1 week Ago
AUSTIN, Texas — A piece of Austin's history is on track to stick around a bit longer. On Monday, the Texas House initially approved House Bill 2421 to keep the "Save Historic Muny District" alive for another two years. That district covers Lions Municipal Golf Course, also known as Muny, which was the first golf course in the southern U.
S. to voluntarily desegregate in the 1950s. Muny sits on land owned by the University of Texas at Austin and is leased by the city.
As of now, the board for the Save Muny District is set to dissolve at the end of May, but this bill keeps it around through May 2027. The course first opened in 1924 and was managed by the Lions Club until 1936, when the lease was transferred to the city. The course is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Muny celebrated its 100th anniversary as a national Civil Rights Landmark last year, but rezoning efforts and potential new plans for the land leave the course's future in limbo. In 2023, the Muny Conservancy hosted its Imagine Muny Gala to celebrate the course and raise funds to purchase the land from the University of Texas at Austin. The goal of the conservancy is to save all 141 acres of Lions Municipal Golf Course.
The fight to save the 141 acres has been going on for decades. Board member Scotty Sayers said the conservancy wants to negotiate with UT to make sure both sides win. "Lions sits on a valuable piece of real estate," Sayers said.
"There's no question about that. This is 141 acres. It's a wildlife sanctuary.
It's a water recharge zone. It sits over a water recharge zone." Sayers said if they do come to a deal, the conservancy plans to turn part of it into a museum to recognize the Black history at Lions and renovate the course.
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