A Main Building with several chapters
The university describes Main Building’s original 1888 construction and its rebuilding after a 1903 fire. A 1922 tornado added another major episode to the structure’s history.[3]
Austin neighborhood field guide
St. Edwards
Get to know the local places, then explore what the public record says: construction, restaurant inspection scores and beverage receipts, with dates and sources beside the data.
About this mapped area City boundary · September 22, 2021
St. Edwards is one of 65 named areas in the City of Austin Neighborhood Planning Areas boundary dataset. The saved source records its planning status as plan approved. These mapped categories differ from colloquial neighborhood names. Districts people name in conversation, like South Congress, Rainey Street or the Sixth Street entertainment district, are not separate areas in this dataset; they sit inside a planning area or straddle two. This boundary is a single polygon in the city's file, with ordinance 20050929-Z001 recorded in the source, and the city last modified it on . The dataset stores the name as ST. EDWARDS.
The local field guide
St. Edwards: the campus story behind a South Austin landmark
St. Edward’s University’s Main Building gives this area a recognizable architectural reference. The university’s own history records a campus shaped by its Holy Cross mission and a building that has survived fire, storm damage and later restoration.
3 linked sources · CheckedA Holy Cross educational mission
St. Edward’s official history connects the university to Father Edward Sorin and the Holy Cross tradition. Its mission page explains the institution’s educational identity in its own words.[2]
Read restoration accounts in their period
The university’s Main Building article describes successive repair campaigns. References such as “this summer” belong to that article’s publication context and should not be read as a current construction notice.[3]
Plan a little better
Before you go
- Use university information for campus access
- Treat Main Building as part of an operating university. Arrange campus visits through the institution and confirm access rather than assuming a historical building is open for casual touring.[2][3]
- Read the building’s history before a visit
- The university’s restoration account explains the fire and tornado damage behind the architecture. It adds context without requiring access to interior spaces.[3]
A few things to know
Has Main Building always been the same structure since 1888?
The university records a fire in 1903 followed by rebuilding that year, later tornado damage and multiple restoration campaigns.[3]
Does the St. Edwards planning-area page describe only university property?
The site uses the saved city planning polygon named St. Edwards. A city planning area and an institution’s campus are different geographic concepts.[1]
Sources & research notes
Local context is based on the sources below. Confirm current access, schedules, and reservations with the operator. Civic figures elsewhere on this page retain their own reporting periods.
- City of Austin Neighborhood Planning Area StatusCity of Austin · Checked 2026-09-05
- History and Missionstedwards.edu · Checked 2026-09-05
- Mending Main Buildingstedwards.edu · Checked 2026-09-05
What the public record says about St. Edwards
- City of Austin Development Services has issued 1,464 building permits that it has geocoded inside the St. Edwards planning-area boundary, the earliest dated May 10, 1978 and the most recent September 17, 2026, for a combined declared construction value of $417,799,484. Declared value is the figure an applicant puts on the permit application — not market value and not finished cost. Counted over every issue date in the city’s Issued Construction Permits dataset (3syk-w9eu), building permits only. Placing a permit inside a boundary needs a mapped coordinate, and about one building permit in seven (13.8% of them, as published on 2026-07-26) carries no location at all — those rows cannot be placed in any neighbourhood, here or anywhere else, so this is a count of geocoded permits rather than of every permit issued. How busy it is now is a different question, and the list below is the honest answer to it: the 25 most recently issued permits here were all issued since January 5, 2026.
- The 1 most recent restaurant inspections we could place inside this boundary run from August 25, 2026 to August 25, 2026, averaging 91 out of 100. Austin Public Health publishes these in irregular batches, historically weeks after the visit, and this page lists at most 15 — so that count is the size of our list, not the number of restaurants in St. Edwards. A score is a single-visit snapshot.
- Of the 100 highest-grossing mixed-beverage filers the Texas Comptroller lists for ZIP 78704, 78741, 78701, 78744, 78702, 0 sit inside this boundary. The Comptroller has not published a filing month for these rows. Per-venue figures are gross receipts reported to the Comptroller, summed over each venue’s own filing months — never a total for St. Edwards. Filings are monthly and land three to four weeks late.
Show:
These controls filter the records already on this page. They do not re-query the agencies.
Map of the St. Edwards boundary
Loading the boundary map…
Boundary drawn from City of Austin Neighborhood Planning Areas, as last modified September 22, 2021. Markers are placed from geocoded street addresses, so a record whose address we cannot geocode is listed below but not pinned. The panels under the map are the full text equivalent.
Building permits
The 25 most recently issued inside this boundary (page limit 25)
2026-122399 BPActive
500 E BEN WHITE BLVD SVRD WB BLDG E UNIT 200
Interior non-structural demo
REF: 2026-098173 DA
Sep 17Interior Demo Non-Structural$0 declared
2026-103993 BPFinal
500 E BEN WHITE BLVD SVRD WB BLDG D UNIT 1000
Single Story Tenant Space to demo and remodel.
Aug 19Remodel
2026-095881 BPFinal
2701 S CONGRESS AVE UNIT 105
Change of use only from Barbershop to Retail smoke shop. No change or remodel to the site.
Jul 28Remodel
2025-130891 BPActive
2602 EAST SIDE DR
New two-story SFR (4br/2.5ba) with attached garage and new pool
Jul 13New$0 declared
2026-081049 BPActive
2613 NOTTINGHAM LN
Total demo of sfr 1236 sqft circa 1962
Jun 30Demolition$0 declared
2026-049937 BPActive
2616 SHERWOOD LN
New construction of 2 story single-family residence 1 car garage 3 bathroom 3 bedroom rear covered patio 2nd floor w/ gable/dormer roof.
May 18New$0 declared
2026-055757 BPFinal
2712 FRIAR TUCK LN
Express: Faucets and water heater install Windows and Doors replacements
Revision:
Requesting Electrical -Removing and installing new Receptacles and switches checking 1 circuit for garbage disposal light fixtures and making the sub-panel safe.
Revision 2:
Plumbing work for existing water heater that was replaced
May 15Repair$1 declared
2026-028574 BPActive
2711 SHERWOOD LN
Wood deck
May 12New$1 declared
2026-050424 BPFinal
520 WOODWARD ST BLDG 07
7 DAY - 5 APPPLICATIONS. Building 1/2/3/7/8 - Repair / replacement of existing building stairs treads to a precast concrete treads at existing apartment building - OVA
Apr 29Remodel
2026-050421 BPFinal
520 WOODWARD ST BLDG 01
7 DAY - 5 APPPLICATIONS. Building 1/2/3/7/8 - Repair / replacement of existing building stairs treads to a precast concrete treads at existing apartment building - OVA
Apr 29Remodel
2026-050425 BPFinal
520 WOODWARD ST BLDG 08
7 DAY - 5 APPPLICATIONS. Building 1/2/3/7/8 - Repair / replacement of existing building stairs treads to a precast concrete treads at existing apartment building - OVA
Apr 29Remodel
2026-050423 BPFinal
520 WOODWARD ST BLDG 03
7 DAY - 5 APPPLICATIONS. Building 1/2/3/7/8 - Repair / replacement of existing building stairs treads to a precast concrete treads at existing apartment building - OVA
Apr 29Remodel
2026-050422 BPFinal
520 WOODWARD ST BLDG 02
7 DAY - 5 APPPLICATIONS. Building 1/2/3/7/8 - Repair / replacement of existing building stairs treads to a precast concrete treads at existing apartment building - OVA
Apr 29Remodel
2026-049952 BPFinal
2511 EAST SIDE DR
Express- Install 5 push piers
Apr 23Repair$1 declared
2026-032219 BPFinal
3901 WOODBURY DR
Interior Alteration of an Existing Office Space
Apr 10Remodel
2026-035573 BPActive
2608 NOTTINGHAM LN
Total demo of SFR 1582 sq ft circa 1963
***The building shall not be demolished until after the contractor has fulfilled the neighbor notification requirements outlined in Steps 5 & 6 of the Demolition webpage.***
Mar 27Demolition$0 declared
2026-015663 BPFinal
2616 SHERWOOD LN
T16 - Total Demo of SFR 1364 sqft circa 1964
Mar 21Demolition$0 declared
2026-028573 BPActive
2711 SHERWOOD LN
gunite swimming pool
Mar 11Addition and Remodel$1 declared
2026-009307 BPActive
3701 WOODBURY DR
Demolition of existing compressor room equipment refrigeration evaporator units and condensing units existing fans wall repairs/patching; demolition of existing indoor split system HVAC equipment and its associated duct work. New packaged and split system HVAC equipment and new ductwork new A2L-based refrigeration equipment new refrigerant piping for refrigeration system repair of damaged concrete and new leak detection system for A2L refrigerants are also proposed with scope. New 12 tall chain link fence with 4 wide access gate (4 Fences)
Feb 26Remodel
2026-023288 BPFinal
3601 S CONGRESS AVE BLDG F
Interior alteration of an existing office space at bldg F.
Feb 26Remodel
2025-123880 BPActive
3701 WOODBURY DR
AISD PROJECT - Addition of a new approximately 79LF 12 high chain link fence with attached 4wide chain link access gate to serve an existing warehouse building. Fence 2 of 2.
Jan 5Remodel
2025-123878 BPActive
3701 WOODBURY DR
AISD PROJECT - Addition of a new dry well to drain AC condensation from HVAC equipment; this addition will service an existing warehouse building. Dry well 2 of 2.
Jan 5Remodel
2025-123881 BPActive
3701 WOODBURY DR
AISD PROJECT - Addition of high-pile rack storage system to existing warehouse. Demolition of roof-mounted ventilation fans and skylights. Demolition of space-mounted unit heaters. Roofing repairs and new roof overlay. New gas piping to serve new HVAC equipment and heaters. Replacement of existing wet pipe fire sprinkler system with new ESFR sprinkler system in the high-pile storage area. Repair of sliding warehouse doors. Replacement of dock levelers. (Dry food)
Jan 5Remodel
2025-123883 BPActive
3701 WOODBURY DR
AISD PROJECT - Addition of new packaged HVAC equipment to be installed on top of new 295 SF concrete equipment pad to service existing warehouse building. Pad 2
Jan 5Remodel
2025-123876 BPActive
3701 WOODBURY DR
AISD PROJECT - Addition of a new dry well to drain AC condensation from HVAC equipment; this addition will service an existing warehouse building. Dry well 1 of 2.
Jan 5Remodel
Restaurant inspections
Austin Public Health · up to 15 most recent inside this boundary
Registered projects
Texas Dept. of Licensing & Regulation filings · up to 15 inside this boundary
Switchyards3601 S Congress Building I Unit 100, Austin, TX 78704, AustinSep 24Renovation/Alteration$70K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)E Oltorf Street305 1/2 E Oltorf Street, Austin, TX 78704, AustinAug 11New Construction$325K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)Boston Scientific3601 S. Congress Avenue Building F, Austin, TX 78746, AustinAug 6Renovation/Alteration$175K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)HOLY CROSS HALL3001 S. CONGRESS AVE., Austin, TX 78723, AustinSep 22Renovation/Alteration$5.9M estimated (continues on zabalist.com)IH 35N OF OLTORF TO S OF OLTORF, Austin, TX 78704, AustinJul 26New Construction$932K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)JONES REFRESH3001 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE Ragsdale Center, Austin, TX 78704, AustinMay 20Renovation/Alteration$170K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)DURAMEDIC REMODEL3601 S. CONGRESS AVE I100, Austin, TX 78704, AustinNov 19Renovation/Alteration$75K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)BUSINESS OFFICE REMODEL3001 S. CONGRESS AVE., Austin, TX 78704, AustinOct 2Renovation/Alteration$100K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)TASTE OF ETHIOPIA3801 S. CONGRESS,SUITE 107, Austin, TX 78704, AustinMar 5New Construction$340K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)BOA - TX9-355 AUSTIN SOUTH2501 SOUTH CONGRESS AVE, Austin, TX 78704, AustinFeb 11Renovation/Alteration$100K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)GARDNER BETTS RESTROOM REMEDIATION2515 S. CONGRESS AVE, Austin, TX 78704, AustinOct 1Renovation/Alteration$160K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)AISD FREEZER ADDITION3701 WOODBURY DRIVE, Austin, TX 78704, AustinAug 27Additions to Existing Building$2.3M estimated (continues on zabalist.com)BLACK ORCHID SALON3801 SOUTH CONGRESS #105, Austin, TX 78704, AustinMay 9Renovation/Alteration$69K estimated (continues on zabalist.com)
Bars & restaurants filing receipts
Texas Comptroller mixed-beverage filers we placed inside this boundary
We hold geocoded coordinates for none of the 100 filers in ZIP 78704, 78741, 78701, 78744, 78702 that would place them inside this boundary. Placement uses our address cache, so this is a gap in our data, not a claim that St. Edwards has no bars.
St. Edwards: questions people actually ask
Is St. Edwards an official Austin neighborhood?
St. Edwards is one of 65 named areas in the City of Austin neighborhood-planning boundary dataset. Its status in the saved source is plan approved. Inclusion in this file does not by itself mean a neighborhood plan was adopted. Well-known districts such as South Congress, Rainey Street and the Sixth Street entertainment district are not separate areas in this dataset; they sit inside a planning area, or straddle two. The St. Edwards boundary is a single polygon in the source file. The city last modified it on September 22, 2021.
Which ordinances are recorded for St. Edwards?
City of Austin ordinance number 20050929-Z001 is recorded against this planning area in the city's Neighborhood Planning Areas dataset, with planning status plan approved.
How much construction is happening in St. Edwards?
City of Austin Development Services has issued 1,464 building permits that it has geocoded inside the St. Edwards planning-area boundary, the earliest dated May 10, 1978 and the most recent September 17, 2026, for a combined declared construction value of $417,799,484. Declared value is the figure the applicant put on the permit application, not market value or finished cost. Counted from the city's Issued Construction Permits dataset (3syk-w9eu), building permits only, over every issue date in that dataset. The boundary test needs a mapped coordinate, and about one building permit in seven (13.8% as published on 2026-07-26) carries no location, so those rows cannot be placed in any neighbourhood and are not in this figure.
What ZIP codes cover St. Edwards?
No ZIP code centroid falls inside the St. Edwards boundary, so we search the 5 nearest instead: 78704, 78741, 78701, 78744, 78702. We match ZIP codes to planning areas by testing each ZIP's centroid against the boundary polygon, so a large ZIP can overlap an area without its centre landing inside it. Use the boundary, not the ZIP, as the authority.