Delwood Duplex Historic District

Northeast of downtown Austin, this neighborhood of 77 two-story duplexes was built in 1948 as the Delwood III development. Each stucco-covered concrete block building holds two apartments, one per floor, of about 900 square feet with two bedrooms and one bathroom. Most have a freestanding concrete block garage behind, reached by an alley. The buildings share a boxy form but vary in roof shape and porch arrangement, giving them the look of minimal Colonial Revival houses. Original steel casement windows survive on most. Developer Bascom Giles, through Delwood Apartments, Inc., was responsible for construction. The area was listed because it shows how postwar housing for moderate-income families was produced through tract development, and it is the only concentration of duplex tract housing in Austin. Nearly all the buildings still serve as homes, with few major alterations, no teardowns and no vacant lots, so the district keeps a high level of integrity. Of 150 resources, 136 are counted as contributing.