Well-preserved property
Extraordinary Travis Heights home steeped in Austin history has another bonus for buyers
A piece of Austin history — a home dating back nearly 130 years — can be yours for $1.35 million. The property, known as the Moore-Williams House, was built in 1890 by Charles Newning, who was a prolific inventor and a Travis County commissioner.
The three-story house, appropriately located at 1312 Newning Ave., is a little south of Lady Bird Lake in Austin's tony Travis Heights neighborhood.
Today, the home features five bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, 10-foot ceilings, four fireplaces, stained-glass windows, stainless-steel appliances, double ovens, a five-burner gas stove, a wine fridge, a front porch, and a few balconies — all tucked into 3,165 square feet.
“The property has been so beautifully restored and preserved for future generations to enjoy. With so few luxury historic homes available, this one absolutely offers something special to Austin homebuyers,” says Roxanne Escobedo of Coldwell Banker United, the listing agent for the Moore-Williams House.
The house was owned by W.R. Moore until 1905 when it was sold to John Williams, a teacher at the Texas School for the Deaf. Williams later was named superintendent of the School for the Deaf, and he then served on the Austin school board. Williams’s family sold the house to oilman William E. Richey in 1928.
With all of this rich history comes an official designation as a historic landmark. And with that designation comes an important selling point for Austinites saddled with increasing property taxes: a lower tax bill. Properties with historic landmark designations are eligible for major exemptions, and may pay about one-third what their non-historical neighbors pay in yearly property taxes.