Driskill Hotel

Jesse Lincoln Driskill (1824-1890), born in Sparta, Tennessee, intended that his hotel become the finest in the South. When Driskill came to Texas in 1849 he entered the merchandising business in Bastrop, San Antonio, San Marcos, and Bryan By 1857 he switched over to the cattle business where he became a prosperous rancher. During the Civil War he supplied beef for the Confederate Army and was one of the first ranchers to enter the cattle drives to the mid-western markets after the Civil War. The prosperous cattle baron moved to Austin in 1871 where he proposed his hotel scheme to the city fathers in 1884 and offered $7500 for the lots and building on Bois d'Arc, now 7th Street.

By 1885 construction began on the brick and limestone building which eventually cost Driskill $400,000. Five days before Christmas in 1886 the famous Driskill opened to the public. A special supplement to the Daily Statesman in Austin on December 17, 1886 bestowed accolades on Driskill's achievement and foretasted rapid progress of Austin because as the paper exclaimed "What a Bonanza Austin possesses in its new caravansary." The ad touted Austin as a vacation center in hopes that the hotel would, of course, be one of the main recipients of the increased tourism.

To most Austinites and many Texans the Driskill was an institution. And for travelers of the late nineteenth century the Driskill offered luxury accommodations at $2.50 to $5.00 per night for rooms and a full course meal for thirty-five cents. Austinites mingled with state dignitaries in the luxurious ball rooms when governors had their inaugurals. The first formal affair held at the Driskill was Governor Sul Ross' inaugural ball of 1887. After that state affair the proprietors of the Driskill expected and received the honor of hosting many state functions. For over thirty years the Driskill also was the setting for the annual homecoming ball of the University of Texas. These homecoming balls as well as the Spring "final balls" for the University of Texas were lavish events. Special porters kept fresh flowers cool through-out social functions while students and their guests warmed up on fifty to sixty gallons of whiskey. Such state and university social events took place in the ballrooms of the Driskill. The Crystal Ballroom with its fine crystal chandeliers and the Maxmillian Room with its eight gold leaf framed mirrors which once belonged to Carlotta and Maxmillian of Mexico were the most famous rooms.

Many State legislators annually headquartered at the Driskill up to its closing in September of 1969. President and Mrs. Johnson frequented the Jim Hogg Suite on their stays in Austin and used the Driskill as their election night center in 1964. Certainly during its eighty-three year existence (1886-1969) the Driskill Hotel became an integral part of the cultural and political fabric of the state. The Driskill was "an institution dedicated to the service of Austin and Texas" as its semi-centennial ad proclaimed in 1936.

In 1966 on the Driskill's 75th anniversary the Heritage Society of Austin chose it as one of the twelve most significant landmarks of Austin. That same year the Texas State Historical Survey Committee designated the Driskill Hotel as an historic landmark of Texas. Today the Driskill is endangered by its present owners who plan to raze it completely so that they can build a new hotel.