Marla Akin

Marla Akin is an enthusiast of cultural history and roadside America, currently serving on the board of the Society of Commercial Archeology. A postcard and vintage paper collector, she retired as Assistant Director of the UT Michener Center for Writers in 2018. She currently serves on the Sightlines board.

Architecture & Design

The 1853 Watson House is out of sight — and running out of time

It is possible to live the better part of a life in Austin, graduate from The University of Texas and work there for decades without knowing of the existence...

Architecture & Design

Common ground: The story of Austin’s newest, and only Black, historic district

The recent designation of Austin’s newest, and only Black, historic district means a cluster of midcentury homes and the histories of their owners, who claimed the enclave as their...

Architecture & Design

Cambridge Tower: From celeb to invisible icon and back again

Long before soaring residential towers raced one another up Austin’s skyline, a beacon of urban modernity years ahead of its time took shape at Lavaca and W. 19th Street...

Theater & Dance

Forklift Danceworks’ ‘Givens Swims’ dives deep into a community

"Givens Swim" is the last in the "My Park, My Pool, My City" trilogy from Forklift Danceworks in collaboration with Austin Parks and Recreation’s Aquatics Division, promoting civic engagement...

Architecture & Design

A Midcentury, Midtown History Worth Preserving

Across decades, the fortunes of a cluster of Central East Austin neighborhoods have reflected much of the city’s vision of itself — its midcentury post-war aspirations, the socio-economic barrier...

Architecture & Design

In plain sight: A midcentury East Austin treasure, packed with history, gets a new life

An unassuming low-slung building stands at 1191 Navasota Street in East Austin, easy to overlook in the dense growth of the area’s real estate boom. Though now vacant, a...