Sixth Street Historic District | |
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Sixth_Street_Austin.jpg) Historic buildings lining Sixth Street | |
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| Location | Roughly bounded by 5th, 7th, Lavaca Streets and I-35, Austin, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°16′2″N 97°44′23″W / 30.26722°N 97.73972°W |
| Built | 1839 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Early Commercial, Classical Revival, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 75002132[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1975 |
Sixth Street is a historic street and entertainment district in Austin, Texas, located within the city's urban core in downtown Austin.[2] Sixth Street was formerly named Pecan Street under Austin's older naming convention, which had east–west streets named after trees and north–south streets named after Texas rivers (the latter convention remains in place).[3]
The nine-block area of West Sixth Street roughly between Lavaca Street to the west and Interstate 35 to the east is recognized as the Sixth Street Historic District and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1975.[4] Developed as one of Austin's trade and commercial districts in the late 1800s, the predominant building style are two- or three-story masonry Victorian commercial architecture. Most structures in the area had already been built by the 1880s, though a few notable exceptions include the Driskill Hotel (1886), the Scarbrough Building (1910), and the Littlefield Building.
The area around nearby 4th Street and 6th Street has been a major entertainment district since the 1970s.[5] Many bars, clubs, music venues, and shopping destinations are located on West 6th Street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35, and many offer live music at one time or another during the week.[6] Traffic is generally blocked on East 6th Street and most crossroads from I-35 to Brazos Street on weekend evenings, and football home games (depending on pedestrian traffic), as well as holidays and special events, to allow the crowds to walk unfettered to the many venues that line the street.
East Sixth Street (known locally as Dirty Sixth)[7] plays host to a wide variety of events each year, ranging from music and film festivals (such as South by Southwest) to biker rallies (such as The Republic of Texas Biker Rally) and the Pecan Street Festival.[8]
The area of Sixth Street west of Lavaca is known as the West 6th Street District. Recently, a movement has been growing to develop this area as an entertainment district of its own, geared toward the live-music crowd.[9]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "AROUND THE STATE: A Selective Guide to Entertainment and Events of More Than Usual Interest". Texas Monthly. November 1979. p. 28. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
- ^ "Homemade crafts a main attraction at the Old Pecan Street Festival". Associated Press. September 25, 2004. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
- ^ Whitacre, Whitacre (August 15, 2001). "6th Bar Blues". The Daily Texan. Retrieved July 14, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Barton, Laura (February 23, 2008). "We're Austin Music". The Guardian. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
- ^ Ezell, Kyle (2006). Retire Downtown. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 160, 162. ISBN 978-0-7407-6049-5. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
- ^ "A slow evolution converts some of Austin's 'dirtiest' places into dynamic drinking spots".
- ^ "6th Street Revealed". Celebrate Austin Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Gerbe, Bret (November 8, 2006). "A night on the other side reveals a burgeoning entertainment district among the office buildings and condos". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 24, 2011.