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True Stories Can Be Stranger Than Fiction [Extra Extra ]
When Laurie Limbacher (pictured above right) of Limbacher & Godfrey Architects stood in front of a skeptical crowd at last Monday's Town Hall Meeting to discuss her firm's renovation plans for Barton Springs, she told a brief story of an old, wooden bathhouse that once sat atop the north hill next to the pool. The bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool was a romantic building, built of iron and wood and outfitted with a bar and dance hall; it was often filled with the sounds of trumpets and trombones of the big band era. Pictures of the old bathhouse conjure up thoughts of the Gristmill or other Central Texas buildings of antiquity that have been fighting change for decades. However, this crickety ol' bathhouse of early 20th century architecture couldn't survive repeated storms and frequent floods; eventually, the wood flooring became so warped that no more dances could be held.The building was bulldozed and in its stead arose an architectural wonder of the time--the bathhouse we see today.
Constructed in the 1950's, believe it or not, this bathhouse was deemed an architectural wonder by many experts of the time and was celebrated as one of the first great architectural pieces of Texas. Today, it's become an eyesore. Many Austinites, including those in the city government, are calling for renovations. But it's not just the bathhouse that will see changes: the surrounding area is much more likely to catch your eye.
During budget talks this past October, Austin City Manager Toby Futrell acknowledged the desperate need for maintenance and renovation at Barton Springs Pool and much of the surrounding area. A resolution was soon passed by all members of the Austin City Council to allocate $500,000 to the renovation project. Enter Limbacher & Godfrey: hired by the city council, L&G are currently in the preliminary stages of creating The Barton Springs Master Plan, a renovation proposal that could dramatically change the springs as we see it today.
L&G have an impressive portfolio of projects here in Austin that includes the almost-completed Deep Eddy Bathhouse. Their final report won't be completed until September 2007, so they wanted to hear from the public first. Let it be known that they are experienced with this kind of work (as with the Deep Eddy Bathhouse) and they have set up meetings with various other groups on to how best treat the pool--such as Friends of Barton Springs, SOS, Save Barton Creek Association, Hill Country Conservancy and both Zilker and Barton Hills Neighborhood Associations. There is such a fine line with construction and renovation in Austin these days, it's important to take a proactive stance, to avoid the "how it used to be" talk that seems to dominating Austinite dialogue these days. As a result, Limbacher and Godfrey held a meeting at City Hall to take input on their Master Plan ideas--ideas that will be packaged and presented to the Austin City Council in September.
From what we gathered at the meeting, the new plan may eliminate the "Dog Beach," otherwise known as "the Spillway" or "the Down Stream Dam" (pictured right). Within the current renovations lies a plan to install more flood gates on the downstream dam, in order to ease flood tensions, remove sediment, and allow for a better "flow regime." These new flood gates would be placed right atop the "beach" of the spillway, where many Austinites like to enjoy a free Barton Springs with their dogs, bongos or beer. The study for relocating flood gates along the downstream dam have yet to happen.
In what would be an even more drastic change, L&G are currently entertaining a recommendation to expand the down stream dam outward, which would incorporate The Sunken Gardens into the pool area, expanding its size by twenty percent.
The South Entrance has always been plagued with problems. The lifeguards hate the ticket booth, and the swimmers hate that it's never open and that there aren't restrooms or dressing rooms on the entire south side. L&G have proposed building a South Bathhouse, smaller in size and not intended to compete with the North Bathhouse. Furthermore, leading down from the Bathhouse to the pool will be a more modest, hospitable and handicap-friendly stairway to replace to the large stepping stones there now. Al Godfrey promised to keep this stairway as natural and unobtrusive as possible.
On the North side, Limbacher & Godfrey want to utilize the nearly 60 feet of observation space near Zilker Cafe to be more "observer friendly"--providing better decks, viewing spaces and new educational installations. They want to open up the landscape, giving more attractive views and opened up landscape. Also, they want to get rid of the ugly overhead power lines that clutter up much of the sky over the Barton Springs.
Perhaps the greatest renovations will occur with Eliza Springs, a former outdoor amphitheater that has deteriorated into a concrete pool with a natural spring bubbling from the bottom--providing home for the Barton Springs Salamander. Al Godfrey seemed intent on reviving Eliza to its former glory--ridding the spring of its concrete surroundings, giving it a more natural look and even connecting it to the pool. Also, the Sunken Gardens and Zilker Ponds (dry for over thirty years) will both receive similar makeovers.
These are all preliminary ideas and much more is going into the renovation of the pool itself, like "the repair of joints in the bypass tunnel," "permanent skimmer for removal of floating algae," "conveyor belt, a barge or a clamshell digger for removal of gravel and large rocks." To send your ideas to Limbacher & Godfrey, email them at bspmasterplan@ci.austin.tx.us or visit their website.
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