HISTORY

Block 3

Austin City Hall is located on a full downtown block known as "Block 3" in the city grid.

Records indicate that between 1853 and 1868, the block was divided into 12 lots and was occupied by just a few family residences and rental properties. In 1868, Fred W. Sutor opened Austin's first brewery, the City Brewery, on the southeast corner of the block in a three-story stone building with a basement vault.

During the 1870s, residents started to move away to quieter areas of the city as the "Guy Town" vice district activity flourished. Aging homes began to be converted into one-room shanties, the Metz Saloon, Sallie Davenport's brothel, tenement building and a boarding house for African-American and Mexican-American blue collar workers.

Municipal Annex in 2000

Over time, the housing disappeared, and W.S. Drake purchased lots to build sheds for his expanding Calcasieu lumber yard business. In 1883, the Calcasieu Lumber Company moved their first headquarters to the site and converted the City Brewery building for use in their operations. After 1889, only lumber yard facilities remained on the block, including storage sheds, a planing yard and the lumber company offices.

In 1949, a fire destroyed the original Calcasieu headquarters building. The brewery structure was also damaged by the fire, and the building was demolished and the vault was filled in. The Calcasieu Lumber Company rebuilt their office building and continued to operate on the site until 1974.

The City of Austin purchased the block in 1974 and remodeled the buildings to become the "Municipal Annex" after City administration had outgrown the small Municipal Building on Eighth and Colorado Streets. The Municipal Annex served the public for 26 years with offices and City Council Chambers.

Municipal Annex building on Block 3 in 2000.

When the Municipal Annex was closed in 2000, it housed the City Council Chambers and 360 employees from the Development Review and Inspection Department and the Planning, Environmental and Conservation Services Department.

The Municipal Annex was demolished in July 2000 to clear the site for excavation and construction of the new City Hall. City Council meetings were temporarily moved to the Lower Colorado River Authority headquarters on Lake Austin Blvd. during construction.

The new Austin City Hall opened on Block 3 in November 2004.