AUSTIN, Texas — An over 140-year-old house has achieved historic status after the Austin City Council voted unanimously to designate the building as a City of Austin Landmark on Thursday. It comes after the building’s current owners applied for a demolition permit earlier this year.
The Goins-Versea-Nitschke house is one of the oldest buildings in the Swede Hill neighborhood in east Austin, according to Preservation Austin.
Built between 1873 and 1884 by German immigrant cabinetmakers, the site was purchased in 1924 by Anna Eliza Goins, a Black woman living in segregated Austin.
The house was purchased in 2019 by Eureka Holdings, Dallas-based developer that applied for a demolition permit for the house in 2026, citing structural failures. Preservation Austin says that the historic status went against Eureka Holdings’ objections, the sixth known property designated by Austin City Council over an owner’s objections.
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“Austin’s City Council took a remarkable stand for preservation with this vote,” said Lindsey Derrington, Preservation Austin’s executive director. “They sent a clear message that Austinites deserve better, and deserve more, than demolition by neglect at the expense of our culture, our history, and our neighborhoods.”
Preservation Austin says that the designation only includes the front part of the lot containing the original portions of the house, meaning more than half of the lot is available for infill development by the owners.