AUSTIN, Texas — Built during a period of segregation in Austin, the Calhoun House still stands as a pillar of East Austin and house of history in Austin. The city honored that legacy back in December, approving the home as a historic landmark.
Patricia Calhoun, whose parents, T.C. and Thelma Calhoun, transformed their home on Givens Avenue into a safe haven during segregation, shared her thoughts on the honor.
“It’s a recognition,” she said, highlighting “the significance of the community and the contributions that black citizens have made to this city.”
Growing up in East Austin, Calhoun said, “it was a real community,” during a time when “businesses and certain entertainment areas, restaurants, theaters, that sort of thing, were not accessible to Blacks at that time,” she said because of segregation.
Public lodging was another of those accesses not available to Black Americans in Austin, so the Calhouns opened their home to travelers.
Calhoun recalled, “When others are traveling, they know that they can come to your house.”
The home, moved into in the 60s Calhoun recalls, featured multiple bedrooms and spaces for living, lounging, and dining.
“So typically, we’d have a full house,” she said.
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Built during a period of segregation in Austin, the Calhoun House still stands as a pillar of East Austin and house of history in Austin. (Photo: Pat Calhoun)
This practice of opening their home to travelers wasn’t new for the Calhouns. Patricia Calhoun says they housed people in their previous home on Cotton Street.
“Because of this constant people coming, and then there’s family,” said Calhoun, “My dad built up and added a story, but just a room that could be a gathering place or it could serve as a sleeping area and a shower.”
The landmark status of the Calhoun House was achieved with the help of Preservation Austin, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving historical spaces. Meghan King-Namour, policy and outreach planner for Preservation Austin, expressed joy in celebrating with Patricia Calhoun, saying, “We have such a deep relationship with Pat especially, so it was just great to be able to celebrate with her and yeah, get her over the finish line.”
When she first learned of the honor, Calhoun said she, “never would I have thought a number of years ago of this taking place.”
Austin City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison described the Calhoun House as “a place that represents black excellence, a place that represents resilience, a place that represents a future that’s brighter than anybody could have dreamed of.” She also said, “not only does it contain the history of civil rights activism in Austin, Texas, from the past, but it maintains in the present.”
Years ago, Patricia Calhoun moved back into her parents’ home. When asked why she moved back to Austin, she simply said, “I’ve not really sat down to put into words or create a thought process in terms of why, except that it is home.”
Looking ahead to the future of the Calhoun House, Patricia Calhoun says there are plans and ideas being tossed around.
“Perhaps we have a visitor’s center, we have a bookstore, we have an art gallery,” she said.
She ultimately sees the home as a symbol of “the resiliency and the creativity that is found in the African American community.”
The Calhoun House is located in the historic Roger Washington Holy Cross district.