Hancock, Austin, Texas
Encyclopedia
Hancock is a neighborhood in Austin
, Texas
. Located in North Central Austin, Hancock encompasses ZIP code 78751 and 78705.
Hancock is located north of downtown Austin
and the University of Texas. It is bounded to the south by 32nd Street, to the west by Duval Street and Hyde Park and North University neighborhoods, to the north by 45th Street and the North Loop neighborhood and to the east by Interstate 35
and the Cherrywood and Wilshire Wood neighborhoods.
, and originally lived at 32nd Street and Duval. Another early resident was Lewis Hancock, Jr.
, for whom the neighborhood was named, and who was mayor of Austin from 1895 to 1897. Hancock also founded the Austin Country Club and Golf Course in the area in 1899, and after the turn of the century, formal neighborhoods were planned in the North University area, which it was called at the time.
Directly south of the country club, which was considered suburban at the time, Dr. J.R. Bailey platted the Beau Site in 1910, and in 1912, the Austin Country Club expanded to 18 holes after the land east of Red River on which it was expanded was purchased by the club and its owners. In 1928, the neighborhood was subdivided into its current configuration, and Austin's population at the time was only around 35,000 residents, so the area was still considered to be on the outskirts of town.
St. David's Hospital was built around 32nd Street in 1924, when it opened its doors, and Concordia Lutheran College was also built on twenty acres of land from the Hancock Estate in 1926. Various commercial establishments sprang up shortly thereafter, and many prominent Austinites relocated to the Hancock neighborhood around the same time, including J. Frank Dobie
, a well-known writer, and Edgar Perry Jr., a cotton broker, as well as Tom Miller
, one of the early mayors of Austin who served two terms as mayor.
In 1946, the Austin Country Club relocated outside the city limits to present-day East Riverside Drive
, and the city sold the back nine holes of the Hancock Golf Course, as it was called after the country club relocated, to the Sears Corporation to finance other recreational projects. The Sears store later became one of the flagship stores in the Hancock Center Shopping Plaza, which was built in 1963 on the back nine of the golf course and is considered Austin's first shopping mall. The other flagship store in Hancock Center is a huge H-E-B
grocery store, among various other smaller stores, shops, and restaurants. During the 1960s was home to the first Dillard's store in Texas and a Sears more than double the size of its original downtown store. Other early Hancock Center tenants included Merritt, Schaeffer, Brown, Snyder Chenards, Leon's, and Merle Norman Cosmetics.
The decline of Hancock Center could be traced to the opening of the fully enclosed Highland Mall in 1970. However, the Center was sold again an the 1990s and plans were announced plans to invest $11 million in remodeling. Pacific Retail Trust acquired the mall in 1996 and unveiled H.E.B.'s plans to construct a new grocery store with 94,000 square feet, almost three times the size of the original store opened in 1964.. Today, Hancock Center is home to Old Navy, PetCo, Marble Slab Creamery and many other businesses.
:
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Located in North Central Austin, Hancock encompasses ZIP code 78751 and 78705.
Hancock is located north of downtown Austin
Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, 11th Street and sometimes Martin Luther King, Jr...
and the University of Texas. It is bounded to the south by 32nd Street, to the west by Duval Street and Hyde Park and North University neighborhoods, to the north by 45th Street and the North Loop neighborhood and to the east by Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
and the Cherrywood and Wilshire Wood neighborhoods.
History
One of the earliest settlers of the Hancock area was Susanna Dickinson, who was a survivor of the Battle of the AlamoBattle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
, and originally lived at 32nd Street and Duval. Another early resident was Lewis Hancock, Jr.
Lewis Hancock, Jr.
Lewis Hancock, Jr. served in the United States Navy during World War I as a submariner. He later became a naval aviator...
, for whom the neighborhood was named, and who was mayor of Austin from 1895 to 1897. Hancock also founded the Austin Country Club and Golf Course in the area in 1899, and after the turn of the century, formal neighborhoods were planned in the North University area, which it was called at the time.
Directly south of the country club, which was considered suburban at the time, Dr. J.R. Bailey platted the Beau Site in 1910, and in 1912, the Austin Country Club expanded to 18 holes after the land east of Red River on which it was expanded was purchased by the club and its owners. In 1928, the neighborhood was subdivided into its current configuration, and Austin's population at the time was only around 35,000 residents, so the area was still considered to be on the outskirts of town.
St. David's Hospital was built around 32nd Street in 1924, when it opened its doors, and Concordia Lutheran College was also built on twenty acres of land from the Hancock Estate in 1926. Various commercial establishments sprang up shortly thereafter, and many prominent Austinites relocated to the Hancock neighborhood around the same time, including J. Frank Dobie
J. Frank Dobie
James Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range...
, a well-known writer, and Edgar Perry Jr., a cotton broker, as well as Tom Miller
Robert Thomas Miller
Robert Thomas "Tom" Miller was mayor of Austin, Texas for 22 years, from 1933 to 1949 and again from 1955 to 1961. The Tom Miller Dam is named after him....
, one of the early mayors of Austin who served two terms as mayor.
In 1946, the Austin Country Club relocated outside the city limits to present-day East Riverside Drive
East Riverside-Oltorf, Austin, Texas
East Riverside-Oltorf is a sprawling community located in Austin, Texas. It is located southeast of city's urban core.The neighborhoods of East Riverside, Parker Lane and Pleasant Valley neighborhoods together form the East Riverside-Oltorf Combined Neighborhood Planning Area...
, and the city sold the back nine holes of the Hancock Golf Course, as it was called after the country club relocated, to the Sears Corporation to finance other recreational projects. The Sears store later became one of the flagship stores in the Hancock Center Shopping Plaza, which was built in 1963 on the back nine of the golf course and is considered Austin's first shopping mall. The other flagship store in Hancock Center is a huge H-E-B
H-E-B
HEB Grocery Company, LP is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with more than 315 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer.H-E-B ranked No...
grocery store, among various other smaller stores, shops, and restaurants. During the 1960s was home to the first Dillard's store in Texas and a Sears more than double the size of its original downtown store. Other early Hancock Center tenants included Merritt, Schaeffer, Brown, Snyder Chenards, Leon's, and Merle Norman Cosmetics.
The decline of Hancock Center could be traced to the opening of the fully enclosed Highland Mall in 1970. However, the Center was sold again an the 1990s and plans were announced plans to invest $11 million in remodeling. Pacific Retail Trust acquired the mall in 1996 and unveiled H.E.B.'s plans to construct a new grocery store with 94,000 square feet, almost three times the size of the original store opened in 1964.. Today, Hancock Center is home to Old Navy, PetCo, Marble Slab Creamery and many other businesses.
Demographics
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the area defined as Hancock was 5,028 in 2009, over an area of 0.974 square miles. The population density per square miles is 5,164, nearly twice the citywide average. The racial breakdown is 72% white, 14% Asian/Pacific Islander, 10% Hispanic/Latino, 1% black and 3% other. Median household income in 2009 was $29,758, well below that of Austin at large: $50,132. Conversely, the average estimated value of detached houses in 2009 (33.4% of all units) was $363,741, compared to the citywide average of $286,025.Education
Hancock is served by the Austin Independent School DistrictAustin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District is a school district that is based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. It was established in 1881. Its current superintendent is...
:
- Lee Elementary School
- Kealing Middle SchoolKealing Middle SchoolKealing Middle School is a Junior High School in Austin, Texas. Kealing is one of Austin Independent School District's seventeen Junior High Schools. Kealing is home to one of the three junior high magnet programs in Austin, which specializes in mathematics and sciences...
- McCallum High SchoolMcCallum High SchoolA. N. McCallum High School is a public high school in Austin, Texas, United States.McCallum, the second oldest high school in the Austin Independent School District, opened in 1953 to relieve growth in north and northwest Austin. Named after AISD's first high school superintendent, A.N...