Austin housing authority gives $82K preservation grant for Rosewood Courts project

The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) has been awarded an $82,000 Heritage Preservation Grant from the City’s Economic Development Department.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) has been awarded an $82,000 Heritage Preservation Grant from the City’s Economic Development Department.

According to the city. The grant was awarded for HACA’s project, Pathways at Rosewood Courts Tourism Kiosks: Amplification of African American History in Austin.

“The kiosks are part of the current renovation and preservation of the historic, 80-year-old Rosewood Courts, which was the first African American public housing project in the United States,” the city said.

The project is expected to be completed in 2024/2025, according to the city, and it will consist of three new residential apartment buildings with 184 modern units specifically targeted for low-income households.

“As importantly, the renovations also include an extensive historic preservation of the site to serve as a valuable tool to educate the public about the history of Rosewood Courts and its legacy to the East Austin community,” the city said.

HACA said it intends for the five kiosks to provide visitors with educational details about the history of Rosewood Courts, as well as an “interpretive center” to connect with other African American resources across the city.

“Constructed by HACA in 1939 under the U.S. Housing Act of 1937—and championed by then-Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson—Rosewood has been a fixture of East Austin for decades,” said HACA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Blanco. “It was important to us, and to our community partners, that Rosewood’s legacy be honored and preserved.”

The city said funding for the Heritage Preservation Grant Program comes from 15% of the city’s Heritage Preservation Fund, which invests in arts, heritage, and music in Austin.