Laguna Gloria
Encyclopedia
Laguna Gloria is the former home of Clara Driscoll and site of a 1916 Italianate-style villa on the shores of Lake Austin
in Austin, Texas
. It was the original home of the Austin Museum of Art
and still houses some of its collections. Today it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
Before the influx of white settlers, Native Americans visited the site for its nearby spring (today underwater). The land that includes the property was originally owned by Stephen F. Austin
, who in 1832 (seven years before Austin was founded) wrote that he wished to build a home there. This never came to pass.
In 1914 the property was purchased by Hal Sevier, editor of the Austin American
, with his new wife Clara Driscoll. They completed their villa two years later, inspired by a honeymoon visit to Lake Como
in Italy. Clara, an avid gardener, spent many years planting native and foreign plants around the site and designing the terraced gardens that remain to this day. In 1943 Driscoll donated the homesite to be used as a city museum.
In 1961, the site was converted to the Laguna Gloria Art Museum and became an important part of the Austin arts scene. Soon after, the museum began offering art classes, and in 1983, a 5300 square feet (492.4 m²) facility was built specifically for the growing art school.
In 1992, the institution changed its name to the Austin Museum of Art, and four years later, moved its primary exhibition space to 823 Congress Avenue, in the heart of downtown Austin. Laguna Gloria remained the site of The Art School, and in 2003, the Driscoll Villa was renovated and again became an exhibition space, focusing on local and regional artists.
The site is immediately adjacent to Mayfield Park
, also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lake Austin
Lake Austin is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority....
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. It was the original home of the Austin Museum of Art
Austin Museum of Art
The Austin Museum of Art is Austin, Texas's primary community art museum, since it was established in 1961 as Laguna Gloria Art Museum. The museums roots date to 1943, when Clara Driscoll donated her 1916 lakeside estate in west Austin to be used "as a museum to bring pleasure in the appreciation...
and still houses some of its collections. Today it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Before the influx of white settlers, Native Americans visited the site for its nearby spring (today underwater). The land that includes the property was originally owned by Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
, who in 1832 (seven years before Austin was founded) wrote that he wished to build a home there. This never came to pass.
In 1914 the property was purchased by Hal Sevier, editor of the Austin American
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
, with his new wife Clara Driscoll. They completed their villa two years later, inspired by a honeymoon visit to Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
in Italy. Clara, an avid gardener, spent many years planting native and foreign plants around the site and designing the terraced gardens that remain to this day. In 1943 Driscoll donated the homesite to be used as a city museum.
In 1961, the site was converted to the Laguna Gloria Art Museum and became an important part of the Austin arts scene. Soon after, the museum began offering art classes, and in 1983, a 5300 square feet (492.4 m²) facility was built specifically for the growing art school.
In 1992, the institution changed its name to the Austin Museum of Art, and four years later, moved its primary exhibition space to 823 Congress Avenue, in the heart of downtown Austin. Laguna Gloria remained the site of The Art School, and in 2003, the Driscoll Villa was renovated and again became an exhibition space, focusing on local and regional artists.
The site is immediately adjacent to Mayfield Park
Mayfield-Gutsch Estate
The Mayfield-Gutsch Estate is a historic home and park grounds in west Austin, Texas near the shores of Lake Austin. Originally built in the 1870s, the cottage was purchased by former Texas Secretary of State Allison Mayfield in 1909. In 1922, the house passed to Mayfield's daughter, Mary Frances,...
, also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Texas Historical Commission marker text
"This Mediterranean style villa was built in 1916 for Henry H. and Clara Driscoll Sevier. Named Laguna Gloria for a nearby lagoon off the Colorado River, the stuccoed home features a decorative window at San Jose Mission in San Antonio. In 1943 the site was conveyed to the Texas Fine Arts Assoc. by Clara Driscoll, best known for her efforts to preserve the Alamo. Her homesite is now owned by Laguna Gloria Art Museum." Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983External links
- The Art School at Laguna Gloria
- The Austin Museum of Art (formerly Laguna Gloria Art Museum)