802 San Marcos Street, Austin, TX 78702 // (512) 472-8180 The French Legation Museum provides a uniquely historic experience. Both a historic site and a house museum, the story behind the establishment of the museum is fascinating, and helps to illuminate a way of life experienced by the residents of old Austin – before Texas was a state. Visiting the house and grounds, with its carefully chosen artifacts, brings the story to life. With many cultural events, educational programs, and supplementary information on their web site, the museum preserves and perpetuates a unique piece of Austin’s colorful heritage. The French Legation is located in central Austin just south of French Place.

The word "legation" originally referred to a diplomatic representative office just below the status of embassy. Sent by the French Legation of Washington D.C. in 1840, Monsieur Jean Pierre Isidore Dubois de Saligny intended to establish the French Legation of the fledgling Republic of Texas. Renting quarters on Pecan (now Sixth) Street at the corner of Guadalupe, de Saligny was appalled with Austin’s lack of urban sophistication, evidenced most egregiously by the pigs a local farmer allowed to run free in his yard. He determined to build a home and office worthy of a French diplomat.

De Saligny found himself at odds with the locals, both culturally and politically, and he was soon recalled from his post, leaving his servants behind in the building he had designed. A short time later, when the seat of the government was moved from Austin, the building was abandoned. When Texas was annexed as a state, the structure and its surrounding grounds were sold, eventually being purchased by John and Lydia Lee Robertson, who raised their eleven children in the house. When the last of those children died, in 1940, the property was placed under the custodianship of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who have operated the site as the French Legation Museum since 1949.

Restoration of the property began in 1953, with an effort be faithful to the period in which it was built. Although only three pieces of furniture currently on view belonged to de Saligny, many pieces remain from the Robertson family's ownership of the home. Gardens and outdoor landscaping, although not authentic to the bare dirt yards of early Texas, provide a refreshing oasis of green in a busy city, and make this one of the premier locations for weddings and other formal functions.

The French Legation Museum is committed to education, providing guided tours in addition to having curriculum supplements for elementary and middle school teachers available on their web site. During the summer, the museum often hosts a history-based summer camp, allowing children to immerse themselves in 1880's Austin. They offer different cultural events as well, including a twice monthly tournament of the traditional French game petanque on the lawn, and evening concerts under their beautiful old oak trees. Their annual Bastille Day celebration features French music and food, and their association with the Alliance Française d'Austin helps perpetuate a unique piece of Central Texas heritage.

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Just east of IH-35, in the center of Austin, lies an area that is becoming a popular destination for Austinites looking for a central location that doesn’t come with the price tag one would pay in other centrally located areas. They also don’t lose any of the historic charm or lack of small local businesses within walking distance by moving to East Central Austin.

There are several small central east side neighborhoods, such as Blackshear and East Cesar Chavez, but the Cherrywood area is quickly becoming a new favorite; its subdivision known as French Place is being referred to as the new Hyde Park. Lying between 35 and Airport boulevard, north of Manor and south of 38th ½ Street, French Place was originally owned by the Giles family in the 1940s. It is filled with one story single family homes and some multi family duplexes, located on wide, tree-lined streets. The majority of the single family dwellings hover around the 1,000 square foot mark, and have been well maintained throughout the decades. The area has a wide variety of homeowners of different ethnicities and professions, as well as many students due to its close proximity to Concordia University and UT. Each December, the Cherrywood Art Fair is held, showcasing pieces from the area’s artists, accompanied by all day music and activities for the kids.

Central East Austin is home to several historic sites. The French Legation Museum is touted as being Austin’s oldest structure still on its original site at 802 San Marcos Street. The home was originally built in 1840 for a French representative sent by King Louis Philippe of France to determine if the Republic of Texas should be considered its own country. In 1848, the French Legation became the home of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Robertson, and it remained in their family until 1949, when it was taken over by the state of Texas.

There are two historic cemeteries in Central East Austin. The Texas State Cemetery was established in 1851, and is the final resting place for many of Texas’ state officials, dating back to the Republic of Texas days as well. Famous Texans such as Stephen F. Austin and Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock are buried here. The Oakwood cemetery is located just north of the Texas State Cemetery, and was established in the mid 1850s, and legend has it the first bodies laid to rest were victims of a Comanche Indian attack. Different sections of the cemetery are dedicated to Austin’s black, Latino, and Jewish populations.

There’s plenty of entertainment and local eatery options for those in the Central East Austin area. Live music can still be found at the historic Victory Grill, established in 1945, and was part of the original “chitlin circuit”. Across the street from the Victory Grill on East 11th street is the Longbranch Inn, a nice little bar that became so popular the owners had to buy another place on East 4th, the Scoot Inn, to make room for the crowds and live music acts. Hoovers restaurant, run by Night Hawk alum Hoover Alexander, is a great mix of BBQ, Cajun, Tex Mex and soul food. Down Manor road lies El Chile, opened by ex Jeffrey’s employee Carlos Rivero, and serves top-notch interior Mexican food and Tex Mex, with their to-go eatery El Chilito down the road. Joe’s Bakery and Coffee Shop on East 7th Street has been in business since 1963, serving up Mexican and baked goods from family recipes for over 40 years.

Moving to East Central Austin could snag a house hunter a nice home at a fair price, but even those not in the market for a house can spend some time taking in the history and a great meal or two.

Escapeso Realty operates as a small company in the Austin real estate market. Their site has a free mortgage calculator along with a free graphical search of the Austin MLS.

Nestled in central Austin between Airport Boulevard and Manor Road lies the quiet yet vibrant neighborhood of French Place. Austin has always been renowned for its individual personality, and while its expansion continues to dilute that sentiment over the years, these quaint houses with ample yards exemplify the type of house considered a classic "Austin home." While other adjacent areas such as Hyde Park, Maplewood, Tarrytown, and all the property around the University of Texas have skyrocketed in price over the past several years, French Place has resisted this trend of the general austin real estate market and thus retains more spirit and spunk than some of the more gentrified areas.

While French Place's houses are generally no more than two to three bedrooms, many houses have interesting add-ons to enhance functionality without resorting to cookie-cutter remodels. Examples include converted garages and utility rooms with extra storage space, which make them perfect for extended families and roommates. Most of these Austin homes are designed for small nuclear families, which is makes sense considering that the vast majority were built during the years between 1940 and 1955. When you add an influx of the personalities of several generations of an eclectic and diverse population, the results can be difficult to predict.

Each home in a neighborhood is defined by the nearby businesses and institutions, and French Place is no exception. The University of Texas lies just to the southwest of this area, which has helped its personality, as well as its affordability. Though areas west of campus have inflated steadily for decades, resulting in massive apartment development and compartmentalization of living space. Since these houses are somewhat older larger lots (with the occasional white picket fence) are common and a valuable asset for social events and outdoor hobbies. Other features generally include lots of windows, larger kitchens and bathrooms, and wooden floors for easy cleaning. As far as the exterior and structure of French Place homes goes, most are pier-and-beam construction (and therefore moveable[!]) with wood much more common than stone. Houses tend to be one-story, with wide floor plans to compensate.

This Central Austin is a great neighborhood if you are interested in taking in what the city as to offer. The live music scene is quite active even on a very intimate level, with the neighborhood Quack's bakery hosting live music weekly and offering delivery service. East Side Pies has over 20 toppings and delivers awesome pizza to the French Place area with exceptional efficiency. French Place is also a ten-minute drive to downtown, the campus area, and is very close to the major interstate I-35. 6th street is an exceptional confluence of live music and alcohol consumption, which makes for good times year-round. In addition, the Cherrywood Art Fair is a neighborhood exhibit that showcases local artists, musicians, and more and has been for six years. Maplewood Elementary School is a well-recognized neighborhood school within walking distance of most of the neighborhood. All of these factors make French Place an attractive place to call home. But it also probably won't be this easy to find such a great place to live in Austin for long.

Ki is a realtor in Austin.  In addition to writing here he runs a Austin real estate blog.  Which covers various real estate related events in Austin.