Zilker Park and Vicinity

Zilker Park and Vicinity

Zilker Park and Vicinity Photograph by Gerald Moorhead
Mid-20th century. Barton Springs Rd. between Barton Blvd. and Mo-Pac Expwy.

The 485 acres of Zilker Park were listed on the National Register in 1997 and include seven historic buildings, four objects, eleven sites, six structures, and other nonhistoric elements. The historic buildings include a significant Great Depression–era structure and two representative examples of the city's efforts to improve the park after World War II. The Barton Springs Bath House (1946, Chester Nagel and Dan J. Driscoll) lies just south of Barton Springs Road at the edge of a popular bathing area. Nagel and Driscoll successfully integrated the facilities into the setting along the water's edge. The second facility within the park, the Zilker Park Garden Center (1964, Hugo Franz Kuehne), is north of Barton Springs Road and provides a welcome center and interpretive facility. The park and center are named for businessman A. J. Zilker, who deeded the land for the site. Local stone and native vegetation integrate this building with the gardens. Full-height windows under a tall, peaked roof extend views into the treetops.

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