Old West Austin Historic District
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Old West Austin Historic District and Boundary Increase
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Woodlawn, the oldest home in the district
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| Location | Austin, Texas |
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| Coordinates | 30°15′49″N 97°46′36″W / 30.26361°N 97.77667°WCoordinates: 30°15′49″N 97°46′36″W / 30.26361°N 97.77667°W |
| Area | 6500 acres |
| Built | 1853 |
| NRHP Reference # | 03000937; 03001413 |
| Added to NRHP | September 12, 2003; January 16, 2004 |
The Old West Austin Historic District is a residential community in Austin, Texas, United States. It is composed of three neighborhoods located on a plateau just west of downtown Austin: Old Enfield, Pemberton Heights, and Bryker Woods. Developed between 1886 and 1953, the three historic neighborhoods stretch from Mopac Expressway east to Lamar Boulevard, and from 13th Street north to 35th Street. It borders Clarksville Historic District and the West Line Historic District to the south.
The streetcar had propelled Austin's earlier local suburban development, but Enfield, Pemberton Heights, and Bryker Woods were the city’s first automobile suburbs. As a well-preserved collection of early-to-mid-20th century residences, the historic district evokes the measured spread of suburban development that paralleled the city’s steady growth. The three neighborhoods that together form Old West Austin were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
For much of the 19th century, Shoal Creek and West Avenue defined the western edge of the city. Austin was planned on a 640-acre site on a bluff above the Colorado River, nestled between Shoal Creek (West Avenue) to the west and Waller Creek (East Avenue) to the east Edwin Waller in 1839. The story of the settlement of Old West Austin begins with the oldest and best-known home in the area, Woodlawn. James B. Shaw, an Irish immigrant who served as State Comptroller in Texas Governor Elisha M. Pease's administration, purchased several hundred acres of land west of Austin in 1846.
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