Record Time

Waterloo Records celebrates 40 years in Austin with return of live shows

Austin Photo: Places_shopping_waterloo_records_and_video_exterior

The store is celebrating 40 years with discounted music and the return of in-store performances.

While rising rents and pandemic-related closures have changed the landscape of West Sixth Street these past few years, Waterloo Records remains. The iconic local music store celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, kicking things off Friday, April 1 with its first in-store performances since March 2020.

Ray Wylie Hubbard opened the celebration at 3 pm. A social media post on the store’s Facebook teased that Ringo Starr and Willie Nelson would be joining Hubbard for his set, but alas, it was an April Fools' prank.

Heartless Bastards are set to take the stage at 5 pm. The show is limited capacity and mask-required; attendees get one guaranteed wristband with each purchase of the band's latest album, A Beautiful Life.

The party doesn’t stop there. Between now and April 6, the store is offering discounts of $4 or more off of 40 titles to celebrate its 40th year.

The iconic record store opened its doors on April 1, 1982. And while Austin’s live music scene was well established by that point (thanks, Willie), South by Southwest would not further cement the city’s international live music appeal for another five years. In the meantime, Waterloo’s laid-back, customer-centric policies made the store an immediate success. Customers could listen to any album in the store before buying, and they had up to 10 days to return it — no questions asked and full exchange provided, so long as the item returned in good condition.

These philosophies have seen the record store through four decades of serving the music-loving Austin community, with the move to the more spacious spot on the corner of Sixth and Lamar making it a go-to destination for intimate live sets during SXSW and beyond.

Austinites everywhere should rejoice at the return of these in-store performances, and if you can’t make it today, visit soon and purchase a celebratory album — or two. Head to waterloorecords.com to purchase online and see more info on the anniversary sale.

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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