Old Bakery
a.k.a. Lundberg Bakery
1006 Congress Ave., Austin, TXIn 1876 Charles Lundberg built what is now called the Old Bakery Building. According to the March 26, 1876 edition of the Austin Statesman the building was as noteworthy then as it is today. The paper described how "a large (stone) eagle, with outstretched wings, and carved out of solid stone by that excellent mechanic, Mr. John Didelot, was yesterday elevated to the top of Mr. Lundberg's bakery building, at the head of the Avenue. Mr. L. is sparing no pains or expense in fitting up the most tasty and attractive bakery and confectionery in the South." Charles Lundberg came to the United States from Sweden in 1863 and in 1872 he moved to Austin where: he became a journeyman in the bakery business. A year or two later he bought out his employer. "From that day,' according to Lundberg's obituary,'he conducted the largest and most successful bakery in Austin." When he died in 1895, his widow sold the business to Henry Maerki, a Swiss National, and a partner. By 1898 Maerki was the sole owner of the bakery where he and his wife Lillie made their home. In 1906, before taking his family back to his fatherland, Maerki sold the business to George Siglhofer whose name appears in the cement sidewalk in front of the building.
For sixty years the little building housed a succession of independent bakers who supplied fresh bread and cakes to Austinites as well as for visitors on their way to the Capitol. Specialties of the Lundberg Bakery were: five inch long ladyfingers, almond meal macaroons, glazed kisses, and Sally bread. From 1883 to 1899 the temporary State Capitol at Eleventh and Congress was located next to the bakery. Although various business interests occupied the Old Bakery Building after 1937, it was used last as a nightclub. Until 1962 it was vacant and deteriorating; at that time the Heritage Society of Austin bought and restored it along with the aid of the Junior League of Austin. The Heritage Society Guild directed restoration of the building which they opened to the public in January, 1965 as a tourist information center, museum, curio shop and snack bar.
The Texas State Historical Survey Committee designated the Old Bakery Building as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1966, but today the Texas Highway Department threatens its existence with plans for a new office building on the site.
Bibliography
Patrick, Carolyn, The Dallas Morning News, Thursday, Mar 20, 1965
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.