We’ve recently discussed the past and present of downtown Austin’s ever-changing East Sixth Street, and though it’s obviously up for debate, our takeaway from the historical context of the street leads us to believe its present occupation as a hotspot for interchangeable shot bars between Congress Avenue and the highway doesn’t do justice to its past as a genuine commercial district for downtown.
It’s had its seedy phases prior to the current identity as a bar district, and some of the small local businesses you’d find on the street back in the 1970s were pawn shops and adult movie theaters, not necessarily what you’d like to see on your shopping trip — but a walk down Sixth Street 50 years ago would still surprise you if you’ve only ever known it as Austin’s poor imitation of Bourbon Street.
The city’s historic preservation advocates started taking Sixth Street seriously as a cultural district boasting some of downtown’s most historic architecture in the early 1970s, with the formation of the East Sixth Street Conservation Association that eventually helped the district attain a listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. But one of the most notable turning points for the street arrived one year earlier in 1974, when artist Jim Franklin reopened the abandoned Ritz Theater as a music venue — we know it better now as the Alamo Drafthouse’s downtown location, but in the ’70s the space hosted the likes of Willie Nelson and Bo Diddley.
In keeping with that spirit, we thought 1974 was a good year to see what kind of businesses were operating on this stretch of Sixth Street besides bars, of which there were a few back then as well. We found a surprisingly diverse lineup of retail, and though it remained a little seedy — pawn shops and jewelry stores abound — it’s fun to see just how much shopping you could do here nearly 50 years ago. Not very many people buying a couch or picking up a prescription here these days. Check the map:
Latest Downtown Austin Condos For Sale
-
$1,500,000
301 West Ave #1706
Austin, TX -
$1,500,000
555 E 5th ST #2901
Austin, TX -
$2,500,000
40 N Interstate 35 Highway #PA1
Austin, TX -
$995,000
48 East Ave #1811
Austin, TX -
$1,095,000
54 Rainey ST #802
Austin, TX -
$2,240,000
MLS # 7048577
Austin, TX -
$499,000
210 Lee Barton DR #321
Austin, TX -
$870,000
501 West Ave #802
Austin, TX -
$649,000
360 Nueces ST #2401
Austin, TX -
$650,000
48 E East Ave #3203
Austin, TX -
$595,000
48 East Ave #3005
Austin, TX -
$1,349,000
70 Rainey ST #1402
Austin, TX -
$2,950,000
210 Lavaca ST #2201
Austin, TX -
$725,000
44 East Ave #3806
Austin, TX -
$3,625,000
44 East Ave #4602
Austin, TX
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size1,490 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size175 sqft
Home Size1,755 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size4,879 sqft
Home Size6,260 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths4.5 Baths
-
Lot Size88 sqft
Home Size1,036 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1.5 Baths
-
Lot Size393 sqft
Home Size1,557 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size131 sqft
Home Size1,918 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size349 sqft
Home Size862 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size53 sqft
Home Size846 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size88 sqft
Home Size801 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size641 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size61 sqft
Home Size706 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size1,154 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size157 sqft
Home Size1,953 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size61 sqft
Home Size796 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size2,556 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
Leave a Reply