AUSTIN (KXAN) — He was the first black disc jockey in Texas, a prolific piano player and composer, a preacher — and now Lavada “Dr. Hepcat” Durst’s family home in east Austin is one step closer to being preserved.
Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously Monday night to approve the landmark designation for the home. The proposal heads to the Planning Commission Tuesday night before a final City Council vote next month.
Originally built on East Fourth Street, the home now sits on East 21st Street, the result of development in the historically black neighborhoods east of Interstate 35. The commercial real estate group Cielo planned new construction on and around the Fourth Street lot, but wanted to preserve the historic structure.
Last year, the company picked up and moved the house up the road, donating it to Mary Clark, whose house burned down in 2011. She moved into a shed on the same 21st Street lot, with no electricity or running water, but then that burned down, too.
“I was homeless for nine years,” she said, “but I made it.”
On KXAN News Today, a look back at Dr. Hepcat’s pioneering life, and a message from those who knew him about the importance of preserving his legacy.
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