South River City, Austin, Texas

Swisher's Addition and Fairview Park, the first two attempts at settlement in present-day South River City were troubled by the lack of transportation with Downtown Austin.

Many of the homes built were single-family, and some of those that remain are Victorian-era structures with gingerbread trim, Craftsman-influenced bungalows, and housed influenced by the Prairie School style.

Sensing the commercial opportunities that the new highway would bring, Swisher also began operating a ferry service across the Colorado River that same year.

The bridge made South Austin more accessible than ever before, and in 1877 John Milton Swisher (James' son) subdivided 23 acres of the family farm along the San Antonio Road.

[4] South Congress Avenue, in spite of being separated from the downtown portion of the street by about a mile over the Colorado River and low-lying areas, preserved the major approach to the Capitol and city center for future residents and visitors.

Because this impeded would-be residents from being able to commute to downtown jobs with ease, development was slow and South Congress Avenue remained a country road through a largely rural landscape throughout the remainder of 19th century.

In 1886 Charles Newning bought the northern portion of the Swisher farm with plans of developing an "upscale, owner-occupied, garden suburb."

Following the completion of the concrete Congress Avenue Bridge in 1910, pedestrians, automobiles and Austin's streetcar system were able to reach South River City with ease and the area began to grow.

Stacy ran streetcars full of prospective buyers out to Travis Heights from the Capitol to see the area before the homes were even built and gave away Ford Touring cars as part of a promotional campaign.

He also incorporated deed restrictions against multi-family and commercial development in his subdivision to reassure buyers that Travis Heights would remain a residential enclave.

Based on his earlier experience with Charles Newning and Fairview Park, General Stacy laid out his South River City subdivision with both curving and grid streets and provided lot sizes and prices to fit a range of customers, from the builders of modest bungalows to grand home sites with commanding vistas.

[6] Perhaps the greatest contribution Stacy made to the future livability of not only Travis Heights, but the entire South River City Neighborhood, was the dedication of land adjacent to Blunn Creek and the bluff which drops down to Lake Lady Bird as public parks.