The Buford Tower conceals three secrets. The graceful, six-story Italianate structure poised above Lady Bird Lake is a fire tower without any fires to fight and a bell tower without any real bells.

The Buford Tower conceals three secrets. The graceful, six-story Italianate structure poised above Lady Bird Lake is a fire tower without any fires to fight and a bell tower without any real bells.

Do you love Austin as much as we do? Find out how it became the city it is today via Austin Found, a podcast from journalist and history buff Michael Barnes and radio personality J.B. Hager. They share the stories behind the stories about the people, places, culture and history of the inimitable Texas capital.

Do you love Austin as much as we do? Find out how it became the city it is today via Austin Found, a podcast from journalist and history buff Michael Barnes and radio personality J.B. Hager. They share the stories behind the stories about the people, places, culture and history of the inimitable Texas capital.

Austin Found Podcast

<blockquote>Do you love Austin as much as we do? Find out how it became the city it is today via Austin Found, a podcast from journalist and history buff Michael Barnes and radio personality J.B. Hager. They share the stories behind the stories about the people, places, culture and history of the inimitable Texas capital.</blockquote>

Austin Found

Ep. 41 Secrets of the Buford Tower

Jacquelyn McGee - a former star athlete, outstanding teacher, and the first woman to run a large urban high school in Texas. 

Jacquelyn McGee - a former star athlete, outstanding teacher, and the first woman to run a large urban high school in Texas.

Ep. 87 She Broke the Good Ol' Boy Network With a Smile

The standard history - which Zach has touted and which we have repeated - states that Austin's regional theater was born in 1932. Not so it turns out. According to contemporary stories in newspaper archives now easily available online, what eventually became Zach premiered as the Austin Community Players in 1921. That troupe turned into the Austin Little Theatre in 1927. It took the name Austin Civic Theater in 1949 and Zachary Scott Theater Center in 1967.

The standard history - which Zach has touted and which we have repeated - states that Austin's regional theater was born in 1932. Not so it turns out. According to contemporary stories in newspaper archives now easily available online, what eventually became Zach premiered as the Austin Community Players in 1921. That troupe turned into the Austin Little Theatre in 1927. It took the name Austin Civic Theater in 1949 and Zachary Scott Theater Center in 1967.

Ep. 86 Zach Theatre at 99

Among the secrets to the Austin Symphony's longevity: Its fiscal austerity, its capable leadership, and its willingness to disappear for a long period of time. Here we dig into the history of the Austin Symphony and its survival, including the last couple of years of the pandemic and its impact. 

Among the secrets to the Austin Symphony's longevity: Its fiscal austerity, its capable leadership, and its willingness to disappear for a long period of time. Here we dig into the history of the Austin Symphony and its survival, including the last couple of years of the pandemic and its impact.

Ep. 41 Secrets of the Buford Tower

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