Zilker is a neighborhood in south central

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. It extends south of Lady Bird Lake, approximately bounded by the Union Pacific Railway to the southeast/south (Lamar Boulevard south of Oltorf), Barton Skyway to the south, Rabb Road and Azie Morton Road to the west and Lady Bird Lake to the north. Directly northwest of Zilker is Barton Hills neighborhood, which connects back to Zilker Park via the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

History

In 1918,

Andrew Jackson Zilker Andrew Jackson Zilker (1858–1934) was a political figure and philanthropist in Austin, Texas, Austin, Texas, after whom Zilker Park was named. He was the last private owner of Barton Springs. Biography Andrew Zilker was born in New Albany, Ind ...

deeded surrounding

Barton Springs Barton Springs is a set of four natural water springs located at Barton Creek on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, resulting from water flowing through the Edwards Aquifer. The largest spring, Main Barton Spring (also known as Partheni ...

to the City of Austin. The first homes in the Zilker area were constructed in the late 1920s. Much of the west end of Zilker was owned by Vincent Canizzo until the late 1940s when the City of Austin, using

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

, forced him to sell the land on whic
Zilker Elementary
currently sits. Shortly thereafter, the remaining land — from Ann Arbor Road to Rabb Road — was split into the Canizzo Subdivision. In 2018,

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

road was changed to Azie Morton road.

Notable places

The Zilker Neighborhood is also home to many familiar Austin landmarks including the

Umlauf Sculpture Garden The Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, stylized as the UMLAUF, is a museum and outdoor sculpture garden centered on the artistic works of American sculptor Charles Umlauf. Located at 605 Azie Morton Road in the Zilker neighborhood of Austin, Texa ...

, the historic Tex-Mex restaurant Matt's El Rancho as well as

Barton Springs Pool Barton Springs Pool is a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. It is located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The pool exists within the channel of Barton Creek and util ...

, located in

Zilker Park Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the la ...

which hosts the Zilker Holiday Tree and Trail of Lights as well as the

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based ...

References

External links

Zilker Neighborhood Association
{{Austin Neighborhoods in Austin, Texas