Austin Parks Foundation Fixing Up Historic Norwood House

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Austin Parks Foundation has awarded a $250,000 matching grant to the Norwood Park Foundation for the restoration and re-purposing of the historic 1920s Norwood House, officials announced this week.

“At APF we’re dedicated to partnering with our community to improve our treasured public green spaces,” said Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation. “Norwood House and the surrounding parkland is truly a natural and cultural treasure for Austin. The restoration of this public space will be such an enriching gift to our community, a valuable asset that everyone will be able to enjoy. We are thrilled to be able to support this project. We hope Austinites will be as enthusiastic as we are for the future of this historic estate and that the necessary funds to restore it will be quickly raised so construction can begin.”

Overlooking Lady Bird Lake from the northwestern corner of Interstate 35 and Riverside Drive, the Norwood House is a historic 1922 Arts & Crafts bungalow with a singular view of the river and downtown Austin, officials described. It was acquired by the City of Austin in 1985 for use as public parkland, but due to lack of funds and a clear vision for its future, the remarkable property has been long-neglected, remaining unprogrammed and lacking the major restoration it needs.

Enter the Norwood Park Foundation, a Texas 501(c)3 nonprofit, created to take on the task of managing the rehabilitation of the house and raising the necessary funds to restore and maintain the space. In a public/private partnership with the city, the Norwood Park Foundation hopes to restore the house and grounds, operate the property in a revenue-generating, self-sustaining fashion, and ensure its future protection.

“This is a stunning property that serves everybody, no matter what district you live in,” said Colleen Theriot, President of the Norwood Park Foundation. “We have carefully crafted the Norwood project in response to the public input process conducted by PARD in 2011, and we’re putting forth an inspired vision that everyone can enjoy and donors can believe in. In restoring and repurposing the Norwood House, we will save this precious, historic place for our kids and future generations, and we’ll celebrate the incredible view from the cliff – all while renewing a public park asset that pays for itself."

The already-completed Phase 1 of the project included environmental remediation, structural stabilization, rehabilitation of the site's heritage oaks, and schematic design. The Norwood Park Foundation also secured a long-desired state historical marker for Norwood Park. At present, the project is in permitting, and NPF is focused on raising the funds needed to complete Phase 2, which is the main construction and renovations of the property. If the Austin Parks Foundation grant is fully matched, it will take the project from permitting into being “shovel-ready.”

For more information on the project and to follow along on the progress, visit www.norwoodparkfoundation.org. For more information on the Austin Parks Foundation, visit www.austinparks.org.

ABOUT AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION

Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is dedicated to partnering with our community to enhance people’s lives by making our public parks, trails and green spaces better through volunteerism, innovative programming, advocacy, and financial support. A non-profit established in 1992, APF fills the city’s funding and resource gap in order to develop, maintain and enhance the area’s 300+ parks, trails, and green spaces. APF fosters innovative public/private partnerships and since 2006, has given over $3 million in community-initiated grants in service to the greater Austin community. APF is known for its annual flagship volunteer event, It’s My Park Day, and is a presenting partner and beneficiary of the popular Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Metropolitan Park. For more information, please visit http://www.austinparks.org.

ABOUT THE NORWOOD PARK FOUNDATION:
The Norwood Park Foundation (NPF) has a strong grassroots history and evolved from longtime efforts to save Austin’s historic and publicly-owned Norwood House. With donations from the community, NPF has crafted a robust vision for the property while stabilizing the house, stewarding the Norwood site, and raising funds to complete the project. The mission and sole purpose of NPF is to restore the Norwood House to its historic exterior appearance, rehabilitate the surrounding historic grounds and gardens, and repurpose the property to serve the people of Austin as a premier, nonprofit and self-sustaining rental venue and community meeting space. For more information, please visit www.norwoodparkfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/NorwoodParkAustin/

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>>> Photo of Norwood House via Austin Parks Foundation