About Austin's Hyde Park

The Hancock Neighborhood of North Central Austin is a historic area just north of the University of Texas Campus and downtown Austin. The Hancock Neighborhood is very close to historic Hyde Park, and some of the streets and borders of the two neighborhoods overlap or are adjacent to each other. The boundaries of the Hancock area include I.H. 35 the east, Duval to the west, 29th street to the south, and 41st street on the northern edge.

One of the earliest settlers of the Hancock area was Susanna Dickinson, who was a survivor of the Battle of the Alamo, and originally lived at 32nd Street and Duval. Another early resident was Lewis Hancock, for whom the neighborhood was named, and who was mayor of Austin from 1895 to 1897. Hancock also founded the Austin Country Club and Golf Course in the area in 1899, and after the turn of the century, formal neighborhoods were planned in the North University area, which it was called at the time.

Directly south of the country club, which was considered suburban at the time, Dr. J.R. Bailey platted the Beau Site in 1910, and in 1912, the Austin Country Club expanded to 18 holes after the land east of Red River on which it was expanded was purchased by the club and its owners. In 1928, the neighborhood was subdivided into its current configuration, and Austin's population at the time was only around 35,000 residents, so the area was still considered to be on the outskirts of town.

St. David's Hospital was built around 32nd Street in 1924, when it opened its doors, and Concordia Lutheran College was also built on twenty acres of land from the Hancock Estate in 1926. Various commercial establishments sprang up shortly thereafter, and many prominent Austinites relocated to the Hancock neighborhood around the same time, including J. Frank Dobie, a well known writer, and Edgar Perry Jr., a cotton broker, as well as Tom Miller, one of the early mayors of Austin who served two terms as mayor.

In 1946, the Austin Country Club relocated outside the city limits, and the city sold the back nine holes of the Hancock Golf Course, as it was called after the country club relocated, to the Sears Corporation to finance other recreational projects. The Sears store later became one of the flagship stores in the Hancock Center shopping Plaza, which was built in 1963 on the back nine of the golf course and was Austin's first shopping mall. The other flagship store in Hancock Center is a huge HEB Grocery Store, which offers one of the largest selections of products among grocery stores in the Austin area, among various other smaller stores, shops, and restaurants.

There are many tree-lined historic homes in the Hancock Neighborhood, and numerous apartment complexes which appeal to U.T. students, given the area's proximity to the university campus, and also numerous restaurants, coffee shops, museums, and recreational facilities, including the Hancock Golf Course, which still operates today.

Eastwood Park and Wading Pool, near the Hancock Golf Course, is another popular location for residents of the neighborhood to relax and get some outdoor quality time, and since Concordia University plans to relocate this year, a mixed-use development is being constructed on the site of the school, so many more opportunities abound for residents of the area as well as visitors in the near future.

With its proximity to downtown and the university, plus its tree-shaded streets, homes from the early 20th century, and eclectic mix of residents and businesses, the Hancock Neighborhood is one of the most inviting in the Austin area, and the yearly Christmas Trail of Lights, on 34th Street, is one of the best events to visit to see the neighborhood in all its splendor, so be sure to visit the Hancock Neighborhood, especially during the holidays, and you will see what Austin is truly all about!


Ki studied at UT. He hosts a website focused on Austin real estate. Potential owners can perform a Austin home search on his site. He also provides profiles on neighborhoods in the central Austin real estate market.

Hyde Park is located just west of Interstae I-35 in North Central Austin Texas.  If you would like to learn more about Hyde Park, or to schedule a tour of Hyde Park homes, give me a call.  I am extremely familiar with this area as well as others close by that are similar.  I will be happy to help,  thanks jeff 512.296.6970

Hyde Park

This Market Analysis Report is for all Hyde Park Homes sold in the last 6 months.

Property Type: Residential Status: Sold Number of Properties: 20

BedsBathsSqFtListing PriceLP/SqFtSelling PriceSP/SqFtSP/LPSP/OLPDOM High Low Average Median 4 3 2,750 $739,900 $370.07 $675,000 $366.42 101.6% 101.63% 152 1 1 582 $137,950 $194.11 $137,950 $188.35 91.2% 82.9% 2 3 2 1,378 $364,833 $264.13 $353,890 $257.34 97.49% 94.44% 48 3 2 1,221 $367,000 $270.82 $357,625 $264.46 98.1% 95.3% 38

Search Criteria

Status	S
Subdivision	contains hyde park
Sold/Lease Date	6 months back

Report time: 12/18/2008 11:19 AM

Read a great article I found about Hyde Park in Austin.

Hyde Park Austin Neighborhood

There are several Austin neighborhoods that are wonderful examples of what the word neighborhood really means, a place where neighbors relax on their front porches and you can walk to the local cafe. Hyde Park is just that. With its turn-of-the-century architecture, tree-shaded streets and unique Austin businesses serving the neighborhood, it is an address many Austinites would love to have.

Texas entrepreneur Morton Martin Shipe (the neighborhood pool is named in his honor) laid out Hyde Park in the 1890s when the area was on the Northern edge of the city. He hoped to sell Victorian mansions to Austin's growing upper middle class. Later, he adjusted his target audience and built smaller homes to accommodate working families, but large or small, most had that symbol of the neighborhood, a front porch where residents still hang out on lazy days. Hyde Park is now a neighborhood of generously sized turn-of-the century homes, a few of which have been turned into popular B&Bs; cozy bungalows, many of which are now duplex apartments; and a few, older, small apartment and condo complexes that have blended into the neighborhood.

Despite being one of Central Austin's most densely occupied neighborhoods, Hyde Park retains that sense of community it had a century ago. Hyde Park is really a village inside Austin with its own "town center" at 43rd and Duval where the locals gather for coffee and pastries at Quack's Bakery, for gelato and a glass of grappa at Dolce Vita, or simply to do their laundry and hang out with friends. The center is also home to several popular cafes, Hyde Park Bar and Grill (look for the two-story fork outside and be sure to try the buttermilk-dipped fries), Asti for Italian food, and the venerable Mother's for vegetarian fare.

Hyde Park neighborhood is served by a Fresh Plus grocery store, local dry cleaner, and even its own "no chrome, no contracts' Hyde Park Gym which is a neighborhood landmark. On the Eastern edge is a larger shopping area, Hancock Shopping Center with a busy H-E-B grocery store and other chain stores.

Maintaining the architectural integrity of the neighborhood is paramount for Hyde Parkers and so there is a lot of attention to monitoring real estate renovations and new construction. The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association holds a home tour every year which usually includes a stop at the Elisabet Ney Museum, the sculptress who built her castle-style studio here in 1892. The neighborhood also has one of Austin's much-praised municipal golf courses. Hancock Golf on East 41st Street was built in 1899 and is the oldest golf course in Texas.

Hyde Park's proximity to the University of Texas at Austin campus makes it popular among faculty and graduate students, and young professionals working downtown find the easy commute attractive. The quintessential neighborhood is also popular with young families who enjoy the quiet streets, neighborhood parks and welcoming community.

One of Austin's oldest and most loved neighborhoods in Austin is Hyde Park. Located in Central Austin just north of The University of Texas, Hyde Park is over 100 years old. Founded in 1891 by the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Land and Town Company, the neighborhood was designed and marketed as a lush and spacious suburb that included its own streetcar line and an artificial lake. Today, Hyde Park is one of the most densely populated areas in the city. Noted for it's beautiful tree lined streets and its unique and diverse population, the neighborhood is marked within the boundaries of 51st and 38th Streets to the north and sound, and Red River and Duval to the east and west. The neighborhood has its own monthly newsletter, The Pecan Press, which is delivered to approximately 2,000 Austin homes.

Before moving to Dallas in 1875, the Texas State Fair was held in the eastern section of Hyde Park. In fact, a portion of the former horse track is still reflected in the curved segment of 39th street, the location of The Shipe House which was built using wood from the former race track's grandstand. Another important historic home in Hyde Park is the small castle-style studio named Formosa. The former residence of sculptor Elisabet Ney, now houses a museum dedicated to her work. Hyde Park is full of historic homes and former residences of some of Austin's most influential residents.

The residents of Hyde Park are extremely fortunate in the number of fabulous restaurants and businesses that are part of the neighborhood. The Hyde Park Grille is famous for its French fries and is a wonderful place for a Sunday brunch. Across the street, Mother's has become a city wide favorite for its wide and varied selection of vegetarian specialties. Across East 43rd Street, Asti Trattoria serves up it's sleek and sophisticated cuisine. The Hyde Park Theatre has grown into one of the cities hottest theatre spots. Each January and February, the Theatre hosts Fronterafest the premiere fringe theatre festival in the Southwest.

Located in a city full of festivals, Hyde Park has two annual events that are uniquely its own. Every June, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association holds its annual Historic Homes Tour. People come from across the state and nation to view the homes and hear the stories of the historic neighborhood. The second annual event is the Fire Station Festival which takes place every October. In the early seventies, the city decided to close Fire Station Number Nine in an effort to cut cost. The residents of the neighborhood banded together and saved the historic building. Every year, the neighborhood gathers together to celebrate this historic building and the brave men and women who call it home.

Because of its location close to the University and downtown, Hyde Park has become a favorite among graduate students and young professionals. In 2006, the median price for a house in Hyde Park was $309,902 and the median price per square foot was $204.

The Austin real estate has numerous submarket. Escapeso Reality can help you navigate and explore the market starting with their online search of the Austin MLS. You can also research the market using their Austin real estate blog.