Preservation Austin has awarded $5,000 to the Contemporary Austin for on-going restoration of the historic 1916 Driscoll Villa, the centerpiece of Laguna Gloria.
The $5,000 comes through Preservation Austin’s on-going grant program that offers matching funds to nonprofit organizations, neighborhood organizations, public entities and owners of individual or proposed landmarks. Grant applications are accepted quarterly; the next deadline is Dec. 15.
Additional 2019 grantees are:
- Interfaith Action of Central Texas, for the video documentary “To Believe” celebrating East Austin churches and on display now at Oakwood Cemetery Chapel
- Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, for restoration of the Hardeman House’s entrance at Symphony Square
- Old Austin Neighborhood Association to document the neighborhood’s historic resources
- Foundation for the Preservation Historic Millett Opera House for restoring wooden windows and ornamentation
“We’re honored to be able to support this incredible range of projects,” said Lindsey Derrington, executive director of Preservation Austin. “These matching grants give our nonprofit the opportunity to magnify our impact by helping advocates throughout our community preserve and interpret our heritage.”
Texas cattle heiress Clara Driscoll built her elegant Italianate villa in 1916 perched above the shores of the Colorado River. Herself a rare early advocate for historic preservation, Driscoll purchased the Alamo in 1903 to save it from destruction. At the front entrance of her Laguna Gloria mansion Driscoll installed a replica of the Rose Window from San Antonio’s San Jose Mission.
Driscoll donated her home to the Texas Fine Arts Association in 1943. It later became Laguna Gloria Art Museum, then the Austin Museum of Art. Texas Fine Arts Association later became Arthouse. In 2011, Arthouse and Austin Museum of Art merged to become the Contemporary Austin.
