Historic Homestead Restored on Site of Multi-Use Braker Pointe Project in Austin

The historic E.H. Rogers Homestead in once rural Travis County has endured the rise of the Republic of Texas, native attacks, statehood, secession, war, recession and the coming of the railroads since it was established in the late 1830s. Today, rather than sharing the fate of numerous other historical sites that have been razed to make way for new development, this slice of history is being preserved and restored even as a new commercial development is constructed adjacent to it.

The careful blending of old and new is the overriding theme on the 40-acre Braker Pointe development in Austin, where DPR is constructing a new nine-story, 220,000-sq.-ft. office building, for CarrAmerica Realty, while also helping restore the old house and barn that comprise the original historic homestead. The multi-use development, as master-planned by Austin planners Richardson Verdoorn, is set in an area known as the “Silicon Hills,” where the high-tech market has generated a new development that now surrounds the old homestead. Braker Pointe will ultimately contain three Class A office buildings with about 365,000 sq. ft. of office space, as well as a hotel and motel.

Although for the last 70 years the property has been largely left to weekend horsemen and ranchers, the E.H. Rogers Homestead is thought to have once been a wagon train stopover and supply outpost for Austin travelers and cattle drives headed north. As part of the Braker Pointe development, approximately 1.5 acres of the original farm has been set aside for the restoration project and will provide a park-like setting for workers and visitors to enjoy, while also experiencing a bit of local history.

Driving the historic preservation efforts at Braker Pointe is Will Shepherd, AIA, vice president and senior project manager for CarrAmerica’s Austin division, a former Heritage Society of Austin president. Shepherd is also the force behind another historic preservation project in which DPR has been involved, the Pioneer Farms Living History Museum in Austin.

CarrAmerica has worked closely with Austin-based restoration consultant Gregory Free & Associates to develop a master plan for the homestead site that would preserve its history and allow new development to take place. According to Free’s document outlining the site’s history and its preservation plan, “The overriding themes of the site’s interpretation are continuity, progress, accommodation, sensitivity, and the blending of old and new, rather than just dwelling on the past.”

The interpretative period on which the historic restoration is based is the “era of railroads,” the decade of 1877-1887. That was a time in which E.H. Rogers became involved in negotiations with the International and Great Northern Railroad as it began to acquire right-of-way through the property. Ultimately, the railroad was built just in front of the Rogers property. A dramatic and functional new feature of the site plan is the reinstatement of the farm road leading from the MOPAC railroad. The reconstructed road aligns with the still existing gates on either side of the railroad. The road will lead from an outdoor dining area planned for the office tower through the center of the site to parking on the southeast, ending in a trailhead that will include interpretive and directional signage. Landscaping will feature informal native plantings along the paths, roses along fences, abundant wildflowers and strategically placed shade trees.

Restoring the site’s two historic, but dilapidated, buildings has involved shoring up their foundations, as well as restoring the original porch and roofs. A primary construction challenge for the DPR team has been locating certain materials used more than 100 years ago that were required for the restoration, such as the original shingles, siding and rough sawn lumber.