A new note

Austin radio station plays new tune with state-of-the-art studio and community space

After more than four decades operating out of a small studio on North Lamar Boulevard, Austin classical music station KMFA 89.5 has moved east. The radio operation officially moved into the brand-new, state-of-the-art facility on Navasota Street, just north of Lady Bird Lake.

The 18,000-square-foot facility triples the size of the former KMFA studios, notes a release, and was designed to be as much a community space as it is a radio station. Along with recording studios for shows like Breakfast Blend and Early Music Now, the new facility spans two stories, and includes a host of special features such as:

An education and community engagement area
Expansive outdoor terrace
And multiple production studios

Central to the new facility is the Draylen Mason Music Studio, a theater named in honor of the 17-year-old local bassist who had planned to attend the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music before he was killed in the Austin Bombings in 2018. According to a release, the Studio will be "used for broadcasts, recording, and intimate concerts."

Another noteworthy feature is the KMFA Sound Garden, created by Steve Parker, an Austin artist and composer. This interactive space combines "a wide spectrum of novel instruments that combine the traits of classical musical instruments, emerging technology, and radio."

KMFA's new studios are part of The Hatchery, a new 17.5-acre development on Nash Hernandez Sr. Road between Waller and Comal streets. The site currently houses the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, a housing tower for low-income seniors.

To help fund its new space in the Hatchery, the radio station launched the Dear Music fundraising campaign, an initiative that has thus far raised more than $9 million for the studio.

"KMFA is ecstatic to have finally moved into our nearly completed new home,” Ann Wilson, KMFA’s president and general manager, said in a release. “The future possibilities of what the new space can offer our listeners is endless. No other classical station in the nation has a facility like this one. Thanks to the donors who have already contributed more than 80 percent of our campaign goal, KMFA is now more than just a radio station — it is an experience."

KMFA's new headquarters on Comal Street.

Photo by Jana Birchum

KMFA's new headquarters on Comal Street.

music

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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