New Residence Coming

This lot at the corner of Ash and 7th streets has recently been purchased by someone who plans to build a new house on it.

New Retail Coming

Last year, the historic San Gabriel Motor Court was torn down to make room for a massive new apartment complex. The last part of the historic motel is now being surrounded by new retail shops at the entrance to the apartment complex.

Pieces of history

I learned last week that this bench in front of the original Southwestern University library has stones from all four of Southwestern's "root" colleges - Rutersville College, Weslayan College, McKenzie College and Soule University. Stones from Weslayan College, Soule University and Rutersville College are clearly visible in the bottom photo.

The Friendly Will Missionary Baptist Church

This structure at the corner of Railroad and W. 14th streets housed the original Friendly Will Missionary Baptist Church. The structure is about to be torn down to make way for a new church building.

New Historic District

Georgetown now has its fourth National Register Historic District − The Olive Street Historic District. The district is located across the street from Southwestern University and includes 23 historic homes on Olive Street, Laurel Street, University Avenue and East 15^th Street. Georgetown Mayor George Garver officially dedicated the new district at a ceremony held Oct. 17. Eighteen of the 23 historic houses in the district have ties to Southwestern. A walking tour guide to the district is available from the Georgetown Heritage Society.

You can read more about the new Olive Street Historic District in this article I wrote about the district for Focus on Georgetown magazine. 

From Gas Station to Pizza Place

This old building at the intersection of Austin Avenue and Main Street is being remodeled to be a pizza shop. It was formerly a convenience store/gas station.

Update on the George Irvine House

After being on the market for several years and even being considered for rezoning, the George Irvine House at 409 E. University Ave. finally has a new owner. The new owners are giving the house a new look.

Redevelopment

The area to the west of the Georgetown Square is seeing a lot of redevelopment, such as this new house on Martin Luther King Drive. If anyone is up to a real remodeling challenge, the house below is available on the same street!

New Restaurant Coming?

This building just off the square, which used to house Nonna's restaurant, has been vacant for several years now. The new owners have begun renovating it in anticipation of a new tenant.

Looking Better

This house at 403 E. 10th St. has recently been renovated.

Energy-efficient Houses

A second energy-efficient house is going up behind this house at the intersection of Ash and 18th streets.

The Union on 8th

Work has started on transforming this old transmission shop at the intersection of 8th and Myrtle streets into an event center that will be called The Union on 8th.

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Ready to Rent

Today I met the man who has renovated the three small houses on E. 7th Street (see my previous post here) as well as this house behind them. He said the properties are zoned residential, so he has remodeled them to be rental properties. This house is a two-bedroom

house and the houses on E. 7th Street are one-bedroom houses. Two of the houses have already been leased and two are still available. I got a sneak preview of what the insides will look like. The owner opened up the ceilings to expose the original wood in the roof. He is going to put hardwood floors in the bedrooms and living area and the bathrooms and kitchen have been beautifully remodeled with travertine tile.

West of Austin Avenue

These two houses within a block of each other are both undergoing renovations. One is on University Avenue just before Austin Avenue and the other is in the 1000 block of Rock Street. The house on University Avenue has been in need of work for a long time.

The Frank J. Perrin house

This house at 1702 Olive St. is one of the oldest surviving houses in Georgetown. It is believed to have been built around 1880 and is all that remains of a five-acre farmstead that used to be located on the southeast side of town. Frank J. Perrin, who was a circuit rider for the Southwestern Texas Conference of Methodist Churches, purchased the home in 1904. In the 1930s-1950s, some students who attended Southwestern University - including members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity - lived in the house. Some of those students scratched their names onto the chimney on the side of the house. The current owners of the house plan to start some work on it soon.

Update on W. 17th St.

In a post earlier this year, I documented a house on W. 17th St. that was about to be torn down. A new house has now been built on the property and is already under contract. Right behind this house on W. 16th St. is another nice

new house (see below)

Update on the Lane-Riley House

In one of my earliest posts on this blog I talked about the Lane-Riley House at 1302 College St., which is one of the oldest houses in Georgetown. At the time I wrote that post, the house had been vacant for a long time because the descendants of the Riley family could not decide to do with it. The family finally sold the house this year and it was bought by the same couple who recently renovated the house at the corner of College and 15th Streets. It has been undergoing work for several months now. It will be great to see what they do with this house!

Extreme Makeover

This house at the corner of Main Street and 2nd Street is being completely remodeled. A driveway has also been added.

Almost Done

Work is nearing completion on this house in the 900 block of Walnut Street, which has been undergoing renovation for several years now. You can see what the house looked like before it was renovated in this post from March 2011.

Being Repaired

This house near the corner of Ash and 10th Streets changed hands last year and is undergoing some repairs. Unfortunately the person who was hired to rebuild the porch failed to get a building permit so the city halted work on it.

New Art Center

Part of the old fire station downtown is being converted into a new art center for Georgetown.

Future Events Center?

A couple has purchased this old transmission repair building on Myrtle Street and hopes to convert it into an event center. HARC has already approved their design plans, and now they just need to get a special use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on the permit application March 5.

New Development Coming?

Judging from the signs, there is some new development coming to these two lots in the 600 block of W. 17th St.

Ready for Remodeling

HARC has approved some modifications to this house, which is located in the 1400 block of Ash Street. Southwestern University President Jake B. Schrum and his wife, Jane, purchased the house last year and are remodeling it to live in after they leave Southwestern at the end of June. It is appropriate that some people who are connected with Southwestern purchased this house, since its first owner was a professor at Southwestern. The Schrums are planning to expand the kitchen, add a master bedroom and add a garage onto the house.