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dolariFlashback - several months ago. Erin and Marca are driving to Central Market to pick up groceries. Central Market is in the area I used to live - Hyde Park Marca questioned me as to why I would want to live there -it's very expensive, and there are nicer less expensive places to live. I really didn't have an answer other than I like the area.
Now I have a better answer: It's WIERD. 37th Street, where I lived, is very much a community of aging hippies with cool ideas. The place is strung with lights and is a huge attraction during Christmas. Hyde Park has HISTORY. It's very old, and places in Hyde Park date to the founding of the neighborhood. And I saw a guy with his entire face tatooed and horns on his head at Amy's Ice Cream.
Sum it up in one word "COMMUNITY." Sum it up in two words "WIERD COMMUNITY." I'm going back there.
What brought on this nostalgia? A trip through Hyde Park - this time with a Hyde Park History Book.
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- 
(Hyde Park Today - Map of Hyde Park Today - HydePark 1890 or so)
In the 1890 map (which yours truly made based on an 1890 town map, overlayed on a 2002 map) Hyde Park had a real life park with two lakes in it. Before 1890 the southwest corner of Hyde Park was the site of the original Texas State Fair. Now that I had a book that told me what used to be where, I took off to find out what was left of Old Hyde Park.
Sadly very little.
In the 1890 map, the northeasternmost road is 45th street. Southwesternmost road is 38th Street. Northwesternmost is Guadalupe Street (although in 1890 it was called Asylum Road). Southeasternmost road is Duval Street.
The green area in the 1890 map is a the actual Hyde Park and resort. I found it strange that there were TWO lakes in the area. My first stop was to see what is left of the entrance of that park (At the corner of 38th and Guadalupe. the entryway was gone, and I knew it was gone...I mean, I lived there for a year. But where once stood an archway with an entrance to Hyde Park stands a Jiffy Lube. There is also no trace of the creekbed that drained off of Gem Lake.
Going into the park area, the entire park is now homes and apartments. Sad really. After a few tries, I found the are of Gem Lake, beterrn 42nd and 41st street...and Avenue B and C. There is absolutely no trace of the lake - houses sit where the lake used to be, I figured maybe I was driving AROUND the depression the lake would make, so I ran up the alley between Avenue B and C. I shold have been riving right through the lake...nothing. Not even a dip. No trace of Gem Lake. Crystal FountainK Lake (North East of Gem LAke) is the same - no trace of lake, depression, creek...nothing. The entire area must have been filled in and paved over.
No trace of any of the park roads in the park, either...40th and Avenue B are the only roads that remain.
I got some food, and came back. Not shown in my 1890 map was the 39th street "dip" between Speedway and Duval Street. The town map I had was more for selling lots than for traveling, so I'm sure it showed the PLANNED routes of roads and not the actual routes (although it was RE#ALLY close). However, in the book I'm reading the dip is mentioned, and the 2002 map shows that cruved road. Right at the southernmost curve of the road, is the Shadowlawn house. This is where Mr. Shipe, who laid out Hyde PArk, lived. That dip is all that is left of a horseracing track that used to run the Eastern side of Hyde Park when it was part of the Texas State Fair (as a matter of fact, the Shadowlawn house is made from board from the Grandstands of the Texas State Fair). I drove down it a few times and thought it was REALLY keen...I could imagine horses running down this part of the road (As well as hot rodding Model Ts going a blazing 30 miles an hour.
Another thing I wanted to check out was Speedway Street. Back int he 1890s, Speedway was known as Congress Street (Congress is the main North South street through downtown Austin). Congress was extended to Hyde Park. In the 2000s, though, Speedway (the road was so often called "The Speedway" that it's name was changed to Speedway)is no longer one straight road. Going north on Speedway, you do almost due north...then the road twists to the right, hits 31st street and turns into Tom Green (no, I'm not joking) Street. Taking a left on 31st, you have to make another right to hit Speedway again, which then goes through Hyde PArk.
According to the book, the road did go straight through without that S-curve. If you go straight north, through the houses where Speedway USED to go, you go up a very steep hill, and right back down onto Speedway. The hill was known as Lovers Hill and actually went through private property...that's a fairly common in Texas, where public roads run thorugh private property and cattleguards keep cows from wander off.
Turns out that so many people used Lovers Hill for their own nefarious purposes that the owner fenced up his property and wouldn't let anyone use the road. So the road was diverted a bit to 31st street. NEat huh?
Yeah, I'm a history buff. Bite me. :) And Hyde Park ROCKS.
More info here - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/ahc/hydepark - http://www.utexas.edu/courses/mis325/history/hist020.htm
Now I have a better answer: It's WIERD. 37th Street, where I lived, is very much a community of aging hippies with cool ideas. The place is strung with lights and is a huge attraction during Christmas. Hyde Park has HISTORY. It's very old, and places in Hyde Park date to the founding of the neighborhood. And I saw a guy with his entire face tatooed and horns on his head at Amy's Ice Cream.
Sum it up in one word "COMMUNITY." Sum it up in two words "WIERD COMMUNITY." I'm going back there.
What brought on this nostalgia? A trip through Hyde Park - this time with a Hyde Park History Book.
- - (Hyde Park Today - Map of Hyde Park Today - HydePark 1890 or so)
In the 1890 map (which yours truly made based on an 1890 town map, overlayed on a 2002 map) Hyde Park had a real life park with two lakes in it. Before 1890 the southwest corner of Hyde Park was the site of the original Texas State Fair. Now that I had a book that told me what used to be where, I took off to find out what was left of Old Hyde Park.
Sadly very little.
In the 1890 map, the northeasternmost road is 45th street. Southwesternmost road is 38th Street. Northwesternmost is Guadalupe Street (although in 1890 it was called Asylum Road). Southeasternmost road is Duval Street.
The green area in the 1890 map is a the actual Hyde Park and resort. I found it strange that there were TWO lakes in the area. My first stop was to see what is left of the entrance of that park (At the corner of 38th and Guadalupe. the entryway was gone, and I knew it was gone...I mean, I lived there for a year. But where once stood an archway with an entrance to Hyde Park stands a Jiffy Lube. There is also no trace of the creekbed that drained off of Gem Lake.
Going into the park area, the entire park is now homes and apartments. Sad really. After a few tries, I found the are of Gem Lake, beterrn 42nd and 41st street...and Avenue B and C. There is absolutely no trace of the lake - houses sit where the lake used to be, I figured maybe I was driving AROUND the depression the lake would make, so I ran up the alley between Avenue B and C. I shold have been riving right through the lake...nothing. Not even a dip. No trace of Gem Lake. Crystal FountainK Lake (North East of Gem LAke) is the same - no trace of lake, depression, creek...nothing. The entire area must have been filled in and paved over.
No trace of any of the park roads in the park, either...40th and Avenue B are the only roads that remain.
I got some food, and came back. Not shown in my 1890 map was the 39th street "dip" between Speedway and Duval Street. The town map I had was more for selling lots than for traveling, so I'm sure it showed the PLANNED routes of roads and not the actual routes (although it was RE#ALLY close). However, in the book I'm reading the dip is mentioned, and the 2002 map shows that cruved road. Right at the southernmost curve of the road, is the Shadowlawn house. This is where Mr. Shipe, who laid out Hyde PArk, lived. That dip is all that is left of a horseracing track that used to run the Eastern side of Hyde Park when it was part of the Texas State Fair (as a matter of fact, the Shadowlawn house is made from board from the Grandstands of the Texas State Fair). I drove down it a few times and thought it was REALLY keen...I could imagine horses running down this part of the road (As well as hot rodding Model Ts going a blazing 30 miles an hour.
Another thing I wanted to check out was Speedway Street. Back int he 1890s, Speedway was known as Congress Street (Congress is the main North South street through downtown Austin). Congress was extended to Hyde Park. In the 2000s, though, Speedway (the road was so often called "The Speedway" that it's name was changed to Speedway)is no longer one straight road. Going north on Speedway, you do almost due north...then the road twists to the right, hits 31st street and turns into Tom Green (no, I'm not joking) Street. Taking a left on 31st, you have to make another right to hit Speedway again, which then goes through Hyde PArk.
According to the book, the road did go straight through without that S-curve. If you go straight north, through the houses where Speedway USED to go, you go up a very steep hill, and right back down onto Speedway. The hill was known as Lovers Hill and actually went through private property...that's a fairly common in Texas, where public roads run thorugh private property and cattleguards keep cows from wander off.
Turns out that so many people used Lovers Hill for their own nefarious purposes that the owner fenced up his property and wouldn't let anyone use the road. So the road was diverted a bit to 31st street. NEat huh?
Yeah, I'm a history buff. Bite me. :) And Hyde Park ROCKS.
More info here - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/ahc/hydepark - http://www.utexas.edu/courses/mis325/history/hist020.htm
