Before turning to some other neighborhood history topics, I wanted to cover two other major subdivisions that are part of the HPWBA neighborhood association, but just east of Mopac.
Highland Park: Edgar Perry purchased the land for Highland Park from two property owners: John L Preston and A F Thiele in January 1946. The development is bounded by Perry Ln to the north, Mopac to the west, Bull Creek to the east, and 45th St to the south. The first homes were built in 1946 and 1947, primarily on Placid Place but with a few on Perry Lane (east of the train tracks).
The first advertisement for the development appeared in January of 1946, announced availability of 125 lots, and promised “utilities, concrete curbs, and gutters, and asphalt paved streets… at no extra cost to the purchaser.”[1] To get to this new development “inside the northwest city limits”, instructions were to “drive out Enfield road, turn north on Hartford Road, continue on Jefferson Avenue and on out Bull Creek Road”. If you ever find yourself traveling west on Enfield from downtown, try it out!
Classified Ad — The Austin Statesman; Austin, Tex. 30 Jan 1946: 11
The contact for sales inquiries was Roy J. West, who had moved to Austin from Austwell (near Rockport), and lived in Travis Heights. Apparently, Roy was a competitive bowler and even served as secretary of the Austin Bowler’s Club.[2] He also served as secretary of the Austin Senators baseball club.[3]
Highland Village: Bordered by Hancock Dr to the north, Bull Creek to the east, Mopac to the west and Village Dr on the south, it was developed by H. B. Claggett and the first section was approved in October, 1949 by the Planning Commission.[4] Section 2 was approved in July of 1950.[5] The first stage of construction was for 20 homes, with building permits for those being issued to J. H. McCullick, in February 1951. In March 1952 the city approved further expansion of the development to make way for another 150 homes.[6] Roughly 240 homes were built in all, from 1950 to the late 50’s, with ~90% of the homes built by 1955.
Classified Ad – The Austin Statesman; Austin, Tex. 29 Dec 1952: 17
Howard Beale Claggett was born February 2, 1920 and spent his early adult life in the Army Air Corps stationed in several states. During that time he married Frances Williams and they would have four sons. He was involved in residential real estate sales and development throughout Austin (and later Dripping Springs) over the course of his career.
James H. McCullick, described in one article as “a genuine tall Texan, McCullick is six feet, eight inches tall”[7] graduated from Phillips High School in Borger, TX, and then from The University of Texas at Austin with an economics degree in 1948, where he also played for the Longhorns basketball team as a center. That same year, he married Miss Lael Cater, an art student at UT.[8] Lael would go on to become the director of the Laguna Gloria art museum.
[1] Classified Ad 2 — No Title, The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex. 30 Jan 1946: 11
[2] LONGHORNS DEFEAT BAYLOR; ROBERTSON OUTSTANDING STAR, The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex. 27 Jan 1924: 4
[3] AUSTIN CLUB LOSES $2,000 IN FIRST WEEK: Simms Tells Senator Owners Of Finances After Week’s Play 200-A-DAY AT GAMES Team Climbing to Top, and May Get There If Money Lasts, The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex. 10 May 1925: 1
[4] Boulevards Across City Are Outlined, The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Oct 14, 1949, pg. 12
[5] City Planners Will Scan 9 Subdivisions, The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Jul 20, 1950, pg. 15
[6] 2 Subdivisions Get Okeh From City Council, The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Mar 21, 1952, pg. 13
[7] McCullick Begins Job In Mission, The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex. 11 Aug 1957: A25.
[8] Miss Lael Cater, James H. McCullick Wed in Semi-Formal Episcopal Nuptials, The Austin American (1914-1973); Austin, Tex. 06 June 1948: 9B
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