Bouldin Creek is a diverse, laid-back neighborhood in touch with the “Keep Austin Weird” vibe. Quirky shops mix with trendy cafes and old-school Mexican joints. There’s also a thriving food trailer scene. A waterfront park, Auditorium Shores, features events at the Long Center for the Arts, plus skyline views and a Stevie Ray Vaughn memorial. Quaint residential areas have bungalows from the 1920s and ’30s. Bouldin Creek is a neighborhood in Austin, Texas, originally created at the turn of the 20th century. It features several historic homes remaining from that era and countless more from the period of rapid growth in the 1920s and 1930s that followed. Bouldin Creek is also diverse, with a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and architectural styles blending together.
Bouldin Creek is bordered by South Congress to the east, the Union Pacific railroad track to the west, Barton Springs to the north, and West Oltorf to the south. It includes two major commercial areas, South First and South Congress. Given its proximity to these areas, and to downtown Austin, the neighborhood has changed dramatically as result of gentrification.
The neighborhood has several local historical sites including the Victorian mansion Green Pastures, which once belonged to Austinite John Henry Faulk, and the St. Anne African Methodist Episcopal Church (originally constructed in 1916) on Newton Street. In the South First area, the Mexican bakeries, tattoo parlors, art galleries, and unusual shops reflect the changing ethnic and social identity of the neighborhood. Another integral part of the neighborhood is the Texas School for the Deaf. The campus occupies the entire area bounded by South Congress, Elizabeth Street, Barton Springs Road, and South First. Originally created in the mid-19th century, the school underwent a massive renovation and expansion during the early 1990s.