The Signs Of Austin

Broken Spoke
3201 S Lamar Blvd
The Broken Spoke is a time capsule on South Lamar. I think James White, who opened the dancehall in 1964, said it best. “It’s like going to the Alamo. You see all these big building and chain stores all around it, but when you go inside, it’s still the Alamo.” White modeled the Broken Spoke after the old Dessau Hall that he used to visit as a kid growing up in Austin. It’s stage has been graced by legends such as Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, and George Strait. But perhaps more famous than it’s wagon wheel sign is the old 1948 Texas Top Hands band bus that used to be parked outside.

Posted on November 16, 2015 under South Lamar
Catfish Parlour
11910 Research Blvd
In 1973 David Kerbow opened the first Catfish Parlour, back when it was on the outskirts of town in northwest Austin. Almost forty years later, he has additional locations in south Austin and Georgetown. Kerbow got his start in the restaurant business by managing the old Holiday House in Tarrytown, which was opened by Ralph Moreland in 1952. For decades, Holiday House was a popular neighborhood burger joint until they were evicted by the building’s owner, a notorious animal rights activist, in 2004 for selling beef.

Posted on November 16, 2015 under Misc
Warehouse Liquors
2424 S 1st St
Warehouse Liquors exemplifies the old Austin spirit in the Galindo neighborhood of south Austin. Galindo is a small pocket of 4,000 residents in the 78704 area code bounded by Ben White, South First, Oltorf, and South Lamar. It’s known for cheap eateries, low-key dive bars and storefronts that have seen better days. Warehouse Liquors was opened in 1972 and is flanked by G&S Lounge, a pawn shop, laundromat, and Taqueria Arandas. It’s rare to find such an undisturbed piece of Austin so close to the center of town.

Posted on November 16, 2015 under South 1st
Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz
320 E 6th St
The Ritz has a long and colorful history that starts with J.J. Hegman in 1929. He built the theater to screen talkies and ran it with his son until they had to close in 1964 due to the popularity of television. After a few years showing adult films, it was re-opened in 1974 by Jim Franklin as an extension of the Armadillo World Headquarters. In the 80s it was a notorious punk rock club and the temporary home of Esther’s Follies. In 2007 it was restored to its original glory as the new home of the downtown Alamo Drafthouse.

Posted on November 02, 2015 under 6th
Delwood Cleaners & Laundry
1406 E 38th 1/2 St
The Delwood neighborhood was founded in 1947 as affordable post-war housing. Delwood Cleaners opened its doors in the early 1980s as the Royal Touch Cleaners. It is down the street from the first commercial shopping center in Texas, where the Fiesta now stands. Next door to the shopping center was the old Delwood Drive-In which was destroyed by a hurricane in 1961. Over the years the Delwood neighborhood has been called everything from Cherrywood to Maplewood to Wilshire Wood. Now with the Mueller development rapidly expanding, it is losing its identity even further.

Posted on November 02, 2015 under East Side
Scottish Rite Theater
207 W 18th St
The Scottish Rite Theater is Austin’s oldest fully operation theater, erected by a German social organization in 1871. They used the building as an opera house until it was bought by the Scottish Rite Masons in 1914, who had been looking for a permanent home in Austin since 1881. For over a century the masons used the building as their private meeting hall, and in 2004 they launched the Scottish Rite Children’s Theater. Today the theater hosts children’s plays, operas, circus acts, and the occasional concert.

Posted on November 02, 2015 under Guadalupe
Don-Mar Motor Court
2109 S Congress Ave
Sometimes change is good. The Don-Mar Motor Court was built in 1935 by Don and Mary Roberts but had seen much better days by the time it was leveled in 2008. At one time there were plans to turn the property into the Don-Mar Condominiums and incorporate the old sign, but those plans never materialized. The site is now home to Ben’s Workshop, an auto repair shop that has been in Austin since 1979. The old Don-Mar sign was purchased by Don Lougheed in 2013 and is on display at his RV dealership in Buda.

Posted on October 23, 2015 under South Congress
Club de Ville
900 Red River St
Known for the rock wall backdrop on their outdoor stage, Club de Ville fell victim to increasing downtown rents in 2013 and never re-opened after 16 years in business. But it’s perhaps just as well known as Chances, an eclectic lesbian club that occupied the same space from 1986-1994. Cheer Up Charlie’s recently moved into the building from East 6th St, and shares a similar laid-back vibe. The Club de Ville sign, topped with an old Best Western crown, was created by Evan Voyles of The Neon Jungle.

Posted on October 23, 2015 under Red River
Lala's Little Nugget
2207 Justin Ln
It’s Christmas year-round at Lala’s. Opened in a neighborhood strip mall in 1972, Frances Lala kept her Christmas decorations up because she felt that the bar was too bare without them. At the age of 83, Lala can still be found behind the bar making her famous Bloody Marys, and their jukebox is one of the best in town. The bar was temporarily shut down in August of 2015 but was quickly re-opened by the owners of the Mean Eyed Cat and Lavaca Street Bar.

Posted on October 15, 2015 under Burnet
Las Manitas Avenue Cafe
227 Congress Ave
An Austin institution for 26 years, Las Manitas was opened by sisters Lidia and Cynthia Perez after getting their start selling tacos on the Drag. The restaurant and several other local businesses were controversially razed in 2008 to make way for the second largest Marrriott hotel in the world. To address the criticism of losing a beloved local restaurant, Mr. J.W. Marriott was quoted as saying, “Why should you hold up a several-hundred-million-dollar investment because of a small little restaurant?”

Posted on October 15, 2015 under Congress (Downtown)
Centennial Liquor Stop
6534 N Lamar Blvd
The Centennial Liquor Store on North Lamar is long gone, but its sign is resting peacefully in the parking lot of The Yellow Rose Cabaret. Another sign survives at their original Guadalupe St location, although the store itself is now run by Twin Liquors. Harry Joseph, a Lebanese businessman, opened the original location in what would become a chain of 6 stores across the Austin area. However, the emergence of superstores such as Spec’s eventually put them out of business for good.

Posted on October 09, 2015 under North Lamar
Katz's Deli & Bar
618 W 6th St
Katz’s does unfortunately close. Opened in 1979 by Marc Katz, this authentic New York deli served drunken downtowners for nearly 31 years before shutting down in 2011. Mr. Katz was also a bit of a local celebrity. Oftentimes you’d find his yellow Cadillac DeVille convertible parked in front of the restaurant, and he famously ran for mayor in 2003. Katz’s son, Barry, still runs a location of the deli in Houston. The old Austin location has since been home to several generic clubs.

Posted on October 09, 2015 under 6th
Peter Pan Mini-Golf
1207 Barton Springs Rd
Clifford Dismukes started Varsity Links in 1948 at the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar. After Clifford passed away, his brother Glenn renamed it Peter Pan Mini Golf. With the help of his son, Mike, Glenn introduced obstacles such as a giant pirate, a singing spider coming out of a taco, and a T-Rex. Recently local artist Cheryl Latimer took it upon herself to return the statues to their former glory. Peter Pan still only costs 6 bucks to play, and it’s BYOB.

Posted on September 24, 2015 under Barton Springs
Golden Slipper Village
1903 S 1st St
The Golden Slipper Village is home to an eclectic collection of local businesses. It was started by Aleck Hernandez in 1947 when he opened Golden Slipper Modern Boot Repair. Thomas Hernandez has been running Turntable Records in Golden Slipper since 1986 and Steve and Phil Sharp have operated their locksmith company there since 1977. Other occupants include The Soup Peddler and South Austin Gallery.

Posted on September 09, 2015 under South First
Hill-Berts Burgers
5340 Cameron Rd
In 1973, Hilbert and Lucille Maldono opened their first restaurant on North Lamar in a former Burger Chef (now a P Terry’s). They went on to open additional locations on Burnet Road and West 35th in old mission-style Taco Bells. The West 35th location is famous for having a Volkswagen towing a hamburger on the roof. After many decades, their Cameron Road restaurant is the only one still in operation.

Posted on September 02, 2015 under East Side