Hyde Park History

Before businessman Monroe Martin Shipe founded Hyde Park just two miles north of The University of Texas’ main campus, the land was a popular location full of excitement and promise. A moderately sized plot of land boasted attractions like the Capital State Fair and the horse and automobile racetracks accompanied by grandstands that seated a considerable 3,500 spectators. With the entrepreneurship of Shipe coupled with the propagation of public interest, the young neighborhood witnessed a period of expansion that would eventually earn it the recognition as Austin’s very first suburb. However, as generations passed, the atmosphere of Hyde Park evolved. In the beginning, it was a vibrant and rapidly growing village-like section of town, but since its period of incredible growth and prosperity, there has been a decline in its social and economic prowess within the city of Austin. As of today, the 126 year-old neighborhood, which has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1990, is still quite alive, however, it exhibits a much quieter presence than ever before. In recent decades residents have fought battles against the city and organizations that attempted erase what remains of the historic character of the neighborhood; and four years ago the city council …show more content…
There are of course bike shops and bus stops, a corner store and an auto shop, but these every day businesses do not speak of the rich history of Hyde Park. Some of the building styles may come off as vintage and historical to casual tourist or resident, however, it is only when looking closely at the streets and homes, and observing what they have to offer to their very latest inhabitants does one discover the exciting story of what happened in them several generations