139 years. That’s how long the Driskill Hotel has stood on East 6th and Brazos streets.
The building opened in 1886, replacing a “ragged-looking block” of old houses in the city center. Austinites that year may have told you they would miss the “old land-marks” the hotel replaced, while Austinites today would tell you the Driskill is a staple of Downtown.
With well over a century of history under the Driskill’s storied belt, let’s review some of the highlights that make Austin’s oldest hotel so special.
Name another area of town that has remained as steady as the Driskill Hotel.
Photos by the Driskill and @where_is_brandy.
The beginning
Colonel Jesse Lincoln Driskill, a cattle baron, purchased the land the hotel was built on for $7,500 in 1884 — talk about a steal. Fun fact: The Texas Capitol was under construction during the same time.
Upon opening, the Driskill Hotel held 60 rooms and cost $400,000 (or $92 million in today’s money) to build. Less than two weeks after opening in January 1887, Texas Gov. Sul Ross held his inaugural ball inside the hotel, which started a trend for future governors William P. Hobby, Miriam Ferguson, Dan Moody, John Connally, and Ann Richards.
Colonel Driskill passed away in 1890, prompting his brother-in-law and the hotel’s new owner, “Doc” Day, to hang a large portrait of him. The painting of Driskill still presides over the lobby, but it bears a patched bullet hole from a legendary duel between two lawyers. The Driskill is also full of creepy ghost stories.
During the 1890s, the hotel changed hands three more times, eventually landing in the care of Major George Littlefield (who you may recognize from the Littlefield Building nearby). Littlefield completed a $60,000+ renovation, which included installing electric fans in the rooms and opening a bank in the lobby. Psst — the vault is still there today.
The hotel was sold yet again, this time at a $25,000 loss, to Edward Seeling in 1903. A few years later, a spa and barber shop facing 6th Street opened inside the hotel.
A hotel for the Austin elite
Budding politician Lyndon Baines Johnson and Lady Bird met for their first date at the Driskill in 1934. It’s safe to say things went well, and the pair returned to watch LBJ’s US Senate results in 1948.
The Driskill became LBJ’s headquarters in Austin during his (successful) presidential campaign in 1964, and the Governor’s Suite remained reserved for him at all times. Today, portraits of LBJ and Lady Bird hang in a suite named for the former president.
In 1966, the Texas Historical Commission designated the hotel a historical landmark. Just three years later, a proposed high-rise threatened to bring it down, but Preservation Austin — then Austin Heritage Society — raised $700,000 to save it.
The modern era
Since the 1970s, the hotel has changed ownership, been remodeled, and celebrated a centennial. Today, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts owns the hotel, which was most recently renovated in 2021.
Want even more history? Take a guided tour of the hotel — here’s what we learned.
