- City:
- Austin, TX
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Lodges, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Civil Works Administration (CWA)
- Started:
- 1934
- Completed:
- 1934
- Designer:
- Charles Page
- Contractor:
- Civil Works Administration
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- No
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Workers from the Civil Works Administration built the rustic-style Zilker Club House out of native Texas limestone in 1934, originally as a Boy Scouts of America hut. The clubhouse and the surrounding 30 acres of land were used by the Scouts for activities and Scout meetings. The clubhouse resides on a hill top and has a panoramic view of the Austin skyline. The clubhouse is now rented out for parties and receptions.
The clubhouse is a contributing building to the Zilker Park Historic District. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 23, 1997.
Source notes
Zilker_Park_Historic_District_Travis_County.pdf
https://www.loc.gov/item/tx1054/
Site originally submitted by Larry Moore on March 9, 2016.
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Richard Viktorin
In the same general vicinity as the Zilker Club House, in Austin, Texas, there are other structures, three structures, which bear characteristics which date them as public works from the New Deal.
Topographically, the Zilker Club House sits above Eanes Creek and Eanes Creek lies generally to the east. Directly south of the Club House are damn works known as Mirror Pond. The stone masonry closely resembles the Zilker Club House. Mirror Pond, as long as I have been hiking the Zilker Historic District, has never held water though.
Approximately 3/10ths of a mile southwest of the Zilker Club House is Lookout Point. A 2015 article published in the Austin American Statesman reads:
“Eight tall stone pylons stand sentinel over an arcing wall. The central colonnade frames a spectacular view of the Austin skyline.
Extremely few Austinites have ever witnessed this very specific urban scene, which was laid out in 1934. That is because Lookout Point — known to old-timers as Lover’s Peak — is part of hidden Zilker Park.
One reaches this high spot by following the narrow Zilker Clubhouse Road halfway up the hill from Rollingwood Drive. The short, rocky trail to the lookout is marked by a narrow, easily missed upright. To stumble on the partially ruined Lover’s Peak — the connective trellis is missing from this civilized structure — is almost to recover lost time.”
Finally, at 2305 Rollingwood Drive are several structures, walls and mothballed buildings which have previously been identified to this reporter as the Zilker Park Gun Range. The limestone masonry closely matches the Zilker Club House, Lookout Point and Mirror Pond.
The Assistant Director for Planning and Facilities within Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department is Liana Kallivoka. Ms. Kallivoka can be reached at (512) 974-6700.
Thank you for the Living New Deal resource. And best wishes for the work load, a deluge of comment email arriving after the November 14, 2022, PBS News Hour report.