The Mayfield–Gutsch Estate, now named Mayfield Park, is a historic cottage, gardens and nature preserve in west

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

on a bluff overlooking

Lake Austin Lake Austin, formerly Lake McDonald, is a water reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Austin is one of the seven Hi ...

. Originally built in the 1870s, the cottage was purchased by former

Texas Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas ...

Allison Mayfield in 1909. In 1922, the house passed to Mayfield's daughter, Mary Frances, and her husband,

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

professor Milton Gutsch. They expanded the home, adding porches on three sides and, with the help of gardener Esteban Arredondo, greatly developed of the property around their home into a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

surrounded by a rock perimeter wall. When Mary Mayfield Gutsch died in 1971, the home and grounds were left to the City of Austin for use as a park. Austin Parks & Recreation: Mayfield Park Gardens and Cottage The property was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on September 29, 1994. Mayfield Park is open to the public and is known for its free roaming

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

s on the property. The cottage and gardens can be reserved for private events. The grounds are immediately adjacent to Laguna Gloria, home to the

Austin Museum of Art The Contemporary Austin, originally known as the Austin Museum of Art, is Austin, Texas's primary contemporary art museum, consisting of two locations and an art school. The Contemporary Austin reflects the spectrum of contemporary art through exh ...

References

Houses in Austin, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas City of Austin Historic Landmarks {{Texas-struct-stub