Take a peek into how Austin life looked in 1925

Step into the Wayback Machine — you’d be surprised at just how similar modern life in the Capital City is to the way Austinites lived in 1925.

The Texas Capitol when it was completed, with bare grounds stretching in front of it. — The Texas Capitol was completed in 1888, with 400 rooms and 192,374 sqft of indoor space.

It’s 2025 in Austin — there are self-driving cars, 3D-printed homes, and the Capital City’s 200th birthday is just 14 years away.

As we enter another rotation around the sun, it’s hard not to wonder what our beloved city was like 100 years ago in 1925. Austin has come a long way, so let’s take a moment to step back in history.

Some quick facts about 1925 in America:

The president was Calvin Coolidge, who was the first to have his inauguration broadcast on the radio.
The first edition of The New Yorker was published in February.
F. Scott Fitzgerald released the novel “The Great Gatsby.”

Here in Austin, the city’s population was 42,174 (compared to today’s 1,026,459) and a 1925 map of the city reveals that, if you were to step into a time machine, there would be plenty of local landmarks recognizable by the modern resident.

ATX_UT OLD MAIN — UT Austin’s “Old Main” building was home to all of the school’s departments, an auditorium, a library, and a gym before it was demolished in 1933.

UT Austin was marked on the map as Texas State University back in the day, while the modern-day Texas State University was called Southwest Texas State Teachers College. UT Austin was growing rapidly during the time, with 23 of the school’s buildings (including The Tower) built in the 1920s and 1930s.

A black and white photo of the Majestic Theatre, which would become the Paramount Theatre, with 1920s-era cars parked out front and a lightly cloudy sky. — Back in 1925, Austinites would go to the Majestic Theatre to watch magic shows, vaudeville, and silent films.

Just south, Congress Avenue was Austin’s main thoroughfare, where the Majestic Theatre (known by Austinites today as the Paramount Theatre) stood proudly. It was about 10 years old at the time and showed vaudeville, Harry Houdini, and silent films from celebrities like Charlie Chaplin + Greta Garbo. A ticket to see a show cost around 5-25 cents at the time.

A sepia-toned photo of Barton Springs pool from 1925, looking at the hill and dozens of bathers in the water and waiting by the shore. — Folks have been taking a dip at Barton Springs Pool for well over a century.

However, some things never change, as taking a dip in Barton Springs Pool was just as much a pastime in 1925 as it is in 2025. Flo, the pecan tree that leaned over Barton Springs Pool until 2023, can be seen in photos in 1925. The pool’s permanent dam had yet to be built in 1925, so there would have been temporary rock dams surrounding each spring.

What local history would you like to learn about? Send us a pitch.

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