The Swedish Hill Historic District is a former Swedish enclave that is now a residential area of downtown

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 ...

. Often referred to as "Swede Hill." Development of this area began in the 1870s when numerous

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

immigrants erected homes near their downtown businesses. The first to build his home there was S. A. Lundell; soon thereafter Carl John Swahn built his house there, and many others followed. Eventually some sixty-seven Swedish immigrant families built homes in the vicinity and the neighborhood became known as Svenska Kullen (Swedish Hill)—originally bounded by Waller Street on the east, Red River Street on the west, 15th Street on the south, and 19th Street on the north (today West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — known more familiarly as Swede Hill.

Background

These immigrants founded the first Swedish Methodist Church in Texas, and helped to establish Texas Wesleyan College, just north of the present-day

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 ...

. Today the community comprises an eclectic mix of students and urban dwellers. Over time, urban development, most notably the construction of I-35 and the

Frank Erwin Center The Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center (commonly known as Frank Erwin Center or UT Erwin Center and originally Special Events Center) is an inactive multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It is also ...

, shrunk the size of the community dramatically. In 1986, what remained was added to 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 ...

Description and significance

Located on lots in the original City of Austin and subdivided and developed earlier than most other parts of East Austin, Swedish Hill was a residential neighborhood occupied by downtown business people and tradesmen. Its significance derives not only from the broad range of architectural styles which is represented in the District, but also from the fact that each building is an excellent example of its own particular style. Architectural styles which are represented in the District are vernacular versions of the Victorian L plan, T plan, Cumberland plan, late Victorian corner-porch plan, Pyramidal plan, and Bungalow plan. All of the buildings are finely detailed; many display pleasing carpentry ornamentation in the forms of porch columns, balusters, railings, brackets, spindles, and a variety of siding and shingling types.

Photo gallery

File:Swedehill2.jpg File:Swedehill3.jpg File:Swedehill4.jpg File:Swedehill5.jpg File:Home in Swedish Hill or Swede Hill Neighborhood Austin, Texas.jpg File:Swede Hill or Swedish Hill homes .jpg File:Swede Hill Home.jpg File:Swede Hill home.jpg File:Swede Hill Pocket Park .jpg File:Swede Hill homes.png

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Neighborhoods in Austin, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Swedish-American culture in Texas