Austin, Texas, was a bustling city in the 1960s. It was known for its vibrant music and arts scene and its growing technology industry. The University of Texas at Austin was a significant presence in the city and was home to many influential musicians, artists, and writers. Austin was also the site of several important political events during the 1960s, including creating the Texas Democratic Party’s “Texas Two Step” primary system and the passage of the city’s first land development code.
The civil rights movement was a social and political movement that sought to end discrimination and segregation against African Americans in the United States. The movement significantly impacted Austin and other cities across the country during the 1960s. In Austin, the movement was led by organizations such as the Austin chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Austin Youth Council. These organizations worked to end segregation in schools and public facilities and to ensure that African Americans had equal access to education, housing, and other opportunities. During the early 1960s, students protested segregated lunch counters, restaurants, and movie theaters. After the 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed racial discrimination in public accommodations, the barriers gradually receded. However, discrimination persists in areas such as employment and housing. In 1968, African Americans won a school-board seat and, in 1971, a city-council seat in the town, regaining a foothold in the local political leadership.
Some stunning historical photos show Austin, Texas, in the 1960s.
#1 Austin Municipal Airport, 1961
#2 Congress Avenue with Capitol in snow, 1967. The street is slushy with dirty snow that hasn’t been plowed, and cars parked along the side of the streets are covered in snow.
#3 Austin Municipal Airport, 1962
#4 Lobby at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, located at 701 Congress Avenue in Austin, 1960
#5 Looking north on Congress with Capitol in view. 1961.
#6 Town Lake’s First Tree, 1966.
#7 University of Texas Tower, 1969
#8 Terminix Pest Control, 1961
#9 The TV Motel, located at 1905 South Congress Avenue, Austin, 1961
#10 City of Austin Auditorium, 1967.
#11 View of Congress Avenue to Capitol, 1961.
#12 Exterior view of completed building, 1961. Southwestern Bell Telephone building with the Norwood Towers building in the right.
#13 Customers and parked cars in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken stand, Austin, 1960
#14 H.E.B. next to the construction of Kress. Austin, Texas, 1960
#15 The premiere of the movie Batman at the Paramount Theater in Austin, 1966
#16 The exterior of a rustic, country themed restaurant called, The Barn, located at 8611 Balcones Drive, 1963
#17 Bill Youngblood in Front of Terminix Sign, 1961.
#18 Building on the Colorado River and Palmer Auditorium, 1963
#19 Exterior view of the Carver Branch Library, later part of the Carver Museum, 1960
#20 East 6th Street at Neches, 1968. Humpty Dumpty Grocery at 419 East 6th is shown in the photo
#21 Front exterior of Governor’s Mansion, 1967
The building has a dark downspout on this side of the building. The mansion was built by Abner Cook in 1855 and was continuously occupied since 1856. The occupant here in 1967 was Governor John Connally. The mansion was declared a Texas historical landmark in 1962 and a national historic landmark in 1970.
#22 Governor’s Mansion. d1964
#23 Isamu Taniguchi at Oriental Gardens, 1969.
#24 Exterior of St. David’s Episcopal Church taken from across the street at the intersection of San Jacinto and East 7th, 1965
#25 View of Municipal Auditorium from across the Lake, 1969
#26 Children and parents riding the Zilker Zephyr miniature train through Zilker Park. Downtown Austin and the Capitol building are visible in the background, 1960s
#27 All Tied up on Zilker Kite Field, 1969
#28 An actor and actress in costume for a production of “Once Upon a Mattress” at Zilker Hillside Theatre, 1967
#29 Interior of 2-J Hamburger at North Lamar and 40th streets in Austin, Texas, 1960
The overhead view shows male kitchen workers preparing burgers on the left, female workers bagging orders and cashiering in the center, and the customers ordering at the counter on the right. The back of a large menu hanging from the ceiling is visible on the right above the customers. Cars are visible in the parking lot, seen through the windows. The male employees wear white pants, white shirts, and white paper caps that say "2-J". The female workers wear white dresses with name badges.
#30 La Fiesta Mexican Food Dining Room, Austin, 1962
#31 Young men display their competing cattle side by side in front of a barn, 1965
#32 Entire congregation of the Seventh Day Adventists pose together outside church, 1965
#33 St. Edwards University Girls Dormitory, 1966.
#34 KTBC Station Entrance, Austin, 1960
#35 A pond surrounded by trees near a tall, postwar building, 1969
#36 A round five-story building of a modern, postwar design, 1965
#37 A shallow fountain pool at University of Texas’s engineering science building, 1967
#38 Austin Municipal Airport Courtyard, 1961
#39 Austin High School Rio Grande Campus from the corner of 12th Street and Rio Grande Street looking north, 1960s
#40 Children, aged about 10-13 play flag football at the Pan Am Recreation Center, 1966
A few boys have jerseys that say "Pan Am Aces" on the front; the rest play in plain clothes. A boy in the foreground raises a cup and looks at the camera. The boy next to him leans forward, ready to catch a pass thrown by a boy in sunglasses. Other children stand around casually. The game is not in full-play.
#41 Saengerrunde Halle and Scholz Garten, 1965.
#42 First City National Bank, Austin, 1964
#43 Floorcraft Carpets, 1105 West 41st Street, Austin, 1964
#44 2-J Hamburgers in Austin, Texas, 1960
#45 The exterior of a home perched on a hillside, Austin, 1961
#46 Home with Pool, Austin, 1960
#47 The Greek revival styled interior of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority house located at 2622 Wichita Street, 1960
#48 Wards Department Store, 1961.
#49 The Austin Ballet Society at the Municipal Airport, 1962.
#50 Austin, TX taken from the southeast. US-81 and the Holly St., 1967
#51 The cast of actors performing Brigadoon as the summer drama at the Zilker Hillside Theater in Austin, 1964
#52 Construction of Austin Municipal Airport, 1960.
#53 Construction of the control tower at Mueller Municipal Airport in Austin, Texas, 1960
There is scaffolding around the concrete interior support structure, and board formwork is in place for pouring a flared level near the top of the tower. In front of the tower, the scalloped metal terminal roof is under construction, and there are several wooden construction shacks in foreground
#54 The Music Man at Zilker Hillside Theater, 1969.
#55 Performance at the Zilker Hillside Theater, 1963
#56 Saengerrunde Halle and Scholz Garten beer garden at 1607 San Jacinto, 1965
#57 St. David’s Episcopal Church, 1965.
#58 Exterior of C.B. Smith Motors, Austin, 196
#59 Young female students observing a kettle in a cooking class at Anderson High Schoolm, 1960
#60 UT Silver Spurs group poses in front of Littlefield Fountain and UT Tower, 1965
#61 El Matamoros: Wedding Reception, 1965.
#62 A foyer in a modern, postwar building, 1961
A large square pillar stands prominently in the center of the room. Some cushioned chairs and a lamp sit in the right by a curtained window. Behind the pillar and in the left background are potted plants; in the left wall is a set of glass doors. More glass doors to the street are visible in the center background, through which a 1950s-era car is visible.
#63 Huston-Tillotson Student Union Exterior, 1963.
A sidewalk can be seen in the right foreground leading over to the steps in front of the building's glass entrance way. A low barrier wall can be seen to the left of the steps and sidewalk. A boxy roof awning can be seen hanging over the entrance way, and a tree can be seen in the upper left foreground.
#64 The exterior of a decorative stone and brick building at Concordia Lutheran College, located at 3400 East Avenue, Austin, 1961
#65 KTBC Studio on a street corner with traffic lights for an intersection seen in the foreground, and cars seen both driving and parked on each street, Austin, 1960
#66 The exterior of the Nash Philips-Copus realtor office, since demolished, on 6010 Brooks Street, 1964
The office is a stone building with windowed entrance way, where a zig-zag roof awning can be seen. A side walk leading from the parking lot can be seen in the right side foreground, along with a small, grassy lawn, palm trees, and large boulders. The company name can be seen both on the side of the building to the right of the entrance and on a tall sign that stands to the left.
#67 Austin National Bank, 1963
#68 Brackenridge Hospital Construction, 1969.
#69 A mini children’s’ train parked in front of a Trans-Texas Theater that was located at 5601 North Lamar Boulevard, 1961
#70 The since demolished City National Bank, located on 819 Congress Avenue, 1964
#71 The City National Bank building at 823 Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas, 1963
#72 Drive Up Food Stand, 1961.
#73 A group of students in a classroom, 1962 Boys sit at desks and girls stand against a wall behind them.
#74 A grocery store called Town and Country, located on St. Johns Avenue, Austin Texas, 1963
#75 Aftermath of Fire at Hancock Recreation Center, 1965.
#76 Austin High [School] R.O.T.C., 1968
![Austin High [School] R.O.T.C., 1968](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Austin_1960s_3.jpg)
#77 Copy of Photograph of 1919 Texas State Capitol, 1967.
#78 Fiskville Stage Stop, 1966.
#79 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1968
#80 The entrance to the Texas Governor’s Mansion at 1010 Colorado Street, 1964
#81 Texas Governor’s mansion with limousine underneath attached carport, 1965
#82 Two men in the control room of the Holly Street Power Plant, Austin, Texas, 1963
#83 Inter-playground table tennis tournament at Austin Athletic Center, 1961.
The bleachers are full of women and children watching. The first organized recreation center in Austin was the privately owned Austin Athletic Club, built in 1923, by William T. Caswell. In 1931. Mr. Caswell sold the club to the City of Austin for "a small remuneration". The name of the center was officially changed to the Austin Recreation Center in 1970. After substantial damage, due to the Memorial Day flood of 1981 that center was closed after the existing center was built and opened in 1986.
#84 A man at Manor Downs holding a lead for a dark horse who is trotting in front of him, 1967
#85 Interior of St. David’s Episcopal Church, 1963.
#86 Interior of the Carver Branch Library, 1967
#87 MKT Northbound Texas Special, 1965
#88 Mr. Taniguchi and Mr. Robinson in the Oriental Garden, 1969.
#89 Two actresses on stage during a theatrical production of “Music Man” at Zilker Hillside Theater, 1969
#90 Oriental Garden – Zilker Gardens, 1968.
#91 Oriental Gardens – I. Taniguchi, 1968
#92 Garden architect and builder Isamu Taniguchi kneeling at Oriental Garden, 1968
#93 Pan American Recreation Center] Hillside Program, 1968.
![Pan American Recreation Center] Hillside Program, 1968.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Austin_1960s_37.jpg)
#94 Railroad tracks near Austin, 1966.
#95 St. David’s Episcopal Church looking towards the altar, 1963
#96 Sweetheart Pan American Invitational Softball Tournament, 1961.
The Pan American Recreation Center was opened in June 1942 as the first Latin American Recreation Center in Austin and run under the auspices of the Federated Latin American Club and directed by the Austin Recreation Department. The name "Pan American Recreation Center" was chosen by the executive committee during a center naming contest. On September 7, 1956, a new Pan American Recreation Center was formally dedicated at 2100 East 3rd Street, just west of the old location and where it currently exists today. The building adjoins Zavala School and was built at a cost of $155,261. The Hillside Theater was later built and completed in June 1958.
#97 The Texas State Capitol building in the late 1890s or early 1900s taken from the balcony at 1006 Congress Avenue, 1962
#98 Garden architect and builder Isamu Taniguchi posing on the rocks at Zilker’s Oriental Garden, 1968
#99 A Tiny Tot Christmas Party at Hancock Recreation Center. Santa Claus hands out candy canes to a group of children, 1966
#100 A group of children playing a game. They are in a large circle, holding hands, with two adult instructors, 1966
#101 A trio of Mexican mariachi musicians at the Pan American Recreation Center, 1965
The mariachi wear sombreros and patterned panchos. The two mariachi on the right and left play six-string guitars while the middle mariachi plays the Mexican vihuela. The mariachi mouths are open in mid-song. The Pan American Recreation Center was opened in June 1942 as the first Latin American Recreation Center in Austin and run under the auspices of the Federated Latin American Club and directed by the Austin Recreation Department. The name "Pan American Recreation Center" was chosen by the executive committee during a center naming contest. On September 7, 1956, a new Pan American Recreation Center was formally dedicated at 2100 East 3rd Street, just west of the old location and where it currently exists today. The building adjoins Zavala School and was built at a cost of $155,261. The Hillside Theater was later built and completed in June 1958.
#102 Wildcat Orchestra at Zilker Hillside Theater, 1962
#103 Wildcat performed on stage at Zilker Hillside Theater, 1962
#104 The 19th Street (now Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.) looking west from about Trinity, 1960 .Buildings line the left side of the street and construction vehicles and workers are on the right side.
#105 Aerial View of Municipal Airport, 1960.
#106 Two men surveying rubble in the locker room of Hancock Recreation Center, in the aftermath of a fire, 1965
#107 Aftermath of Fire at Hancock Recreation Center, 1965.
#108 Andrews Day, 1966
#109 Austin Women’s Public Links Golf Association at Municipal Golf Course. 1966.
#110 Austin Women’s Public Links Golf Association golfer and family at Municipal Golf Course, 1966
#111 Austin Women’s Public Links Golf Association golfer at the Municipal Golf Course tournament, 1966.
#112 A golfer swinging on a drive at the AWPLGA tournament at the Austin Municipal Golf Course, 1966
#113 Group portrait of ladies from the Austin Women’s Public Links Golf Association, 1960s
#114 Catherine Lamkin and Howard Norris in Office, 1967.
#115 Crowd at Zilker Hillside Theater Production, 1966.
#116 Governor’s Mansion, 1967.
#117 Mrs. Mary Anne Joseph at Elisabet Ney Museum, 1968
#118 “Oklahoma!” Cast Members, 1965.
#119 Pan American Citizenship Class, 1961.
#120 Children reading at the Pan Am Rec Center library, 1966. Three children sit at a child’s table with books covering the tabletop in front of them.
#121 Pan American Recreation Center] Tiny Tot trip to Hillcrest Farms, 1968.
![Pan American Recreation Center] Tiny Tot trip to Hillcrest Farms, 1968.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Austin_1960s_76.jpg)
#122 Tiny Tots – Austin Athletic Club, 1963
#123 Visitors and bust of Elisabet Ney at the Elisabet Ney Museum, 1969
#124 W.T.Williams, Ladybird Johnson, and Beverly Sheffield, 1966.
#125 Two children bowling in a school hallway, 1961
#126 Children on Slide, 1965.
#127 Thomas Residence Hall under construction at St. Edwards University, 1966
#128 Construction on exterior of power plant power. Austin, Texas, 1960
#129 Crowd standing in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken stand, Austin, 1960
#130 Customers standing in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken stand, Austin, 1960
#131 Customers standing in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken stand, Austin, 1960
#132 The exterior of CB Smith Volkswagen Motors, Austin, 1960. There are a few cars parked next to the sign advertisement. All three of the men are wearing suits.
#133 The Kress store, Austin, 1961
#134 Farmer’s Insurance Group Building, Austin, 1963
#135 State Archives Building and landscaping in front, Austin, 1961
#136 Direct head on exterior shot of funeral home, 1164 Angelina St., Austin, 1964
#137 Exterior shot of funeral home, 1164 Angelina St., Austin, 1964
#138 A group of men around a picnic table at a Friday night cocktail party, Austin, 1961
#139 A group of people boarding a bus for a Friday night cocktail party.1961.
#140 Construction site of Holly St. Power Plant, Austin, 1966
#141 Construction of the Holly Street Power Plant in Austin, Texas, 1965
#142 Holly Street Power Plant, Austin, 1965
#143 Holly Street Power Plant, 1965
#144 Austin Telephone Co. Pioneers stand outside relief truck, seeing off goods to the victims of Hurricane Betsy in New Orleans, 1965
#145 Imperial ‘400’ Motel. Street in foreground is South Congress, Austin, 1961
#146 IBM plant still under construction, located at Burnet Rd. and Kramer Ln. This plant originally built Selectric typewriters, Austin, 1968
#147 The interior of the Kress store, 1961.
#148 Joey’s Fine Foods restaurant at 1411 W. Ben White Blvd. There are cacti in the foreground. Demolished, 1969
#149 An aerial view of 51st Street and Interegional Highway, 1963
#150 Aerial photograph of downtown Austin, 1963
#151 Aerial View of Town Lake.1968
#152 Aerial view of Town Lake looking northwest, 1968
#153 Aerial shot of CB Francis Rest Home, 6909 Burnet Rd. Burnet Road running left to right in center, 1965
#154 Aerial shot of Downtown Austin, State Capitol, and in particular the Lowich Building, 314 W 11th St., 1965
#155 Big Three Welding Co. building view, 1964.
#156 Bricks in front of the construction of Pearce Jr. High School, 1961
#157 Exterior view of building with loading dock. 2 trucks and 1 car parked in front of dock, 1962
#158 Checker cab parked on a residential street, Austin, 1962
#159 Aerial show of Lavaca St. looking north, Austin, 1960s
#160 Neal Douglass – Studio, 1965.
#161 Austin, Texas shot from downtown on South Congress showing the State Capitol lit up at night, 1968
#162 Students sit in desks looking at a man, presumably a lecturer, who is standing behind a wooden podium and speaking in an unknown room at St. Edwards University, 1966
#163 Passengers and crew wave goodbye on the tarmac before departure at Mueller Airport. Plane is Convair 240. TTA DC-3 in left background, 1966
#164 Unidentified man giving speech in the Fellowship Hall at Hyde Park Baptist Church, Austin, 1966
#165 UT Silver Spurs stand facing the Littlefield Fountain and UT Tower on 21st Street at the UT campus, 1965
#166 Child of couple stands with bow in a driveway, 1965
#167 Longhorn Dam, looking southwest, Austin, 1966. Pleasant Valley Rd. crosses the dam which was built to provide water for Holly Street power plant.
#168 A man and five women near the pool of the Imperial 400 Motel, 1962.
#169 A man wearing a suit standing with four women at the pool at Imperial 400 Motel, 1962
#170 Men posing in front of vans with Brice Floral Company in background. Austin, 1930
#171 A steep roofed chapel located at the Austin State Supported Living Center, 1962
#172 Fraternity Exterior, 1961
#173 Hart Savings and Association Building, 1961
#174 Democratic coalition meets in Austin, Texas, 1961
#175 Living Room by Deck, 1964
#176 Men Reading at Tables, 1964
#177 The exterior St. Martin’s Lutheran Church that features and arched, geometric roof line a wide set of steps seen in the foreground, 1960
#178 Two women posing to advertise a motorized cart for Powered Products of Texas, 1960
#179 Peter T. Flawn Academic Center roof courtyard, 1964
#180 The roof courtyard of the Peter T. Flawn Academic Center. The UT Tower is visible on the right side, 1964
#181 Ragsdale Terminal with an exterior facade that is dark with matching dark columns that can be seen on the left wall, along with a glass door entrance, 1962
#182 The courtyard of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority building located at 2622 Wichita Street, 1960
#183 A church made from stone, with large, sloping roofs. On the building’s front is a large cross, 1961
#184 Students at School Building, 1961
#185 Students on the steps of a library located on 3400 East Avenue at Concordia Lutheran College, 1961
#186 Truck at Austin Lacquer Company, 1963
#187 Two boys walking down a covered sidewalk at school, Austin, 1961
#188 A large, two-story, white house in a late-nineteenth/early-twentieth century American style, Austin, 1960
#189 University Building Exterior, 1967.
#190 Workers on Platform, 1965
#191 The Vaughn building under construction, Austin, 1965
Workers in overalls and hardhats can be seen in the foreground on the roof top with a scaffold and crane, four of whom can be seen placing a large beam. Dozens of vehicles can be seen in the parking lot below and more of the city can be seen in the background, including St. David's Episcopal Church to the left.
#192 Austin Municipal Airport at Night, 1961
The airport and air traffic control tower can be seen lit up in the back ground. To the right, a gated pathway with an awning can be seen leading from the plane area back to the airport. The plane to the left has two propeller engines, and a car can be seen parked under the plane's left wing. The terminal is now demolished but previously sat on Berkman Drive.
Where was us-81?
My parents were just kids when these photos were all taken.
It looks like home…
Lot’s of photo’s of Isamu Taniguchi.
Isamu Taniguchi
Taniguchi wanted to give the city of Austin a gift of an oriental garden. It would be his gesture of gratitude to the city that had provided an education for his two sons. The Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with the Austin Area Garden Council agreed that such a generous gift could not be ignored. There was no contract, no design, and no blueprints of any kind because–as Taniguchi explains–gardens are not created by such methods. Instead, the plans for the Oriental Gardens existed only in Taniguchi’s mind, in his soul and in his heart. He died in 1992.
This is one of my favorite things in Austin, it’s pretty magical.
I still think it’s completely wacky that there were no trees around Lady Bird Lake (Towne Lake) until the 1960s. Thanks, Lady Bird!