Austin360 blogs > Out & About
Larissa Ness Video Release Party at the Phoenix
Larissa Ness is made for pop …
Larissa Ness and Neil Diaz
She’s extravagantly pretty. Her middle range hooks words and tunes together ably. And she’s attracted a platoon of producers, managers and other collaborators …
Sara Deeds and Ryan Tietz
Thursday at the Phoenix, a suitably various crowd, assembled by Neil Diaz, greeted her live set with alacrity …
Marion Kellough and Coi Burress
Truth be told, Ness’ studio-friendly sound was not well served by the mix …
Joy Scott, Angel Diaz and Monica Piñon
She sounded profoundly better on the video of “Thoughts of You” from “Hello,” shot at a mansion in Austin with formally dressed party people and projected for the convocation …
Brandon Wang and Tyson Macomber
I’d like Ness to expand her range, but for a city with so little pop — whatever that ultimately means — it’s refreshing to hear somebody dig into it.
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Big Reds and Bubbles at the Driskill Hotel
Of the larger food-and-wine samplings in Austin, Big Reds and Bubbles demands higher standards of quality …
Roy and Karen Spezia
The local following for the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas consists, after all, of the hardcore foodies …
Sharon Boggus (BRB chairwoman) and Tracy Schell
Yes, smaller tastings narrow the field even further, but if a newcomer wanted to taste the best that Austin chefs have to offer, matched with robust red wine or dizzy sparklings, this the Driskill Hotel affair is the one to choose …
Bethlyn and Tom Thornton (Austinist)
This year, I generally stuck to the food (ongoing trends: scallops, cookies, crab and things on sticks) …
Devi Krause, Bethany Andree and Shannon Finch
BRB was sold out again this year. Because of that, the Foundation might be tempted to expand. I wouldn’t …
Paul Ritter and Kelly Boatright Ritter
The event would lose its impact if stretched beyond current scale …
Geoff Boyd, Bobbie Ragsdale (in a Linda Asaf dress) and John McGee
I especially liked the silent auction zone that separated the main dining areas, giving everyone breathing room on a humid night …
Danielle McGarrh and Lance Piechura
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Austin Celebrity Roundup 11/20/09
Out & About roundup of Austin celebrity news.
Sightings: On the Hike & Bike Trail: Ben Stiller. Why is he in town? … During EAST tour: John Krasinski. Obviously, taking time out from the premiere of “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.” Wonder if he purchased any art. … Keep an eye out in the next week or so: Zac Efron, Elton John and John Legend, in town for the premiere of Richard Linklater’s “Me and Orson Welles” or, on the same night, the Andy Roddick fundraiser Nov. 30, which will also feature Brooklyn Decker and Mack Brown, having just conquered the Aggies, one hopes. … Also scan the horizon for Adrien Brody, starring in Robert Rodriguez’s “Predator” remake. They are filming in Southeast Austin.
Aren’t you fascinated every time resurgent former Longhorn Vince Young returns to Houston to play against the Texans with the Tennessee Titans? Talk about conflicted emotions. Young is still a huge role model on the streets in Houston, but wasn’t drafted by the Texans. And, of course, the Titans are the former Houston Oilers, thanks to owner Bud Adams. Fraught with off-the-field drama. At least for TV sportscasters.
Sometime Austinite Dennis Quaid is a bargain. Forbes magazine lists him among its “Best Actors for the Buck,” meaning box office return on salary. Shia LaBeouf, starring in the “Transformers” and “Indiana Jones” series, topped the list with $160 returned to the studio for every dollar he made. Also included on that list were Robert Downey Jr. were and Christian Bale. Poor Will Farrell led the “Most Overpaid Actors” list, his films earning just $3.29 for every dollar he was paid. Ewan McGregor, Billy Bob Thornton, Drew Barrymore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jim Carrey also made the overpaid list.
AP photo of Sandra Bullock in NOLA.
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The Manor Reborn: Restoring the Byrne-Reed House, Part 3
For more of this story, scroll down to previous posts, or go here for Part 1 and Part 2.
Humanities Texas began examining the building five years ago.
“As a statewide organization, we needed a visible presence near the Capitol,” says executive director Michael Gillette. “Our office condominium, which was located five miles south of downtown, had the visibility of a post office box and lacked suitable program space for events.
What tipped them off about the building they had just purchased? Touring Byrne-Reed with distinguished architect Larry Speck, Downtown Austin Alliance executive director Charles Betts and philanthropist Jo Anne Christian, Gillette was able to assess its full potential. Speck was concerned with finding the correct tiles to replicate the original roof, bricks to match those that were cut out to make room for the 1970s windows and how to deal with botched air-conditioning and wiring.
“Charlie Betts was unrelenting in his disgust at the ’70s redo,” Gillette wrote in his notes at the time. “He and Larry agreed that the architect, if there had even been one, should have been shot. The photograph of the original house brought into focus the property’s potential for Larry. As we stood on the sidewalk, he declared with great emphasis that if we can take the building back to its original mansion, we would be real heroes. He added that doing so would be a huge accomplishment for Austin, one that would put Humanities Texas on the map.”
The organization will use the living room, dining room and other downstairs areas for public spaces; upstairs for private offices. A third floor, built within the attic, also will be used for offices, and the basement will become space for exhibition preparation and storage. The project, now under way, will restore the enormous porches and terraces — perfect for parties.
“As a statewide nonprofit that advances culture, heritage and education, Humanities Texas is an appropriate steward to restore and occupy this grand historic building,” Gillette says. “In contrast to the restoration of a private residence or place of business, this endeavor is historic preservation with a public purpose. Local residents and Texans generally will be able to use, appreciate, and enjoy this landmark.
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The Manor Reborn: Restoring the Byrne-Reed House, Part 2
For Part 1, scroll down to previous post, or go here.
The Reeds remodeled the house, adding, for instance, ornate gold ornamentation to what is now the “dining room.” This clashes somewhat with the original dark stained wood, simple clean lines and squared details, as shown in historical photographs of the living room, says respected architect Emily Little of ClaytonLevyLittle.
Page built other Austin homes, including the Gilfillan House at 603 W. Eighth St., which Little and her team studied to learn more about the architect’s thoughts.
Virtually no one remembers how the Byrne-Reed House actually looked when the Reed children grew up there because ownership changed hands and the neighborhood’s character changed.
After World War II, 15th Street was widened and eventually bridged Lamar Boulevard and Shoal Creek, creating a commercial throughway where residences once ruled (and cutting off the neighborhood from Judge’s Hill to the north). The Byrne-Reed House was converted into offices. Then in 1970, the building’s origin as a family home was muffled under white, stucco arcades. For almost 40 years, commuters sped by on 15th Street without guessing that a historical treasure lay beneath an exterior more appropriate for an insurance office, which is what it was for a while.
“For 30-plus years, I had been averting my eyes,” Little says. “It has not been exactly a beautiful architectural feature of Austin since its 1970s remodel, although very indicative of the style of that time. Once I saw the historic photos, I began to look more closely and saw the hipped roof peeking over the east stucco façade, and hints of the ornate cornice still visible at the north entry. It is a remarkable structure in its own right. The fact that most of it still exists beneath this stucco shroud makes it even more remarkable.” In recent weeks, the stucco exterior has been shorn and more original elements have been uncovered.
“We have been fortunate to find existing elements intact of the most significant feature, particularly the plaster cornice on the exterior of the building,” Little says. “Original windows and wood screens have been found intact, but covered up. We have yet to find an original door, so we will use historical photographs of the home for reference.”
More to come …
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The Manor Reborn: Restoring the Byrne-Reed House, Part 1
They slipped a page from “The Great Gatsby.”
As preserved in a Reed family photograph, the five young friends, in ruddy health, lounge on the spacious terrace of a home on Rio Grande Street. They dress in summer whites that dip down to swallow necks and backs. Their imperturbable leisure bespeaks the status of privilege in small-town Austin of the early 20th century. (Austin population in 1900: 22,258 — about the size of Seguin today.)
We might never know. Their world is gone. And, for a long time, their house was gone, too. Or, rather, chopped up, twisted to face West 15th Street, hidden under a nondescript sheath of modern stucco and used for offices.
Now the Byrne-Reed House, built circa 1905, will be restored to its original glory, thanks to its current occupant, Humanities Texas, which fosters the study of history, literature, philosophy, ethics, language, art and related disciplines across the state. Aided by a $1 million challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Texas group undertook the $4.6 million project, $2 million of which paid for the property. Humanities Texas expects to complete the renovation by July 2010 and to occupy the building the following month.
With its art nouveau frieze, mission-style roof tiles, Romanesque arches and Prairie-style porches, the Byrne-Reed House — named for its most prominent residents — fits no particular style. Yet the materials used by architect C.H. Page Jr. are all local: Elgin brick, Hill Country limestone, Austin-fashioned iron and Texas pine.
So besides the leading families who lived there, the house deserves special attention as an example of Texas eclecticism executed in native materials.
According to Humanities Texas, the first occupants were Edmund and Ellen Sneed Byrne. He was a cotton broker, she the daughter of an influential family. They lived on Rio Grande until Ellen died in 1915.
For 33 years, it belonged to David Cleveland Reed and Laura Moses Reed. Ruth Reed, pictured above with her bob-haired friends, was one of their children. David, a civic leader and philanthropist, ran an export business, invested in cattle ranches and oil and served as a partner in the Driskill Hotel.
More to come …
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A Christmas Affair Gala at the Palmer Events Center
The Junior League of Austin is no newcomer to good works …
Cindy Hayes and Faith Roberts
And its Christmas Affair is Austin to the core (goes back 34 years) …
John Guerra and Bill Wendlandt,
Its very popularity is a major reason the Palmer Events Center was built …
Elizabeth Serrato, Currie Bucher and Courtenay Puckett
You see, creating the Long Center out of the old dual-use Palmer Auditorium would have left the powerful Junior League in the lurch …
Michael Kellerman and Thessaly Startz
For the few of you who haven’t attended, it’s a market fair laid out in a enormous, strict grid …
Lindsey Hess, Tracy O’Hargan and Denise Horvileur
Its funkier and equally seasoned cousin, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, displays similar apparel, crafts, decorations and gifts. The Christmas Affair leans a little more upscale …
Nick Fuhrman with Ben and Inez Joyce
I was delighted to see two fantastic purveyors of jewelry and accessories — Kendra Scott and Eliza Page — well-represented and busy in more open, modern stalls …
Lauren Shallcross and Jenny Longwell
The annual Christmas Affair Gala, staged Thursday, kicks off the market …
Diane and Howard Falkenberg
It’s “black-tie-optional,” so you see everything from extravagant gowns to jeans and Ts …
Garrett Heifrin and Camille Jobe
This year, some of the refreshments were moved into the north and west hallways, decorated in a Serengeti Desert theme …
Darrell and Heather May
This relieved the crowding in the market’s center, but it also diluted some of the energy …
I ran into lots of friends and lingered longer than I expected. Still, it’s mostly a woman’s world. I found virtually no menswear or accessories …
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Legacy of Giving at Chez Zee
Not all charity fundraisers rise to grand gala status …
Courtney Harker and Halley Grogan
And thank goodness! …
Gerry Tucker and Sharrion Jenkins
The Legacy of Giving holiday shopping event at Chez Zee is an ideal example …
Milton Dolittle, Libby Malone and Terry Quinn
Perhaps 100 people mingled and munched on focaccia while keeping a sharp eye on the displayed sparklers from Benold’s Jewelers. Milton Dolittle of Benold’s contributed thousands of dollars in stones and bucks to the benefit …
Linda Brucker and Bonnie Mills
Legacy of Giving incorporates the lessons of philanthropy into area school programs …
Kendal and Ken Gladish
A young program, incubated by the Austin Community Foundation, Legacy shows much promise in the 20 schools it now serves …
Lauren Peters and Cathy Casey
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Your A-List: Best Bookstore
In a city that worships local businesses, you could pretty much bet your life that BookPeople would win the A-List reader poll for Best Bookstore. The Austin institution shelved a full 47 percent of the vote.
Mega-chains Barnes & Noble and Borders landed respectably at 10 and 6 percent. All the rest — 12th Street Books, Moneywrench, Austin Books and Comics, Brave New Books, Resistencia and Domy — achieved 2 percent or less.
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Your A-List: Best Beauty Salon
Earlier this year, Beauty Store Salon and Spa won the A-List readers poll for Best Place to Get Your Hair Done with 39 percent of the vote.
Competitors didn’t even clip close. Jackson Ruiz buzzed up 10 percent. Avant curled up 9 percent. Birds Barbershop shaved off 6 percent.
The rest — Urban Betty, Wet Salon, Salon 505, Vain, Salon Sirrah and Zig Zag — rinsed out four percent or less.
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Your A-List: Best Basketball Courts
A little thing called “hand-eye coordination” has, for the most part, kept me off area basketball courts. I show up often enough as a spectator to actual basketball games. But no, despite my height, there’s really no excuse for my handling a ball in public.
Two spots — Barton Hills Playground and Wooten Park — tied for third place with 7 percent. Three — Ramsey Park, Givens District Park and Brentwood Park — tied for fourth with 5 percent. The back of the pack: Walnut Creek Park, Alamo Park and Shipe Park.
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Your A-List: Best Breakfast
That’s the case with the top winners in the Best Breakfast readers poll for Your A-List. Kerbey Lane served up a full 30 percent. Magnolia Cafe dished out 22 percent. And Juan in a Million fired up third place with 16 percent.
Some of the remaining breakfast spots have not been around so long, others are even older: Galaxy Cafe (8 percent); Omelettry (7 percent); The Frisco (5 percent); Counter Cafe (5 percent); Curra’s (3 percent); Austin Java (3 percent) and El Sol y La Luna (2 percent).
I adore each and everyone.
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The Parlour for Salvage Vanguard at the Eponymous Garden
The Eponymous Garden — located, naturally, on Garden Street — is a superb location for a small-scale fundraiser …
Andree Bober and Cheline Jaidar
Especially on a dreamy night like Tuesday night, when the gardens, designed by Daniel Gregory of Silver Sage Landscape Environments, form a fairy land of delights …
Sarah Bird and Doug Dorst
The gardens connect five houses, four of them owned by designer/legal eagle Lorne Loganbill and composer/performer Sterling Price-McKinney, who have returned from New York City to grace Our Town full-time …
Jenny Larson and Dustin Wills
Full disclosure: Kip and I rented one of the bungalows on their property in the Holly Street neighborhood for six years in the 1990s. The houses, including the Victorian main house, and gardens are MUCH improved, thanks in part to Gregory and renovation architect Emily Little of ClaytonLevyLittle …
James Dean Jay Byrd and Kyle Henry
Tuesday’s event, called the Parlour, was a creative fundraiser for Salvage Vanguard Theater, one of the city’s top warehouse theater groups, so there were performances, inventive raffles and signature drinks …
Daniel Gregory and Chris Meier
A splendid melding of arts, architecture and Austinites …
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Cine Las Americas Happy Hour at Malverde
Two developments of note during the Cine Las Americas Happy Hour at Malverde …
Giovanna Colson-Basurto and Angel Quesada
An obvious one: The cosmopolitan crowd that follows this Austin film festival has found a home away from home at Malverde, which, as more than one guest remarked, looks like it was lifted from Mexico City’s Condesa district …
Roberto Hernandez and Tania Lara
Not so obvious to the curious outsider: Cine is becoming a year-round institution …
Monica Malenco and Omar Flores
Instead of gathering for just eight days during a feast of Latin American films, it now spreads its wings throughout the year with screenings and social events like this one …
Angela Hall, Leslie Sainz, Dan Dau and Dillan Bryant
This organization is growing up quickly. I like that …
Hector Perez, Yvette Montalvo and Philip Hernandez
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The shrinking gay media — and what that means
Newspapers convey a concrete sense of time and place.
So the American gay community lost some of its orientation this week when its oldest and most comprehensive newspaper, the Washington Blade, closed its doors.
The Houston Voice had already closed. The Dallas Voice appears healthy.
Now, Austin lost its serious-minded Texas Triangle years ago. Yet the national failures — Washington Blade employees plan a replacement newspaper — affect the GLBT community here as well.
Respected Austin syndicated gay-press writer Ann Rostow wrote an impassioned piece on the shrinking opportunities for gay reporters and editors, while over at KOOP Radio, OutCast hosts Heath Riddles, Kate Messer and Stephen Rice discussed the wider implications on the air Tuesday. (I was a guest.)
It would be easy enough to blame the shrinking print industry, or the decline of advertising in general. Sharp questions should be asked about Window Media’s business model and the viability of niche publications, especially when the mainstream media shoulders more and more of the reporting on GLBT issues.
One issue won’t go away: The inevitable evolution of gay culture as the community becomes more assimilated. Austin could be a test case for this phenomenon. Because of the city’s open nature, the gay community here never developed a ghetto mentality, with strictly separate neighborhoods, businesses and organizations.
Austin’s gay culture is so deeply entwined with Austin culture, it’s hard to unravel the strands.
Here’s what I hear gay people say they want: Equal protection under the law, first, but also the freedom to associate with their straight counterparts in the city they love, while preserving some semblance of a distinct gay culture.
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Where have all the mayors gone?
Austin is learning a lot about its past from the passing of its mayors.
Jeffrey Friedman, 1975-77, died in 2007
Roy Butler, 1971-75, died last week
Travis LaRue, 1969-71, died this week
Two almost-mayors died fairly recently, too.
Lowell Lebermann, lost a run-off to Ron Mullen in 1983, died earlier this year
Robert Barnstone, lost a run-off to Bruce Todd in 1991, died last year
Each of their obituaries taught me something about Austin I didn’t know. Future generations will appreciate that all of this history is available through simple Internet searches. Try it.
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Out & About Austin Celebrity Roundup 11/16/09
Austin’s Sandra Bullock is receiving generally positive early reviews for her role as a Southern woman who takes in a homeless black teenager in the football movie “The Blind Side.” Reuters calls her “an irrepressible hoot.” It opens in New York on Tuesday. Along with “The Proposal” and “All About Steve,” that makes three major movies released in the past six months for Bullock, after a two-year hiatus.
At least one Sports Illustrated staff writer picked Austin’s Andy Roddick as his “Sportsman of the Year” due to his performance in the Wimbledon finals: “There had never been a loser that more deserved to win than Roddick at Wimbledon … He held his serve on 37 straight games until, at 14-15 in the fifth set’s 95th minute, with the shadows creeping in, he could hold no more.” The magazine will name its Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 1.
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Wren Cottage Feast: A Tribute to Marcella Hazan
Menu: November 15, 2009
WREN COTTAGE FEAST
Guests who graced our South Austin home, Wren Cottage: Mary and Rusty Tally, Bettie Naylor and Libby Sykora, Kevin Smothers and Michael Pungello
A tribute to “The Classic Italian Cookbook” by Marcella Hazan
Campari, limoncello, prosecco, Negronis
Gli Antipasti
Ostriche alla moda di Taranto (Baked oysters with oil and parsley)
Gamberetti all’olio e limone (Shrimp with oil and lemon)
Funghi ripieni (Stuffed mushrooms with Béchamel sauce)
Bresaola (Salt-cured air-dried beef filet)
I PrimiRisotto con gli asparagi (Risotto with asparagus)
Polenta pasticciata (Baked polenta with meat sauce)
2007 Elias Chardonnay (Hanna Winery, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County)Lemon sorbet
Il Secondo con le verdure
Fettine di manzo alla sorrentina (Thin pan-broiled steaks with tomatoes and olives)
Fagliolini verdi al burro e formaggio (Sautéed green beans with butter and cheese)
Carote al burro e formaggio (Carrots with Parmesan cheese)
2006 Trésor (Ferrari-Carano, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County)
I Formaggi
Caciotta capra pepe e olio
Pecorino crema di Roma
Trugole
Alta langa rocchetta
2006 Navarro Zinfandel (Anderson Valley, Mendocino County)
Il Dolce
Il Diplomatico (Rum-and-coffee flavored chocolate layer cake)
Dessert wines, digestivi, coffee
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Sister’s Edge 2 Grand Opening
Cue the Etta James. Now all together, a chorus of “At Last” …
Diosa Marquina, Lisa Staton, Thelma Sanchez
Austin finally boasts a lesbian bar again. How many years has it been? At least dating to the previous incarnation of the now-gone Rainbow Cattle Company. (Which itself switched from gay to straight in less than a week.) There was a great coffee shop, Gaby and Mo’s, on Manor Road that more recently offered music scene at night …
Lisa Collins, Sara Stapleton, Tammy Carter, Alex Zawieracz and Cheryl Mustschler
So now the former CP on San Jacinto Street — in that seemingly mothballed block north of the Four Seasons — comes alive as Sister’s Edge 2 …
Margie Carrisalez and Winnie Mack
OK, not the catchiest name, but better than the suggestive word that was, by custom, abbreviated into “CP.” (The numeral recognizes a previous, short-lived lesbian bar at the same location.) And what a relief to see the Edge — my own abbreviation — fill to the rafters with mostly women and their male allies …
Catherine Tiner and Terrie Tucker
Manager Margie Carrisalez is a treat. One of my favorite bartenders, Brenda Leahy, is stationed there. I talked to folks inside and out, and the only discouraging word was a wish for speakers on the patio …
Bean Tilton and Boggle Sabat
Boy, a big chunk of the gay nightclub scene has changed almost overnight. Larry Davis returned to Oilcan Harry’s, perhaps to breathe some life back into the storied institution. RCC closed completely. Rusty Spurs/Emerald City branded its patio as Colors. We learn that the 21C hotel/residence/museum project is still on for Waller Creek, meaning, yes, Chain Drive will eventually have to move or close. And the Edge now targets the largely ignored lesbian community.
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Spencers’ Farewell at Lustre Pearl
Lustre Pearl, the funky and fantastically popular bar on Rainey Street, is so large, encompassing a stripped-down house and surrounding, beaten-earth yards, it can handle three parties simultaneously, along with regulars and drop-ins …
I was there to bid farewell Melanie and Mark Spencer , who are moving to midtown Houston so Melanie can edit a Catholic magazine there …
Mark and Melanie Spencer
Mark, a movie technician, can work anywhere, and he has, in fact, started on the “Predator” project here in Austin …
Eddy Harris and Dean Adams
I suspect we’ll continue to see this socially restless couple in Our Town quite often …
Carrie and Jason Burr
Oh, those other two parties? Both for birthdays. So we sang that birthday song twice, and I hummed “Happy Trails” for our friends …
Heather Havins and Allen Velasquez
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A Season of Celebration at the Four Seasons
My shoulders hang looser when I head to the Four Seasons Hotel, as I do once a week during the traditional social season …
Sherri West and Kathryn Scarborough Bechtol
Certainly not because of the construction-muddled parking situation — I walk or park in secret spots down the street — but because I know that every decorative appointment, every poised assistance, every ready refreshment will come off effortlessly …
Sara and Dick Rathgeber
Such was the case with the Season of Celebration for the Austin Children’s Shelter on Saturday. Besides saluting the charity’s 25th anniversary, the gala was the group’s the first since they moved into a handsome new home at the Rathgeber Village …
Brian D’Ambrosio and Katherine Cesinger
Dick and Sara Rathgeber looked pleased as punch at Saturday’s event. As always, Dick slipped me some off-the-record news that will inform my beat and others’ …
David Ackel and Sylvia Griego with Coal
Bedazzling co-chairwomen Kathryn Scarborough Bechtol and Sherri West banked on a winter theme, and guests arrived in full formal wear, including some discreet furs. The exceedingly clement weather on the Four Seasons terrace told a different story. (I’m sure no one complained!) …
Ron and Jo Ann Becerra
I’m positive Texas Tribune’s Evan Smith made a fine emcee; he always does. I was pulled away by conflicting social commitments.
Bryan Bourgeois and Anastasia Olenbush
Hopefully I’ll get to stick around for the 26th anniversary …
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