to deconstruct the structure and salvage the materials we can, before the end of the year,” a DSD spokesperson said in an email.