Preservation Austin has announced the winners of its 65th Annual Preservation Merit Awards. The winners for 2025 represent a wide range of efforts to build community and enhance historic spaces across Austin.
This year’s Awards Ceremony honors a wide breadth of preservation projects: from the restoration and thoughtful expansion of local residences to the rehabilitation of well-known city-owned landmarks. The 2025 Stewardship and Special Recognition Awards celebrate the inspiring Austinites who have worked tirelessly to uplift their community’s heritage. They include Kathy Robinson, Alta and Lamont Alexander, and the numerous participants in the Haskell House and the Story of Clarksville documentary, as well as the Equity-Based Preservation Plan.
Established in 1960, this juried program celebrates the hard work and visionary approaches of those preserving Austin’s heritage. “We’re thrilled to celebrate this year’s Preservation Merit Award winners and to share their stories with our community,” says Lindsey Derrington, Preservation Austin’s Executive Director. “This is hard, often thankless work, and their contributions to preserving Austin’s heritage are creative and inspiring.”
Preservation Austin brings together professionals from the preservation, design, and nonprofit worlds to serve on its jury each year and to select exemplary projects with community impact.
The 2025 Preservation Merits Awards Jury included:
- Awais Azhar, Executive Director, HousingWorks Austin
- David Carroll, Partner | Director of Multifamily, Urban Foundry Architecture
- Alan Garcia, Program Specialist, Cemetery Preservation Program, Texas Historical Commission
- Mark Rogers, Executive Director, Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation
- Ashley Salie, Program Coordinator, Texas Preservation Trust Fund Grant Program and Easement Program, Texas Historical Commission
Recipients will be honored at The 65th Annual Preservation Merit Awards Celebration at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q on Tuesday, November 18, from 6 pm to 9 pm. This annual celebration is the only one of its kind to honor the everyday Austinites working to preserve Austin’s heritage.
PRESERVATION AWARDS
Preservation Award for Rehabilitation
Buford Tower & Kitchens Memorial Chimes
Recipient: Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Preservation Award for Restoration
East 9th Street
Recipient: David West & Will Klemm
Preservation Award for Restoration
Henry G. Madison Cabin
Recipient: Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with Austin Parks Foundation
Preservation Award for Restoration
San Gabriel Residence
Preservation Award for Infill or Addition
Second Century House
Recipients: Susan and Mitch Oringer
Preservation Award for Rehabilitation
Tisdale Residence
Recipients: Chanel and Eric Tarlo
STEWARDSHIP AWARD
Dr. Sidney, Jr. & Helen F. White House
Recipients: Alta and Lamont Alexander
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
Special Recognition Award for Media and Scholarship
Equity-Based Preservation Plan
Recipient: City of Austin Historic Preservation Office
Special Recognition Award for Education
“Haskell House and the Story of Clarksville” Documentary
Recipient: Parks and Recreation Department
Special Recognition Award for Public Service
Kathy Robinson
