Pemberton Heights is a neighborhood of
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, and part of the
Old West Austin Historic District
The Old West Austin Historic District is a residential community in Austin, Texas, United States. It is composed of three neighborhoods located on a plateau just west of downtown Austin: Old Enfield, Pemberton Heights (Austin, Texas), Pemberton ...
. The area is bounded by Northwood Road on the north,
Lamar Boulevard/
Shoal Creek on the east, 24th Street/Windsor Road on the south, and
Texas State Highway Loop 1 ("MoPac") on the west.
It is Austin's wealthiest and most historic neighborhood.
Pemberton Heights is located in city council
District 10.
History
In the late 1800s, what is now the neighborhood of Pemberton Heights in Austin, Travis County, Texas, was a farm owned by Attorney General John Woods Harris. The Fisher family inherited the farm and established the Austin Land Company. In 1927, the company built a bridge across
Shoal Creek and began developing the area, which was originally outside the Austin city limits. Between 1927 and the early 1940s, Pemberton Heights was developed in 12 sections. In its June 1998 issue, ''Town & Country magazine'' named Pemberton Heights as one of the 25 Platinum Addresses in the United States.
Points of interest
The neighborhood encompasses the western edge of the Shoal Creek Greenbelt along with a number of other "triangle parks" formed by three-way intersections including Harris Triangle Park, Jarratt Triangle Park, and Wooldridge Triangle Park.
Hartford Park
In 2016 the Pemberton Heights Neighborhood Association and the City of Austin formed a partnership in an effort to formally create a park in the half-acre green space found at the intersection of Hartford Rd, Jefferson St, and Ethridge Ave (1602 Ethridge Ave). The $350,000 needed for the park infrastructure was funded through private donations, and was used to fence in the area as well as add playscapes and landscaping to the park. The park officially opened on Mother's Day in 2018.
Pemberton Castle (Fisher-Gideon House)
Pemberton Castle was constructed in the 1890s, initially as a cylindrical water tower. In the 1920s it was converted into a castle. In 1927, the Austin Development Company acquired the property and used it as the sales office for the new Pemberton Heights subdivision. In 1937,
Samuel Gideon, a
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
Professor of Architecture, acquired the property. In 1993, the house was a set in the movie
Blank Check
A blank cheque or blank check in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or v ...
. The house is currently owned by
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
.
Schools
Pemberton Heights residents are zoned for
Casis Elementary School,
O. Henry Middle School, and
Stephen F. Austin High School. However, a considerable number of students from the area also attend private schools, most notably
St. Andrew's Episcopal School and
St. Stephens Episcopal School among others.
Notable residents
*
Greg Abbott
Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
, 48th
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces.
Established in the Constit ...
*
Edward A. Clark, United States
Ambassador to Australia
*
Roberta Crenshaw
Roberta P. Crenshaw (April 17, 1914 - February 8, 2005) was an American civic leader and philanthropist. Crenshaw campaigned for over 60 years to preserve park land in Austin, Texas and supported Austin-area cultural institutions.
Early life and ...
, American parkland preservationist and philanthropist
*
David Dewhurst
David Henry Dewhurst (born August 18, 1945) is an American politician, businessman, and attorney who served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Texas from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Texas Land Commissioner from 1 ...
, 41st
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...
*
Lloyd Doggett
Lloyd Alton Doggett II (born October 6, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Texas since 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Doggett was a member of the Texas Senate from 1973 to 1985 and a just ...
, United States Representative
*
Steven Hicks, American businessman
*
Natalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines (born October 14, 1974) is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks.
In 1995, after leaving Berklee College of Music, Maines was recruited by the Dixie Chicks to replace their lead si ...
, lead singer for
The Chicks
The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Strayer ...
(née Dixie Chicks)
*
Jane Y. McCallum, women's suffrage leader and
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 ...
*
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
, film director
*
Kendra Scott
Kendra Scott (born March 27, 1974) is an American fashion designer. She is the executive chairwoman, designer, and former chief executive officer of Kendra Scott, LLC.
Early life and career
Kendra Scott was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At age 16, ...
, fashion and accessories designer
*
John Sharp,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
politician and chancellor of the
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's seven independent university systems.
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a ...
*
Max Starcke,
Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) leader and dam namesake
*
Homer Thornberry
William Homer Thornberry (January 9, 1909 – December 12, 1995) was an American politician and judge. He served as the United States representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1949 to 1963. From 1963 to 1965 he was a j ...
, United States Representative and judge
*
Kirk Watson
Kirk Preston Watson (born March 18, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 59th mayor of Austin since 2023, previously holding the office as the 54th mayor from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United S ...
, Austin mayor and
Texas State Senator
*
Ralph Yarborough
Ralph Webster Yarborough (June 8, 1903 – January 27, 1996) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a Texas Democratic politician who served in the United States Senate from 1957 to 1971 and was a leader of the progressive wing of his p ...
, United States Senator
*
Samuel Gideon, architectural historian
References
External links
Pemberton Heights Neighborhood Association
{{Austin , state=expanded
Neighborhoods in Austin, Texas