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The Treehouse

Type: Historic Site

Rating:

(2.50)1

Cost: N/A

Years In Use: 1977-1986

Year Destroyed: N/A

Open To The Public: No

Historical Marker: No

ADA Accessible: N/A

Bikes Allowed: N/A

Dogs Allowed: N/A

Interpretive Guide: N/A

Address: Barton Springs Road

City: Austin

County: Travis

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Up on stilts, behind a fence at the southwest corner of Dawson and Barton Springs Blvd., is a place that has sat undisturbed while change has been the rule for its neighboors. For fifteen years, more and more Austinites are clueless to the club that seems to draw bad luck. The structure was built in 1977 as a nightclub, Mackedrick’s Treehouse, which offered the combination of live music and a postcard view of downtown Austin.

In July of 1982, Steve Wimberly bought the place and it began a new life as Lola’s in the Fall of 1983. It was later that year that disaster hit. During the Christmas season a pipe burst in the unusual cold snap. Water damage closed the club until its grand opening May 15 of 1985 as simply "The Treehouse." Artists such as Marcia Ball and WC Clark and the Blues review brought their live music just down the street from where the Armadillo World Headquarters played its last show 5 years earlier.

The Treehouse

In March of 1986, more bad news for the club - Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Treehouse kept on as a live music venue for another two months then it became a disco. By the December, 1987 phone book it was no longer listed. Nancy Neal who handles public relations for the current owner, PPT Development, says the property "no longer meets any (building) code requirements." She said the roof and floor are in poor shape, plus the steep slope make this "a funky piece of land," she said. Currently the owners are looking to develop the property, most likely with the Treehouse demolished she said.

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See it while it lasts
By Austin Explorer on 9/23/2010
Rating:

Judging from the large sign out front now, this building may not last much longer. There appears to be a development planned for the space and the treehouse would have to be removed. On the other hand, those plans may have been put on hold given the recent market downturn.

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Extensively revised, redesigned, Austin Then and Now® puts archive and contemporary photographs of the same landmark side-by-side to showcase the city's pastAustin is known for its impressive streets and period architecture, particularly the imposing State Capitol and the view down Congress Avenue. It offers a blend of outstanding natural attractions including Barton Springs and Town Lake, as well as international venues such as the stunning new Circuit of the Americas, the home of the U.S. Grand Prix. From its beginnings as a sleepy village to its current position as the Texas state capital, Austin has witnessed incredible growth. This captivating chronicle of a fascinating city matches historic images with specially commissioned views of the same scenes as they appear today. Locations include Driskill Hotel, Sixth Street, O. Henry Museum, Pierre Bremond House, Paramount Theatre, Millet Opera House, Texas Capitol, St. Mary's Cathedral, Lundberg Bakery, Old Travis County Courthouse, Governor's Mansion, Old Land Office, Moonlight Towers, Custer House, University of Texas Tower, Pemberton Heights, Texas State Hospital, Barton Springs, and Circuit of the Americas.