Old Bakery & Emporium Visitor Center -- Austin TX
N 30° 16.328 W 097° 44.485
14R E 621059 N 3349610
A visitor center for the city of Austin in the historic Old Bakery building in downtown Austin.
Waymark Code: WMH451
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/19/2013
Views: 19
The visitor center for the city of Austin is operated by the Austin Parks and Recreation department. It is located in the historic Old Bakery building next to the ruins of the Temporary State Capitol at Congress and 11th St in downtown Austin. The State Capitol is just across the street, so this is a good place to troll for tourists!
From the city of Austin website: (
visit link)
"Old Bakery and Emporium --
The Old Bakery & Emporium is a historic building located in Downtown Austin. The Bakery operates as a Consignment Shop, Visitor Information Center, Art Gallery exhibiting local artists 50 or better and houses a museum, the Lundberg-Maerki Historical Collection.
History
The Old Bakery, a registered national landmark, has graced Congress Avenue since 1876, when it was built by Swedish immigrant Charles Lundberg. The building was used as a bakery till 1936, and after that for a variety of purposes.
The Old Bakery was vacant, deteriorating and scheduled for demolition when it was rescued through the combined efforts of the Austin Heritage Society, which purchased the structure in 1963, and the Junior League, which donated $12,500 for restoration work. No alterations were made in the restoration work which included installing the rods on the second floor to strengthen the side walls. The giant oven and the wooden baker's spade remain as reminders of the building's history.
In 1964, the Heritage Society began operating a Tourist Information Center and Coffee Kitchen at the site. When the mortgage was paid off in 1970, the Old Bakery was sold to the State of Texas. The state of Texas deeded the building and property to the City of Austin in 1980. The City of Austin Office of Bicentennial Affairs and the Texas Bicentennial Information Center occupied the building between July 1974 and September 1976. The Old Bakery and Emporium opened its doors in October, 1976, as a co-sponsored project of the Senior Programs Section of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and the First Lady's Volunteer Program of the Texas Center for Volunteer Action." [end]
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