Auditorium Shores

Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park
Auditorium Shores

Slightly elevated image taken during the evening of a crowd of people relaxing in a park, with a skyline visible in the background.

Auditorium Shores during Independence Day in 2007

Location of Auditorium Shores within Texas

Type Public park
Location 800 W Riverside Dr
Austin, Texas 78704
Coordinates 30°15′41.76″N 97°45′14.4″W / 30.2616000°N 97.754000°W / 30.2616000; -97.754000Coordinates: 30°15′41.76″N 97°45′14.4″W / 30.2616000°N 97.754000°W / 30.2616000; -97.754000
Area 48.58 acres (19.66 ha)
Created 1959

Auditorium Shores is an urban park located in downtown Austin, Texas, within the larger Town Lake Park. Its name refers to its location between the former Palmer Auditorium and the shores of Lady Bird Lake. The park is known as the site of major music performances at South by Southwest and Fun Fun Fun Fest, as well as a number of other events.

Location

Auditorium shores is located on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, immediately west of South 1st Street. To its south are the Long Center and Palmer Events Center. The Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail passes through the park from west to east near the shore; one of the trail's major trailheads adjoins Auditorium Shores.[1] The site includes a memorial statue of late Austin resident Stevie Ray Vaughan, who played a number of concerts at Auditorium Shores. The park is known for its large off-leash dog area by the water (though recent redevelopments have moved to reduce the space available for off-leash dogs)[2] and its scenic view of the downtown Austin skyline.[3]

Events

Auditorium Shores has long been a popular site for music performances, and is known today as a central site for several regional and national music festivals, such as Fun Fun Fun Fest and South by Southwest.[4] It was also the site of the Austin Aqua Festival in the 1980s and '90s, and currently hosts some events for the Austin Food & Wine Festival.

History

The park was opened in 1959 in conjunction with the completion of Palmer Auditorium. Auditorium Shores and the surrounding Town Lake Park received some improvements and renovations in conjunction with Palmer Auditorium's repurposing as the Long Center in 1999.[5]

In 2013 C3 Presents, the company that operates the Austin City Limits Festival and the Austin Food & Wine Festival, announced that it would donate $3.5 million to fund renovations to the park, some of which would significantly reduce the space for off-leash dogs.[6] The City Council's decision to make these changes created some controversy, largely over concerns that C3's large donation had allowed it to influence the council's decision to reduce the dog park.[2][7]

In 2015 the Austin City Council gave the East Lawn of the park the name "Vic Mathias Shores,"[8] in honor of Vic Mathias, a former Austin business leader who co-founded the Austin Aqua Festival.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Auditorium Shores.

References

  1. ↑ "Auditorium Shores Trailhead". City of Austin. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Amy (6 December 2013). "Then There's This: Turf Fight at Auditorium Shores". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Auditorium Shores". Fodor's. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Auditorium Shores Stage on Lady Bird Lake". South by Southwest. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Town Lake Park Open House #1" (PDF). City of Austin. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Coppola, Sarah (2 May 2013). "C3 to give $3.5 million for Auditorium Shores overhaul; work to start this fall". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Friel, Katie (10 December 2013). "The fight over Auditorium Shores isn't about dogs — it's about a way of life". CultureMap. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Vic Mathias Shores". City of Austin. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
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