Austin, TX
A 104-Year-Old Woman Sold Them Their Austin Bungalow. Now, It’s Ready for Another Century.
Holly Beth Potter and her husband Matt, 35, an entrepreneur, admired the historic Rosewood neighborhood of Austin, Texas, for years until they finally purchased a 1930s-era Victorian-style bungalow that was owned by a 104-year-old woman.
“She lived in the house for more than 70 years, and her ‘kids’—who are in their 80s—sold it to us instead of a developer because we told them we loved the character of the house and wanted to restore it,” said Holly Beth Potter, 33, a former EMT who’s now an interior designer. When the Potters purchased the house in 2019, they hoped to have children and now they have three—ages four, three and seven months.
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“We knew the house needed work, especially since not all of the plumbing was functional,” Potter said. Once they brought in Side Angle Side Architects, however, it was clear they faced a full-blown renovation. “After the project started, they discovered rotting wood, broken windows and a dysfunctional roof structure, plus when we pulled off the skirting under the house it revealed that we needed a new foundation and new framing.”
The Potters pulled back from that renovation to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on the property, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house they lived in while the main house was rebuilt. Now the ADU serves as a guest house for friends and family.
“They basically had to take apart the main house piece by piece and put it back together, but they saved as much as they could of the wood and trim and reused it,” Potter said. “It probably would have been easier to tear it down, but we wanted to preserve the character as much as we could. They reconfigured the original house on the same footprint, moving the kitchen between the living room and dining room on one side of the hallway, with the primary bedroom and a second bedroom on the other side.”
The dining room has the original shiplap from the old house and original wood pocket doors. The new kitchen and living room are open to each other, with a hemlock wood ceiling overhead. The architects took some space from the central hallway to create a mudroom, closet and pantry.
An addition, which doubled the living space from 1,800 square feet to about 3,600 square feet, includes an office, a family room with a loft and the children’s bedrooms.
“Our goal with the addition was to deliberately design it in a different architectural style,” Potter said. “Sometimes people ask me if this is one house or two.”
MORE: ‘Shiplap in Nearly Every Room.’ Inside Empty-Nesters’ $1 Million L.A. Home Renovation.
The Potters declined to comment on how much the renovation and addition cost. Construction took about 21 months.
The collaboration between Potter and Side Angle Side Architects on the house was so successful that her company, HB Studio, is now part of Side Angle Side.
Potter and the Side Angle Side team offered more insight into the renovation process:
I would describe the aesthetic as… “timeless,” Potter said. “I chose furniture that felt contemporary, while also leaning into tones and patterns that were warm and romantic to create an overall feeling of timelessness.”
My advice to others… “is to let the old house tell you what to do,” said Annie-Laurie Grabiel, co-founder of Side Angle Side Architects. “In this case, it was important to let the original home be the star of the show. We figured out that the best way to add onto the house without compromising its integrity was to essentially build a separate building next to it and connect the two as minimally as we could. The new addition almost stands alone and connects to the old house with a lower roof that just tucks under the existing roof eave.”
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My favorite post-renovation feature is… “the way we embraced indoor-outdoor living,” Potter said. “We preserved this big tree in the backyard and built the courtyard and pool area around it. We can open all the doors and windows around it, so you feel like you’re outside even when you’re indoors.”
The biggest challenge… “was working with the existing house,” said Arthur Furman, a co-founder of Side Angle Side Architects. “The clients loved the character of the old home, and we were determined to keep it as a central aspect of the new design. However, the wood framing was compromised from water damage and rot. In the end the house had to be reframed, but we matched the original footprint and proportions. We salvaged and reinstalled as much of the interior woodwork as we could, including the wood floors, interior doors, window trim and base boards.”
The most dramatic change was… “the new kitchen,” Grabiel said. “The original kitchen was small and dark and didn’t have a strong connection to the outdoors. We relocated [it] to the heart of the interior and opened it up with access and views to the back porch and pool deck.”
The biggest surprise was… “that some of the best elements weren’t part of our pre-construction plans,” Furman said. “When the roof was being reframed, we looked up at the treetops through the rafters and we thought how nice it would be to open up a skylight and experience the natural light right when you enter the home. Also, we had always planned the kids’ loft area, but then one day the clients had the idea to add the netting to extend the loft space and create more connectivity between above and below.”
Favorite materials we discovered during the process… “include the natural materials for the walls, floors and bathrooms,” Potter said. “In the living room we installed a hemlock wood ceiling and a plaster fireplace wall, and we used quartzite counters in the kitchen and bathrooms.”
Juneteenth celebrations are happening across the city this weekend. The events will mark the 161st anniversary of the day Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to announce that more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were free. The announcement on June 19, 1865, came more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 — known as Juneteenth — became a federal holiday in 2021.
From historical bike rides to Austin’s annual parade, here are seven events taking place in Austin.
Annual Juneteenth FunRun, June 19
The city of Austin’s African American Cultural and Heritage Facility will host a fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday at East Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Leona Street, and concluding at Hargrave Street near the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. Participants will have one hour to complete the course. The route is the same as the parade through the African American Historical Cultural District that will start later that morning. Runners and walkers of all ages and levels can participate.
Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival, June 19
The annual Juneteenth parade will take place Friday and begin at 10 a.m. at East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Leona Street and will travel down to Chicon Street before turning on Rosewood Avenue. The parade will feature floats, live music and performers.
A Very Juneteenth Comedy Jam, June 19
The Velveeta Room, Austin’s longest-running comedy club, will have shows highlighting Black voices Friday night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 18+ event will feature comedians like Freddy Do Less and Roderick McDaniel. Tickets for both shows are around $23.
Sistas Walk And Talk: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
Texas Sistas Society will host a 3-mile walk and talk Saturday at 515 S. Pleasant Valley Road starting at 7:45 a.m. Texas Sistas Society is an Austin-based community created for Black women and women of color. Attendees are encouraged to wear Juneteenth colors: red, yellow, green or black, and to RSVP ahead of time.
The Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
The George Washington Carver Museum in Austin is dedicated to creating a “space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated.” The museum is hosting a free celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with barbecue plates, live music, vendors and activities for all ages.
Black Auteur Film Festival, June 20
The Black Auteur Film Festival, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting Black filmmakers in Texas, is hosting its third annual film festival to showcase short films directed by Black Texans at AFS Cinema on Saturday. One filmmaker will win the $1,000 “Best of Fest” award, and attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to win Austin Film Society memberships and movie tickets. The festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $14.
Juneteenth Social Ride, June 21
Black History Bike Ride, an Austin nonprofit teaching people about the city’s Black history through cycling, is hosting its seventh annual Juneteenth ride starting at the Haskell House on Saturday at 10 a.m. Austin-based historian Harrison Eppright will serve as the ride’s guide. Registration is required for all attendees. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Data analyst Corey Yeung created the ATX Running Guide to help runners find community across Central Texas. What started as a personal project has become one of Austin’s most comprehensive running resources.
Looking for a Run Club? There’s a Map for That
When Corey Yeung moved to Austin three years ago, he had a simple question:
“How many run clubs are actually out there?” The answer wasn’t easy to find. While several websites listed local groups, Yeung felt none offered a complete picture. So, he decided to build one himself. What started as a spreadsheet evolved into ATX Running Guide, a website and social media platform that helps runners discover clubs throughout the Austin area.
“The list would be more useful if it were a map and search tool,” Yeung said. “The Instagram page was simply a way to communicate those free resources to the community.”
Today, the guide covers running groups from San Marcos to Hutto and serves as a one-stop resource for runners looking to connect. In this episode of KXAN’S Plus Simple Health, Corey Yeung walks us through everything you need to know about the 200-plus running clubs in Austin.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Volts are off to a rough start in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, but maybe a little home cooking can help them get right.
After playing their first five games on the road, the Volts open play at Dell Diamond in Round Rock at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Utah Talons, kicking off an 8-game homestand.
It’s the first season the Volts will call Dell Diamond home. In the league’s inaugural season last year, the original four teams competed with a touring schedule that included a stop at Dell Diamond. This is the first year that the AUSL, now a 6-team league, will play in home markets.
They have a roster peppered with local stars, including 2-time NCAA national champion middle infielder Leighann Goode from the Texas Longhorns. Aliyah Binford, a New Braunfels native, played collegiately for Ole Miss and former Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins made an appearance in the Volts’ previous series against the Carolina Blaze.
Goode said there’s been a bit of a learning curve, but she credits her teammates for helping her adjust to the league.
“This group has brought me in and taught me stuff, taken me under their wings,” she said. “They’ve done an awesome job.”
Legendary Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is the team’s general manager, and the head coach is Texas State’s Ricci Woodard.
“We’re ready to rock and roll at home,” Woodard said. “I’m anxious to see what happens now that we get to play in our own place.”
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft, joined the team last weekend after a brief contract holdout.
The Volts are 1-4 this season, picking up their lone win over the Oklahoma City Spark on June 10. They’ll face the Talons in a 3-game series, the Chicago Bandits for a pair June 23-24, and finish the homestand with a 3-game set against the expansion Portland Cascade on June 26-28.
Ryan Sanders Baseball, the organization that owns and operates the Round Rock Express, is an operating partner with the Volts and an investor with the AUSL.
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