 |
| This 1890 building was first a firehouse and then the world-famous Capitol Saddlery where custom-made-cowboy boots were sold to celebrities for as high as $3,000. a pair |
AUSTIN, TX --One of
America’s fastest growing towns and tech hot spots, Austin, Texas has retained
much of its Old West vibe and vibrant history including an 1890 building that
was first a firehouse and then the world-famous Capitol Saddlery where
custom-made-cowboy boots were sold for thousands of dollars.
 |
T.C. “Buck” Steiner
(Photo by Threadgills) |
Later, it was reborn
as a stunning residence and event space while retaining much of its historical
charm.
Now for sale, the former Capitol Saddlery is
priced at $4.95 million including the neon-lit boot above the home’s entrance, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
 |
| Charlie Dunn |
The unassuming
building facade could easily be taken for almost any other Austin building near
the University of Texas were it not for the gigantic boot above the entrance -
a clue that it was formerly home to Capitol Saddlery.
 |
| Carol King |
The owner was T.C. “Buck” Steiner, a
gruff rodeo rider with up to 100 employees, but the star was Charlie Dunn,
a boot maker that Jerry Jeff Walker wrote a song about in 1972.
 |
| Gene Autry |
Charlie’s boots were so well known that many
celebrities wouldn’t dream of wearing boots made by anyone else.
 |
| Al Capone |
Known as the “Michelangelo of cowboy boots,”
Charlie charged as much as $3,000 a pair and had a three-year waiting list.
 |
| Slim Pickens |
The wait didn’t phase clients like Gene
Autry, Slim Pickens, Arnold Palmer, Carol King and even Al Capone.
Charlie
died in 1993 and the Steiner family moved Capitol Saddlery to a new location in
2007. In 2008, the building was totally transformed by its new owners into
Palazzo Lavaca, a stunning residence and event space.
 |
| Arnold Palmer |
While maintaining its Old West character in
the original floorboards, paneled-and-transomed doors, exposed brick and some
worn paint surfaces, it has introduced an upscale cowboy-and-cowgirl look with
coffered-living-room ceiling, Italian chandeliers, Fortuny wallpaper and
gold-leaf ballroom.
 |
| Janis Joplin |
Measuring at 6,780
square feet of living space, it has three bedrooms, three full baths and four
half baths. In addition to huge multi-use rooms, the kitchen is large enough
for catering but also for producing family meals, ensuite bedrooms are elegant,
the media and game room is large and comfy and it all opens out to a rear courtyard
that still retains artifacts from the boot business.
 |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan |
Austin
isn’t just about producing music celebrities such as Janis Joplin and Stevie
Ray Vaughan, it’s about ideas and creativity that runs the gamut and is grandly
displayed in Palazzo Lavaca.
 |
| Kumara Wilcoxon |
From the number of
celebrities who have walked through its front door to choose the style of their
next pair of pricey cowboy boots to the tinkle of cocktail glasses from the
party in the gilded ballroom, Austin has it going on.
Now for sale, Palazzo
Lavaca is priced at $4.95 million, listed by Kumara Wilcoxon of Kuper
Sotheby’s International Realty in Austin.
CONTACT:
No comments:
Post a Comment