HOMES
History in the making in Swede Hill
New homes fit in with character of one of Austin's oldest neighborhoods
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Likea hand-painted old photograph, five new houses and a remodeled one inSwede Hill have added a dash of vibrant color to a historic East Austinneighborhood without diminishing its vintage feel.
The Swede Hill Row project, which also includes a century-oldremodeled and expanded home, was designed to fit seamlessly into theneighborhood. Perched on a hillside overlooking downtown, the brightnew houses on East 13th, East 14th and Waller streets combinecontemporary elements with old-fashioned details that echo theembellishments of well-kept homes nearby.
"It was pretty clear to us what would be appropriate to theneighborhood, which was houses that looked and felt like they had beenin the neighborhood - and looked like they had been built by differentpeople at different times," said Rob Seidenberg, a Swede Hill residentwho with his wife, Wendy Harte, and Peter Techmanski formed the smalldevelopment company, El Centro Group, behind the project.
