AUSTIN, Texas — The last residential home on Rainey Street has officially been cleared for demolition.
According to the Historic Landmark Commission (HLC), the house, located at 71 Rainey Street, was constructed around 1910. Bob Woody, who's the owner of Austin bars such as Blind Pig and Shakespeare's Pub, purchased the 1,146-square-foot home for $2.65 million in late 2019.
Clay Woody, son of Bob Woody, spoke at an HLC meeting on May 24 and said the home should be demolished due to its unsafe interior conditions.
"The structure seems in disrepair, the foundation and everything is falling over, " said Woody. "I was contacted by a code enforcement person and they said something has to be done with this house very soon just because of how dangerous the situation is."
Another speaker at the HLC meeting spoke against demolishing the historic home, saying the home should be repaired and its homeowners should be held accountable for letting the historic property fall into ruin.
But, according to Clay Woody, this property is far beyond fixing.
"I've owned the property for about a year and, when I received it, it was already unliveable," said Clay Woody. "I mean there's mold ... the whole thing would have to be replaced, every single board and, at that point, is this still even a historic home?"
Bob Woody confirmed that the home has been approved for demolition but did not say what he plans to do with the building.
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