CelebrateAustin_2017_SixthStreet_LR

photo courtesy of herron stock
Historic Austin,
Modern Day Entertainment
by shannon barrientes
K
nown nationwide as a music and entertainment
hotspot, Sixth Street is inarguably one of the
most bustling and exciting streets in all of Austin.
Most weekend evenings (and some holiday and
special events) traffic is blocked in the area,
allowing unencumbered pedestrian traffic to traverse
the hurried area. Park on the nearby outskirts and take
a pedicab to this exciting entertainment district to see
live music any night of the week, and to enjoy a cold
cocktail and some local dining.
Though legendary for the music scene, this area also
boasts a deep-rooted history that is integral to the core
of what makes Austin special to this very day. Historically,
the most significant part of this street extends from the
celebrated Driskill Hotel at the corner of Brazos Street
and continues six city blocks to I-35. This portion was
once served as a major thoroughfare through the inner-city
area. In the mid-nineteenth century, Sixth Street was
Pecan Street, and it served as a stagecoach route for
travelers. Edwin Waller, elected as the city’s first mayor
in 1840, engineered a grid plan for the streets of the
city; most of this grid plan is still intact as modern
downtown Austin.
Pecan Street was the choice traveling route into
town for the farmland communities to the east, and soon
became a major commerce district. Before the American
Civil War, Sixth Street was bustling with stores, saloons
and hotels. Many of those original buildings are still
standing and today house bars, venues and entertainment.
You can see evidence of this early history by visiting the
Missouri House, erected in 1861 and still standing at the
corner of Brazos and Sixth. It was Austin’s first boarding
home for travelers on their way to the Wild West, but
today you can enjoy a cold beer and a round of pool with
your friends in two levels of the building.
After the Civil War, the area welcomed the railroad
and the area boomed – inviting in fashion retail, offices,
showrooms and warehouses that catered to travelers and
locals. One of these retailers, Scarbrough and Hicks
department store, is responsible for erecting the Scarbrough
Building in 1910, Austin’s first skyscraper at eight
stories tall, and is to this day a beautiful example of the
Commercial style of the early twentieth century.
Just down the street, stop in at Iron Cactus to enjoy
tableside guacamole and an icy margarita. Be sure to
take in the epic views of Sixth Street from their rooftop.
In the summertime, their rooftops misters will refresh you
for a night on the town.

6TH. STREET
The oldest bar on Sixth Street is locally
owned Maggie Mae’s, which has stood
proud for 39 years, and is an Austin
institution. It is located in four beautifully
restored buildings erected circa 1850s.
Maggie Mae’s features an authentic New
Orleans-style courtyard with a staircase
that extends to a 5,000 square foot rooftop
deck that allows for a gorgeous view
of downtown Austin. Dedicated to Gibson
USA, the roof features a brand-new stage
equipped with premium digital sound.
Upstairs you will also discover the Gibson
Guitar Room and Les Paul Lounge, celebrating
the life and accomplishments of Les Paul
(1915–2009). Also nestled inside is the
newly renovated Legacy Lounge featuring
a wall-sized mural by Robert Hurst and an
authentic English pub with Guinness on
draft. At Maggie Mae’s, you can find live
music seven nights a week.
Just a few blocks over is Bobalu Cigar
Company – be sure to stop in and watch live
cigar rollers in the ancient and beautiful
art form that is cigar rolling. You can watch
through a window from the street as
trained professionals make custom cigars
for a waiting line of locals and visitors.
This renowned shop also carries a fantastic
selection of unique and imported cases
and accessories, as well as a liberally
stocked humidor. They will hand-roll a cigar
for you by request and it’s an experience
you won’t soon forget.
The history of Austin is alive on Sixth
Street and is remembered bi-annually via
the Austin Pecan Street Festival, every May
and September. The festival is in its fortieth
year of celebration, and the festivities
represent so much of what makes Austin
unforgettable: multiple stages for live music,
art and dance performances, craft booths
populated with local artisans and street
food vendors, and lots of fun for the kids at
the petting zoo.
There are countless hidden treasures
along this wonderful corridor that make up
the heart of Austin. Don’t miss the daytime
opportunities that abound in the form
of shopping, retail and, for the historically
inclined, the beautiful monuments that
stretch from the legendary Driskill Hotel
and on toward I-35. For those of you who
love the nightlife, you are headed in the
right direction.
Did You Know?
All of the artwork in the Driskill Hotel is original, but there are no
records of how they were acquired or who the artists are.
Louis Armstrong made his Texas debut at the Driskill Bar in 1931.
There’s a “historic” side of the building and a newer side
of the building. The newer side, added in the 1920s,
features narrower passageways as women no longer
wore hoop skirts and didn’t need as wide of walkways.
Helen Corbitt was a chef at the Driskill, developing her
famous cheese soup there, before going to Neiman Marcus
in 1955 to be the director of food services.
The portrait of Jesse Driskill on the staircase has a few
dents in it from the time when two lawyers got into a violent
argument in the lobby, and a stray bullet hit the painting.
The Texas Rangers met in the Jim Hogg room in 1934 to devise
a plan to finally bring down the infamous duo of Bonnie and Clyde.
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