Driskill Hotel: A Grande Dame 125 Years Young

AustinRemembers…
“Collective Memory of
Austin & Travis County”
FALL, 2012
Austin History
Center Association
Driskill Hotel:
A Grande Dame
125 Years Young
By Ann Dolce
Find a comfortable chair in the lobby of The Driskill Hotel
in downtown Austin. Sit for awhile, quietly, notice people
coming and going, let your mind drift. Many have said the
hotel is haunted. Rather, it is most likely inhabited with the
memories of all the people who have filled the hallways,
ballrooms, and guest rooms of this magnificent building – a
building that is steeped in Texas history and Texas history
makers. Joe Frantz, in his book “The Driskill Hotel,” said
The Driskill Hotel, from the Sixth and Brazos corner, as she appeared in the early
20th century. Colonel Driskill’s bust is high atop the hotel on the upper left, and a it best, “The sounds scatter like a will-o’-the-wisp, a soft
bust of his son “Bud” is on the right, facing Brazos Street. Longhorns can be seen swirling curtain of mist that rises and falls, revealing a
glimpse of indistinct shadows that dance close and then
below each of the busts. The bank entrance is at the corner, in the center of the
photograph on the first level. Image #C03290, Austin History Center, Austin Public retreat, leaving both the mind and the eye to wonder whether
Library.
the shapes were seen or just imagined.” No one goes far
for long without coming to Austin to “work something out,”
and at the center of these social, political, business, and just
plain scheming operations is The Driskill Hotel. It has been
the center since its opening in 1886.
The Driskill’s story begins with its first memory maker,
Colonel Jesse L. Driskill, who came to Texas from Tennessee
and entered the cattle business in 1857. During the Civil
War, Driskill sold beef to the Confederate Army and the
Texas Rangers but was paid in Confederate dollars, so he
ended up with no cattle and no money. Broke, he began
to rebuild his herds and drove cattle along the Chisholm
Trail to railheads in the north. He became wealthy once
again, and in 1871 he moved his family to Austin. Driskill
continued to trade cattle but also recognized the commercial
potential in Austin, a metropolis of 11,000 in the 1880s. He
was convinced Austin would be the first Texas city to reach a
population of 100,000 and knew that it needed a grand hotel
The corner of Pecan and Brazos streets, before the Driskill Hotel was built.
to serve as the center of all social, political and business
Peck’s Hall, then known as Weed and Gerhard’s Stable, is at right corner. –
Image #C00697 Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.
activity.
Continued on Page 4
Angelina Eberly Luncheon Auction Starts Now: ONLINE
By Beth Fowler
Beginning now, everyone can participate in the Angelina
Eberly silent auction online. Early bidding commences
today through the close of the Angelina Eberly Luncheon
on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. The auction features
a portrait of The Driskill, a night’s stay in The Driskill with
delicious meal at the 1886 Cafe & Bakery, and paintings of
historic Austin scenes by Texas Sesquicentennial Artist Mary
Curtis. The scenes are based on her research at the Austin
History Center photograph library. The Curtis paintings and
auction items can be viewed at www.austinhistory.net
Continued on Page 9
Austin History
Center
Association, Inc.
810 Guadalupe
Austin, Texas 78701
512.974.7499
www.austinhistory.net
Introducing Ann Dolce,
AHCA President
By Jeff Cohen
Mailing address
P. O. Box 2287
Austin, Texas 78768
The mission of the Austin History Center
Association is to help the community
value our past and build a better future by supporting the Austin History Center to
achieve excellence in its efforts to serve
as the collective memory of Austin and
Travis County.
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Ann Dolce, President
Ken Tiemann, First Vice President
Jena Stubbs, Second Vice President
Maria Ines Garcia, Treasurer
Robert Sullivan, Secretary
Evan Taniguchi, Member-at-Large
Lynn Cooksey, Immed. Past President
Directors at Large
AHC Archivist Mike Miller /
Charles Betts / Terrell Blodgett /
Cindy Brandimarte / Linda Bush /
Dale Flatt / Beth Fowler /
Brooks Goldsmith /
Mary Ann Heller / Lauren Lovell /
Dr. Fred McGhee / Kathleen
Davis Niendorff / Charles Peveto /
Toni Thomasson / Candace Volz /
Anne Wheat / Will Wilson
Austin History Center
Association Staff
Jeff Cohen, Executive Director
Allison Supancic, Office Manager
Becca Thompson, Accountant
AustinRemembers…
Beth Fowler, Editor/Creative Director
Mark J Alba, Layout
Lauren Lovell, Public Relations
Jena Stubbs, Photo Coordinator
Ann Dolce with Dr. Brooks Goldsmith and Bill Luedecke at the 2012 Angelina Eberly
Luncheon at The Driskill.
I wish to introduce Ann Dolce,
AHCA’s President for 2012-13. Ann was
recruited to the Board of Directors by the
late Nancy Bowman three years ago.
Nancy had a twinkle in her eye at the
time when she said to me, “Jeff, she’s a
Bremond.”
Indeed, Ann is a Bremond, a fifth
generation Austinite, descendant of early
Austin families (Bremond, Robinson,
Schneider and Kirschvink). She grew
up in the shadow of the Capitol at 13th
and Lavaca and later in Rollingwood.
Ann has worked tirelessly on the
AHCA Board as a researcher, writer, and
core member of membership outreach
and Eberly Luncheon efforts. Her
feature article in this newsletter edition
on the history of The Driskill Hotel is
powerful in its research, anecdotes, and
comprehensiveness.
Ann first volunteered at the Austin
History Center when it was the AustinTravis County Collection. Ann recounted
that “Katherine Hart, Audray Batemen
Randle and my late cousin, Mary Jo
Cooper, all ‘sold’ me on the value of
the collection. I was president of the
Junior League of Austin when the old
downtown public library building was
renovated and opened as the home of
the Austin History Center. The League
provided funding and volunteers to the
Center in those days.”
Professionally, Ann began her career
as a computer programmer and systems
analyst for the Veterans Administration
PAGE 2
and for Univac. She put her career on
hold to raise her children, and then
began teaching computer science at St.
Michael’s Catholic Academy in 1984.
She taught there for eighteen years.
She also served as vice principal and
technology director.
The list of organizations that have
enjoyed Ann’s volunteer leadership is
voluminous. They include Volunteer
Center, Junior League of Austin, United
Way, St. Austin’s Church, Family
Ministry, Salvation Army, Seton League
House, Seton Development Board,
St. Michael’s Development Board,
Marywood, St. Edward’s University
Building Teams and Tools for Teaching
Consortium
Advisory
Committee,
Westgate Condominium Association,
and St. Michael’s Catholic Academy.
As AHCA President, Ann’s goal is to
continue the work of her predecessors.
She hopes to help guide the Association
to a most prominent position in the Austin
non-profit community and to assist the
Austin History Center as it prepares for
expansion to the Faulk Library building.
Soon after Ms. Bowman had passed
away this past January, Ann reflected on
her.
“Nancy saw talent in people before
they saw talent in themselves.”
Ann knows she is talented and has
tons of leadership experience, but it is
evident to all that she finds inspiration to
lead AHCA from her late friend.
Upcoming Exhibit: “Building a Community:
The First Century of African American Life in Travis County”
The first record of African Americans
in Texas is widely believed to have begun
with Estevanico, a slave held by Spanish
Explorer, Andres Dorantes De Carranza.
In 1528, Estevanico was one of four
survivors of the ship wrecked Panfilo de
Narveaz expedition that was stranded
off the Texas coast. Although he would
later be killed by the Zuni Indians, he
played an important role as a translator
between the explorers and the native
tribes they encountered. His account,
along with the other explorers, offered
vital information about the Texas coast
that helped lead to further exploration
and eventual settlement of Texas by the
Spanish.
Some historians estimate that Africans
have been living in Texas for more than
four hundred years; yet, little is known
about these individuals and communities.
Estevanico and other African Americans
have contributed to building, protecting
and supporting America, unfortunately,
the African American story is lost in
the pages of history due to lack of
By Cynthia Evans
Unidentified Clarksville resident. Image # PICA
36059, Austin History Center, Austin Public
Library
From the Archivist
New Attal Display Cases
By Michael C. Miller, CA - Archivist
Early on in my work here at the AHC, Steve Schwolert,
the AHC’s Exhibits Coordinator, and I were brainstorming
ways to improve the AHC’s ability to showcase its collections
and share Austin’s history with the community. At the top
of our list was the desire, and dare I say even the need,
to replace or rehab the existing display cases, which were
looking worn and tired. But we did not want to replace these
cabinets with any “ready-made” cabinet but with cases that
would speak to and harmonize with the existing architecture
of our building. At the time, our dreams for these new cases
far exceeded the reality of our budget.
Fast forward about four years. When the well known and
loved Austin Galleries owner George Attal passed away last
year, his friends and family were looking for a way to honor
his memory. After discussions with the AHCA and family
members, the George Attal Memorial Fund was established
at the AHCA, and the funds were to be dedicated to
supporting the exhibits program at the AHC. Immediately, I
documentation. The AHC’s new exhibit
“Building a Community” is an attempt to
bring some of that information to light.
The exhibit focuses on 1839-1940,
the first century of African American
life in Travis County, and explores the
contributions, achievements as well
as the obstacles faced in building a
community and obtaining the American
dream. Hundreds of documents and
photographs, mined from the AHC’s
collections, illustrate these stories and
help reveal periods of this history where
more documentation is needed to
complete the picture.
The exhibit opens at the Austin
History Center on September 25, 2012
and runs through March 24, 2013. The
Austin History Center is open from 10-6
Tues. – Sat. and 12-6 on Sun. The
exhibit is free to the public. Related
programs will be offered throughout
the exhibit’s run; check the AHC’s
website and emails from the AHCA for
more details as these programs are
planned.
knew that creating the long-wanted exhibit cases would be
a fitting and lasting honor for Mr. Attal’s memory and legacy.
The AHC worked with Henry Levine, LLC, to design and
build the new cases. In early meetings, Steve, Henry and I
talked about what the cases would look like. As mentioned
earlier, we wanted cases that reflected the historicity of the
AHC building, but we wanted cases that were more modern,
if not in appearance than in amenities and features. Things
like clear tops for more views of the documents; LED lighting
and modern, inert materials that would protect (or at least do
no harm to) the archival documents we wished to display.
For the overall design, we wanted to not only incorporate
the interior architectural features of the building, but also to
somehow reflect the exterior as well.
With that charge, Henry set out to craft us a new case
design, and a few months later, presented the AHC with two
new exhibit cases that far exceeded our expectations. The
new cases feature a base of stained white oak, matching
the interior woodwork found throughout the building. To bring
in the exterior, Henry included wood carvings into the base
of one of the prominent elements in the front porch loggia
paintings. The final result is nothing short of spectacular
(though the pictures don’t do them complete justice; you’ll
Continued on Page 11
PAGE 3
Driskill from Page 1
In 1884 Driskill purchased the site for
his future hotel for $7,500. The site was
an L-shaped lot of
almost half a block on
the corner of Pecan
(Sixth) and Brazos.
Over the years the lot
had been the site of
several establishments
including
a
public
ballroom called Peck’s
Hall, a pawn shop,
military
offices,
a
feed store, a fivePainting of Colonel Driskill cent saloon, and a fire
that hangs on the Grand station.
Driskill hired
Stairway at the Driskill.
local architect Jasper N.
Preston who designed
Above - The
the
hotel
in
the
Driskill façade
Romanesque Revival
on Sixth Street
style
that
included
side, showing Col.
heavy
rough-finished
Driskill’s bust at
stonework,
squat
the peak, and a
longhorn below.
columns and broad, low
and massive archways.
Bust of J. W.
It was constructed of six
“Bud” Driskill on
million pressed bricks,
Brazos Street.
and decorative touches
included busts of Driskill and his sons J.W. “Bud” Driskill,
who faces Brazos, and A. W. “Tobe” Driskill, who looks over
the alley on the west side. The Colonel presides over Sixth
Street and is surrounded by decorative carvings including
longhorns on the gable ends.
The hotel, with 60 guest rooms, had four principal
stories. The first floor consisted of two broad corridors,
one running north and south, the other east and west. Men
entered either off the alley to the west or from the south
side, off Pecan (Sixth), and that end of the hotel catered to
their interests with a saloon, a billiard room, a barber shop
with baths, a news stand, and a cigar shop that featured
thousands of brands of cigars from all over the world. Abe
Frank, who operated the cigar stand from 1899 to 1934,
sold over 4 million cigars during his career. To spare the
ladies from exposure to cigar smoke and rough talk, they
were expected to enter by the eastern, Brazos side. At the
center of the building, where the corridors intersected, was
a rotunda, topped with a skylight. Since the floor plan was
repeated on the second level with broad hallways with huge
windows and doorways at each end, this rotunda served
as a vast flue, sucking up the hot air from the interior. The
rotunda was closed up when air conditioning was installed
in the 1940s. The second floor included a main dining room
and ballroom, separate parlors for ladies and gentlemen,
a ladies “Ordinary” dining room, a children’s dining room,
two bridal suites, a few guest rooms, two broad corridors
covered with 1,500 feet of velvet carpeting, and several
large balconies. Connecting the two floors was a large
stairway, vividly described by a visiting, fresh-off-the-trail,
cowboy in Ben Green’s autobiography “Wild Cow Tales,” “It
was about as wide as a country road and was curved up the
side of the wall sort of like a trail going around a mountain,
and it was covered with a rug that looked like dead curly
mesquite grass when it beds down on the ground for the
winter.”
The third and fourth floors held the guest rooms. There
was a hydraulic elevator and all the rooms were heated
by fireplaces. but there were no private bathrooms. The
Driskill opened for business in December 1886, at the
astronomical cost of $400,000, completely furnished.
The Daily Statesman wrote, “In proportion as nature has
endowed Austin over all other Texas cities, causing it to be
selected as the capital of the state, so also can Austin justly
boast of her superiority over any other city in the south in
that this city now possesses a magnificent hotel building,
whose appointments would be an ornament to New York,
St. Louis, or San Francisco, being the peer of any hotels in
those cities.”
Social Functions &Gracious Dining
The hotel quickly became the social center not only for
Austin but also for all of Texas. Some of the most elaborate
parties and balls ever staged in the Southwest happened
at The Driskill. On January 1, 1887, less than two weeks
The Driskill Cigar Store was a favorite in Austin. Driskilhotel.com
after the grand opening, The Driskill hosted its first gala
affair, the inaugural ball of Governor Lawrence Sullivan
“Sul” Ross. A tradition was quickly established and later
governors including William P Hobby, Miriam Ferguson,
Beauford Jester, Dan Moody, Allan Shivers, Price Daniel,
John Connally, and Ann Richards all staged inaugural balls
at The Driskill. Governor Hobby’s ball in 1919 was perhaps
the most spectacular for it featured several orchestras
playing (in stereo) from behind a forest of ferns amid lavish
decorations resembling a European Court. Politicians did
not have a corner on the market with social events at The
Driskill. Charity balls, fraternity receptions, germans (a social
gathering featuring a round dance in waltz time), graduation
and debutante balls, civic club meetings, weddings and
wedding receptions, and professional conventions were all
on the calendar.
It was and is a social place and a family place that catered
to individual needs. In 1915 Governor James Ferguson
PAGE 4
Driskill from Page 4
and his family arrived at The Driskill as he made the move
from Temple to Austin to take over the reins of the state
government. Not only did the hotel welcome Governor and
Mrs. Ferguson, but also it welcomed their daughter Ouida,
who carried her violin under one arm and her white Spitz dog
under the other. The welcoming and pet-friendly tradition
continues today. The Driskill touts itself as the most petfriendly hotel in the county and features custom dog beds,
designer dishes, and homemade gourmet pet treats. Each
year the hotel throws a party for pets that includes a pet
costume contest, blessing of the animals, and special treats
for the pet and the master.
No matter how welcoming a hotel may be, a grand hotel
cannot succeed without excellent food, and The Driskill has
always been associated with gracious dining. The Christmas
and quickly became known as Austin’s “socializing parlor.” It
operated for 20 years at the corner of Sixth and Brazos in
what had been the Driskill Coffee Shop and is now the 1886
Café & Bakery. The current award-winning culinary staff is no
exception. Chef de Cuisine Shannen Tune’s recent addition
to the 1886 Café and Bakery menu was a Blackened Salmon
Burger featuring crispy wasabi shallots and sweet chili
glaze. The Driskill even hosts cooking camps for children in
conjunction with the Austin Children’s Museum.
Politics & Politicians
Just as the inaugural balls, social gatherings, and fine
dining became features of the hotel, political wheeling and
dealing also found a home at The
Driskill. During the construction
of the State Capitol, the Senate
Helen Corbitt talks with Lyndon Baines Johnson. LBJ Library Collection.
Photo by Yoichi R. Okamoto.
convened at the hotel and
legislators found themselves
using The Driskill as a temporary
state capitol. In 1910, Houston
Senator F. Charles Hume, when
asked why he and his friends had
caucused at The Driskill and not
in the Senate committee rooms,
Senator Hume responded, “We
Helen Corbitt who made discrete wanted to do it in style.” In 1934 an
dining and faultless service
aspiring Texas politician named
a tradition at The Driskill.
Lyndon Baines Johnson met his
Texascooking.com
future wife, Claudia Alta Taylor,
for their first date in The Driskill dining room for breakfast.
This first quiet meeting became a lifelong love affair for
The Driskill and the
dinner menu for 1897 quoted Shakespeare in
future President and
between its list of dishes. The menu featured
First Lady of the
Salted Almonds, Queen Olives, Cheese Straws,
United States.
In
Green Sea Turtle aux Quenells, Eastern Oysters
1948 Johnson awaited
on the Half Shell, Halibut Steak Maitre d’Hotel,
the results of his US
Tenderloin of Beef with Mushrooms, Saddle
Senate race against
of Venison with Jelly, Christmas Pudding with
Coke Stevenson in
Hard Brandy Sauce, Hot Mince Pie, and Fresh
the Jim Hogg Suite,
Strawberries and Cream. This listing does not
again in 1960 when he
include the entire menu, but it shows the variety
was running as Vice
of promising choices.
President, and again
The famous Helen Corbitt, a New Yorker who
in 1964 as President.
came to Texas to teach catering and restaurant
During
LBJ’s
management at The University of Texas,
presidential
tenure,
managed The Driskill’s dining room and catering
The Driskill served as
from the early 1950s until Stanley Marcus wooed
the headquarters for
her away to direct Neiman Marcus’ food services
the White House Press
department in 1955. When she was at The
Corps, and a suite
Driskill, Helen made the acquaintance of many of
on the fifth floor was
the state’s movers and shakers, who lunched and Driskill entrance on Sixth Street at the 1886 Bakery and Café. permanently reserved
dealt in the old paneled hotel dining room. Under
for President Johnson.
her watchful eye, the staff became known for both service Forty-four years after her father’s election as President, Luci
and discretion. Corbitt was the queen of food in Texas, and Baines Johnson celebrated at The Driskill as Barack Obama
her cookbooks and recipes are still staples in many kitchens won his presidential election.
and restaurants.
Other politicians followed Johnson’s example and made
Another crowd favorite was the Heritage Society’s 1886 The Driskill their headquarters. Preston Smith, Governor of
Lunchroom that opened in 1971. It was staffed by volunteers Texas, regularly held court at breakfast at his Table Round
PAGE 5
Driskill from Page 5
at The Driskill coffee shop. In 1982 U.S. Senator Lloyd
Bensen and Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, both Democrats, were up
for reelection against strong opponents. Bentsen’s chief
political aide Jack Martin and Texas political strategist Dan
McClung were keys to victory, putting together a strategy
for funding, phone banks, rides to the polls, and other
innovative electoral mechanisms. “The effort really began
at The Driskill Hotel in the coffee shop with Dan McClung
and me sketching out on a napkin the outline of how it would
work,” recalled Martin. The results of that meeting swept
not only Bensen and Hobby into office but also Mark White,
Bob Bullock, Jim Mattox, Garry Mauro, Ann Richards, and
Jim Hightower. More recently, President George W. Bush
interviewed potential Cabinet members at the hotel.
Business & Management
through the Years
Other, more legitimate wheelers and dealers called The
Driskill home. In fact, some of the most famous business
men to walk the halls were also owners and managers, and,
although the hotel changed hands many times during its
Scheming &
Wheeling and Dealing
Political scheming often slips into the seamier side of
life, and The Driskill was witness to
that as well. In 1903 a desperate
attempt was made to assassinate
ex-Governor James Stephen Hogg
in the rotunda of The Driskill by “a
frenzied man who was crazed with
liquor.” The would-be assassin was
actually a well known railroad attorney
who was angered at being called a
lobbyist by Hogg. The assailant was
quickly seized by friends, disarmed,
and sent to his room. On April 16
1908 Mason Williams, a prominent
lawyer of San Antonio, and John
Dowell, president of the Austin Bar
Association, were wounded as a
Advertisement for
result of a shotgun-pistol duel that
Franklin Stuart Temple,
Boy Phenomenon and
occurred in the lobby of the hotel at
Magnetic Healer.
1 o’clock in the afternoon. The bad
San Antonio Daily Light 6
feeling between the two began in
Feb 1894.
court the day before when Dowell
sought to have Williams disbarred from the practice of law.
As the bullets flew, the hotel patrons hid behind the giant
columns in the lobby.
Scheming was not limited to politicians. In 1889
L. L. Magnus, a billard expert from St. Louis, moved to
The Driskill and set up a hustling business, preying on
unsuspecting amateurs and hotel guests. During the same
era, a frequent visitor to Austin was Dr. R. C. Flower, who
traveled to Austin by private railroad car and saw patients
in his quarters. In 1894 he announced that he could
diagnose disease by psychometric power, an “intuitive gift”
that “enabled him to diagnose the disease of the patient
without the invalid having to detail symptoms.” Dr. Franklin
Stuart Temple also set up shop in The Driskill and billed
himself as “Boy Phenomenon and the World’s Invincible
Magnetic Healer.”
NOW SHOWING www.austinhistory.net
Lyndon Baines Johnson watching election returns at the Driskill in 1964.
LBJ Library # 436-390-WH64
history, a few must be singled out. The foremost was Major
George Washington Littlefield, cattle king, land financier,
banker, University of Texas benefactor, and family patriarch.
Littlefield moved to Austin in 1883 and in 1890 established
the American National Bank in the southeast corner of The
Driskill. The old bank vault still remains, with its door ajar,
in the lobby next to the elevators at the Registration Desk.
In 1895, five years after opening
his bank, Littlefield purchased The
Driskill as an investment.
Local
gossip insisted that Major Littlefield
had bought The Driskill as much out
of jealousy as for profit or civic pride.
The Wilmot family had just erected
a three story Austin National Bank
Building, which made it the latest word
in bank finery. What better retaliation
George W. Littlefield, early for the Major than to buy The Driskill,
owner of the Driskill who
which had four stories!
vowed the hotel would
When Littlefield bought the hotel,
never be closed.
it had already changed hands several
www.Utsystem.edu
times. The original owner, Colonel
Driskill, lost his fortune in 1888 after a cattle-killing drought
and was forced to sell the hotel. Doc Day, an actor known as
Sam’l of Posen, and a group of New York investors followed
Colonel Driskill as owners. Littlefield was the fifth in line,
purchasing the hotel for $106,000 in cash. During his tenure,
Littlefield installed the first electric lighting system as well
as steam heating. A local newspaper reported, “Each room
will have a switch at its entrance, so that the guest entering
his room will simply touch the button and his room will be
brilliantly lighted.” He decorated the ceilings with oil-painted
frescoes and installed 28 lavatories with bathtubs in the hotel
and electric fans in every room. Littlefield sold the hotel
Continued on Page 7
PAGE 6
Driskill from Page 6
in 1903 to his banking
and Edwin Booth stayed Edwin Booth
competitor, E. P. Wilmot,
at the hotel while they in costume as
but he did not retire. He
thrilled audiences at the Hamlet.
served as his bank’s
old Millet Opera House and
president until 1918,
during the early days of the
and was a member of
Hancock. Amelia Earhart,
the Board of Regents at
Louis Armstrong, Michael
the University of Texas.
Jordan, Paul Simon, Sandra
Littlefield died in 1920.
Bullock, and The Dixie
Carpeting in The Driskill Bar woven with
In the modern Driskill
Chicks are counted among
famous Texas cattle brands.
Bar, beautiful carpeting
hotel’s guests. The record
woven with famous Texas cattle brands salutes these and
for the longest stay at the
all cattlemen who helped to build The Driskill spirit.
hotel belongs to Col. Peter
Anna Held,
W. L. Stark did not build or own the hotel, but was
Lawless, a pioneer Texas
Parisian actress
manager under the ownership of E. P. Wilmot from 1906
railroad man, who served
who was famous
until 1944 when Wilmot’s
as agent
for her milkbaths.
estate sold the property.
for
the
Stark came to Austin from
International & Great Northern (I&GN)
Norfolk, Virginia, and was
railroad for 50 years. He made his home
probably the most popular
at The Driskill from its opening in 1886
hotelman in the Southwest,
until his death in 1931.
with a love and knowledge
J. J. Pickle, in his book “Jake,” recalls
of true Southern hospitality
his fondness for the Driskill Barbershop
and a genial personality. His
leadership was unequaled.
He added a barber shop
and woman’s spa in 1909,
and in 1930 he oversaw
the addition of 185 rooms
in a new annex, designed
by Trost and Trost of El Paso, and
during the 1930s
converted the original section so
and 1940s, “The
that each room had its own bath.
Driskill Hotel’s
When Stark bought the Carlota
barbershop was
Maximilian mirrors in their original
run by mild- Driskill Barbershop where Jake Pickle and Lyndon
cases from an antique dealer in
mannered Harry B. Johnson often sought haircuts. Image # C00212,
San Antonio where they had been Above - Maximilian Room with R e a s o n o v e r . Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.
stored for about 40 years, he turned Empress Carlota’s mirrors
Harry was one of the most popular barbers in town, and
the old Gentleman’s Smoking beautifully displayed. Below the Driskill Barbershop was the place to go. It was a sort
Room into the Maximilian Room. Maximilian and Carlota on their of men’s club where without paying dues we hung around,
The mirrors were a wedding present wedding day.
picked up tips on how to dress and act,
from Emperor Maximilian of Mexico to his
and talked jobs, politics and women.”
beautiful bride, Carlota, and her likeness
According to Pickle, one of the regular
adorns each frame. Theirs was a tragic
clients, Roy Keaton, who traveled a great
story. In 1867, four years after becoming
deal on business and was a close friend
Emperor, Maximilian was captured and
of Reasonover, knew that Harry was
killed during Mexico’s Civil War while his
straight-laced and easily embarrassed but
wife was in Europe seeking aid for her
also that he liked to be kidded. During his
husband’s crumbling government. Carlota
world travels, Roy sent gently risqué penny
never returned to Mexico and lived a life
postcards to Reasonover at the Driskill,
of seclusion until her death in 1927, still
addressed to “Handsome Harry” or “Ze
believing that she was the Empress of
Cute Barber” and the cards were always
Mexico.
signed “Fifi.” The cards maintained the
Icons of all eras made memories at
fiction that Handsome Harry was a suave
The Driskill. Mixing politics and business,
rogue and Fifi a sexy innocent. When a
Austin’s first television station KTBC,
client came in for a haircut or a shave,
licensed to the Texas Broadcasting Driskill Hotel showing the KTBC studio
Harry would say, “I got another card from
Company (president, Lady Bird Johnson), entrance in the 1950s. Image #ND-56-244Fifi,” and all the customers knew to inquire
broadcast from of The Driskill Hotel. Early 01 Neal Douglass Photograph Collection,
Continued on Page 9
theatrical greats Anna Held, Stuart Robson, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.
PAGE 7
When you join, your membership in the Austin History Center Association
helps promote community awareness and use of the Austin History Center.
“One of the premier local archives in the country.”
- LibraryJournal
In 2010, our donors helped make possible the acquisition
of Governor Elisha Marshall Pease’s papers. “A complete
and accurate account of Pease’s entire life and his true
significance to the history of Texas and the South.”
Dr. Michael Parrish - Baylor University Linden G.
Bower Professor of American History
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call: 512-974-7499
or go to:
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Please fill in the membership application below and mail with your payment.
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We actively seek new individual and business members. You can help by sharing this newsletter with a friend
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PAGE 8
Driskill from Page 7
about the mysterious Fifi. Anytime
Harry received a card he felt like a
playboy instead of a bashful barber.
The hotel’s darkest business days
happened in 1969 when The Driskill
closed its guest rooms to customers.
A plan was disclosed later that year
that called for a modernization of
the hotel into a 19 story glass tower,
but this plan never materialized and
the hotel was dangerously close to
being demolished. In September 1969
the hotel’s furnishings, except the
lobby furniture and paintings, were
auctioned to the public. One month
later, the American-Statesman ran a
story that said, “Driskill Hotel’s Fate
Sealed.” The story reported the hotel
was “to meet its end at the hands of a
wrecking crew.” Luckily, a community The Driskill Hotel as seen from Sixth and Congress, looking east. Image #C00146, Austin History Center,
effort
called
“Save-the-Driskill,” Austin Public Library.
in 1973 and underwent a complete three-year, $35 million
spearheaded by local architect R. Max Brooks, was initiated,
dollar restoration in 1999. Each successive owner and
successfully raising over $700,000 by selling $10 stock
manager has continued to maintain, restore, and upgrade the
in the Driskill Hotel Corporation. Corporate contributions
hotel with a keen sense of the memories and personalities
and loans pushed the total raised for redevelopment to
of the past. The Driskill Hotel is a world unto itself, a world
nearly $2 million, with the Austin Heritage Society as the
which transcends time and place. Currently managed by
major stockholder. The hotel reopened in 1973 with much
Destination Hotels and Resorts, Inc., it is a fitting home for all
celebration and galas attended by over 1000 celebrities
the memories and echoes of the past generations of history
and guests.
makers and for the generations of history makers to come.
The Driskill continued to change hands after its rescue
Ann Johnston Dolce, current president of the Austin History Center Association, is a fifth-generation Austinite and a retired
high school teacher and administrator. Sunday morning breakfast at the Driskill Coffee Shop was a family tradition,
and she met her husband at a party in the Maximilian Room. Ann is currently working on a book about The Driskill.
Auction from Page 1
BID ONLINE
Mary Curtis Watercolor Paintings
1
Candlelight Flowers 15 x 10 ~ 1930s Era Austin 22 x 30
Pecan Street Café to St. Charles Place 1983 11 x 14
Congress Avenue: The View from Tobins 24 x 36
The Land Officeof Texas 1856 24 x 30
City County Hospital 1884 24 x 36
Walter Tips Building 1880 11 x 14
A Night’s Stay in
The Driskill with Meal at
American Lutheran Church 18 x 24
1886 Café & Bakery.
Cruetzfeldt’s Store 1841 18 x 24
2
City National Bank 24 x 36
Honored Mayors: Bruce Todd & Will Wynn
Former Austin Mayors Bruce Todd and Will Wynn, and the
late Roy Butler will be featured at the fourth annual Angelina
Eberly Luncheon at The Driskill on Wednesday, February
6, 2013. Charles Betts, Executive Director of the Downtown
Austin Alliance, hosts Mayors Todd and Wynn in a roundtable
discussion of “Highlights, Anecdotes & Laughs” during their
terms in office. Funds raised will go to the Austin History
Center Association, supporter of the Austin History Center
archives for Austin and Travis County.
“An Austin Tradition” Austin American-Statesman
The historic Angelina Eberly Luncheons have reunited
business associates, coworkers, and city leaders, as well
as newcomers and longtime residents. Each year, close to
3
two hundred guests continue to share their love of Austin, its
Description of colors:
history, and its history makers.
Vibrant light and
“All who attend have a fantastic time, linger, and most
dark blue sky, pink
importantly,
learn new things about Austin’s past,” said
building, crimson
Jeff
Cohen,
executive
director of the Austin History Center
street, green trees,
green & white
Association. “Hearing first-hand how the lessons from the past
awnings, and black
contribute to city leaders, and therefore must be preserved,
and tan autos.
keeps us focused on the Austin History Center, helping our
city’s future.”
www.austinhistory.net
GO TO
The Driskill, by
Michael Shields
PAGE 9
O. Henry’s
150th Birthday Celebration
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, Noon-5 PM
Mock Appeals Trial at 4 PM recreating O. Henry Embezzlement Conviction & starring
JUSTICE JAN PATTERSON, Texas Court of Appeals, GARY HALLOCK, O. Henry Pun-Off Punster,
EV LUNNING, St. Edward’s University Theatre Arts Professor
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012, O. Henry, aka
William Sydney Porter, were he alive, would celebrate
the sesquicentennial of his birth. To mark this occasion,
the Austin History Center, in partnership with the Capitol
Visitors Center and the O. Henry Museum, is coordinating a
citywide Birthday Party on Saturday, September 15, 12pm
– 5:00pm, with festivities and activities at all three locations.
At the AHC, you can explore the current exhibit in the
Holt Photo Gallery, “O. Henry: A Short Story” (more on the
exhibit below), and design your own Austin-themed O. Henry
postage stamp (the USPS is issuing a New York themed
stamp for O. Henry in September). At 4:00 pm, the AHC will
offer its featured program of the day, a Mock Appeals Trial
of Porter’s embezzlement conviction. The mock trial will
star Justice Jan Patterson of the Texas Court of Appeals,
O. Henry Pun-Off punster Gary Hallock, and St. Edward’s
University Theater Arts Professor Ev Lunning, with YOU
starring as the Jury. Listen to the facts and arguments of the
case and decide O. Henry’s criminal fate.
While at Austin History Center, visit the O. Henry Room
which will be open all day to see portraits and other “O.
Henryana” materials. The O. Henry Room is home to the
Austin History Center Association where you will find a
wonderful array of Austin history books, maps, DVD, and
postcards available for purchase through the Association’s
publishing arm Waterloo Press.
At the Capitol Visitors Center, explore the permanent
exhibit on O. Henry in the historic building where he worked
as a draftsman for the General Land Office. Their featured
program, offered at 11:00am and again at 12:00 noon, will
be a dramatic presentation of O. Henry’s story “Bexar Scrip
No. 2692: Murder at the Land Office.” This is one of his most
famous Texas stories and it takes place in the Land Office
Building that is now the Visitors Center. Other activities
include a “Pin the mustache on O. Henry” game and postal
stamp coloring pages.
At the O. Henry Museum, make yourself at home in O.
Henry’s Austin residence and see the new exhibit, “O. Henry:
Original Slacker.” Their featured program, beginning at 2:00
pm, will be a group reading of O. Henry’s “Buried Treasure,”
with 12 writers take on one Texas Story. Other activities in the
Museum include the unveiling of the new O. Henry postage
stamp and a performance by the New Hill City Quartet,
reviving the music group that Porter sang with while living in
Austin.
Come celebrate the birth of one of Austin’s best loved
writers. The featured programs are staggered so you can
enjoy each one! Free shuttle service will be available to
transport you from site to site, and free parking is available in
the parking garage behind the Capitol Visitors Center.
“O. Henry A Short Story” Exhibit reveals 7 lives
By Daniel Alonzo & Mike Miller
“O. Henry A Short Story” reveals more about
the man than the writer that America discovered
in the early 1900s. Or it tries to. O. Henry remains
an enigmatic figure because nobody really knew
him. That is to say that no one living after his
success knew him. Like the contemporary enigma
Bob Dylan, there are also six different lives of
William Sydney Porter. Chronologically: the Dandy,
the Family Man, the Embezzler, the Fugitive, the
Widower, the Prisoner, and the Writer.
1. The Dandy.
Will Porter came to
Austin in 1884 from the Richard Hall Ranch in
La Salle County where he worked as a ranch
Left: O. Henry “the Dandy,” ca. late 1880s. PICB 12866, Austin History Center, Austin Public
hand. He spent his time in Austin working and
Library. Right: Athol, Margaret, and William Sydney Porter, 1890. PICB 07185, Austin History
socializing at various saloons, including the
Center, Austin Public Library.
Bismark Saloon (his table and chair from the
Bismark are on display in the exhibit). He had a
Will Porter married
busy social calendar, singing on the Hill City Quartette,
Athol Estes quickly and quietly in a private ceremony
going to parties on the west side of town and occasionally
on July 1, 1887 (a detailed description of the ceremony
providing musical direction for the Southern Presbyterian
is in the exhibit). That same year, Porter was appointed
Church of Austin.
draftsman at the Texas General Land Office. The routine
2. The Family Man.
Continued on Page 11
PAGE 10
Display Cases from Page 3
need to come visit us in person to get the full effect).
I never had the pleasure of meeting George face to face,
though we did enjoy a couple of engaging conversations
over the telephone about Austin, history, and especially
the Lebanese community in Austin, a topic that was dear
to him (and perhaps the focus of a future exhibit?). But I
do believe that the cases we built are a fitting testament
to his honor. The AHC’s exhibits program is perhaps the
most visible service we offer, and as we look to improve and
expand this service, we are fortunate to have the George
Attal Memorial Fund to help
us share Austin’s history
with the greater community.
O. Henry from Page 10
By Jeff Cohen
It was a
wonderful
moment in
June when
the relatives
of
Henry
Herman
“ H . H . ”
Luedecke
v i s i t e d
the Austin
H i s t o r y Above right: Henry Herman Luedecke. Below: His family,
Center for a left to right: William (Bill) H. Luedecke III, William (Will) H.
tour, and a Luedecke IV, Scarlet D. Luedecke, William H. Luedecke
celebration V, Ward Luedecke, Martelle Luedecke Wathen, Harper C.
of
the Luedecke, Sammatha Wathen, and John C. Luedecke.
building’s dedication plaque. Who was H.H. Luedecke?
H.H. served as chair of the Building Committee of the
Library Commission that built Austin’s central library in 1933
- today the Austin History Center. He lived from 1883-1971
and was a leader in Austin’s financial industry. Through the
Austin Community Foundation, a gift from the family in his
Top: Close-up of woodcarving on side memory is made each year to AHCA. H.H.’s philosophy of life
of case. Photo by Grace McEvoy.
was found in a letter to his son William: “Be willing at all times
A.H.C., Austin Public Library. Left:
Side view of new exhibit cases being to shoulder your responsibilities, but don’t let them become a
burden – carry them with a smile.” (From notes compiled by
installed. Photo by Grace McEvoy.
A.H.C, Austin Public Library.
W.H. Luedecke at Austin History Center).
of family and work seemed agreeable to him as we would
later allude to in his story, “A Service of Love.”
3. The Embezzler.
Much ink has been
spilt speculating whether or not Porter embezzled from
the First National Bank. In 1894, he was accused of
misappropriating $4000. While awaiting charges, Porter
quit the bank and got a job with the Houston Post, while
Athol and baby Margaret stayed in Austin. Charges were
filed in 1896 and Porter bought a train ticket back to
Austin. On a stopover in Hempstead, Porter switched
trains and fled first to New Orleans before boarding a boat
to Honduras.
4. The Fugitive.
Bill Porter didn’t do much in
his 5 months in Honduras besides drinking in saloons.
He and an outlaw named Al Jennings supposedly cut
short a nascent people’s rebellion accidentally by their
Independence Day celebration of fireworks and shooting
guns off into the air. The events were the basis for the
story “The Fourth in Salvador.” In truth, the story was
art imitating art. (Full text of this story, as it originally
appeared in McClure’s Magazine, can be found at: http://
texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth139334/).
5. The Widower.
The Luedecke Family:
a gift
W. S. Porter returned to
Austin after learning that Athol was dying of consumption
(Active Tuberculosis). He posted bond and spent the next 5
months spending time with and nursing his wife before she
died. At the embezzlement trial he did not speak up in his
own defense though his lawyers asked that he do so. Some
say that he was too bereft to care about the proceedings.
Others say that he knew he was guilty and did not want
to face questioning when he knew “guilty” would be the
ultimate verdict.
6. The Prisoner.
Bill Porter entered Ohio
Penitentiary on April 25, 1898. The story, “The Miracle of
Lava Cañon” had already been accepted by McClure’s
Magazine and was published in September 1898. However,
a second story sent after incarceration was rejected,
necessitating a pseudonym.
7. The Writer.
All of O. Henry’s former lives, the
good and the tragic, provided him with the characters and
scenery from which his early published work drew. Later, the
stories created by roaming the city of “Four Million” would
nearly replace the western characters, the grafters and the
occasional Central American transplant of his past. (Full text
of his short story collection The Four Million is available at:
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth139379/).
The exhibit displays photographs and archival materials
from the life of W. S. Porter in the Holt Photo Gallery
now through October 21, 2012.
PAGE 11
Saturday, Sept. 8
Angelina Eberly Auction
online bidding opens for
The Driskill and Austin
art at the new AHCA website www.austinhistory.net
Saturday, Sept. 15
O. Henry 150th Bday
& events at Austin
History Center, Capitol
Visitors Center, and
O. Henry Museum.
Oct. 27-28
Waterloo Press books
& maps of TX Land
Grants & Austin in
1800s. At Texas Book
Festival, State Capitol.
Oct. 30 – March 10
AHC Photo Exhibit:
“Early Mexican
American History
in Downtown” in the
AHC’s David Earl Holt
Photo Gallery.
Sept. 15 - October 21
“O. Henry A Short
Story” Exhibit & new
note cards by Paul E.
Corrubia in AHC &
AHCA office.
Save these Dates
Saturday, December 8
AHC and AHCA/
Waterloo Press holiday
gift sale. Books, photos,
maps, notecards,
postcards all for sale
throughout AHC.
Sept. 25 – March 24
AHC Grand Hallway
Exhibit: “Building a
Community: The First
Century of African
American Life in Travis
County.”
Wednesday, Feb 6
Angelina Eberly
Luncheon honoring
former Mayors Bruce
Todd and Will Wynn.
See page 1. Tickets for
sale and AHCA auction
at www.austinhistory.net
Austin History Center (AHC) Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10AM – 6PM & Sunday Noon – 6PM
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P. O. Box 2287
Austin, Texas 78768
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