With Eye Toward the Future, AHCA Works to Protect Faulk History
There’s progress to report regarding historical designations for the John Henry Faulk Library Building, which has a future as part of the expanded Austin History Center campus.
In January 2023, the Texas Historical Commission’s State Board of Review approved the nomination to place the late 1970s-era Faulk building on the National Register of Historic Places. The THC has reviewed and accepted the nomination and has submitted it to the Keeper of the National Register, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
With that process complete, AHCA has turned its attention to gaining City of Austin Landmark designation for the Faulk building. The same architectural historian who prepared the National Register nomination, Angela Gaudette with Austin’s Hicks & Company Environmental and Archaeological Consultants, is under contract to prepare the City Landmark application with a goal of completing the process by the end of 2023.
AHCA is also starting work to secure a Registered Texas Historic Landmark designation for the Faulk building to be undertaken after the completion of the City Landmark designation. The 1933 City Library building, which is current home to the AHC, has all three levels of historic designation – federal, state, and city – and AHCA’s goal is to ensure the Faulk building also has all three historical designations, which will open opportunities for grants that could underwrite costs related to preparing the Faulk for AHC expansion. The designations will also ensure the historical integrity of the Faulk is documented and the building’s historical significance is preserved.
