Historic Pease Campus Set for $21M Child Care Revival

Austin, TX · October 21, 2026

That brisk bite in the predawn air is proof that fall finally remembered where we live, just in time for a busy Wednesday across town.

The Lead

Six years after the district’s oldest public school shuttered its classroom doors, the historic Pease Elementary campus at 1106 Rio Grande Street is preparing for a new generation of toddlers and preschoolers. The city has formally cleared the environmental review threshold required to unlock three million dollars in federal Community Project funds, advancing a twenty-one-million-dollar adaptive reuse plan led by United Way for Greater Austin. Built in 1876, the two-acre landmark will be rehabilitated into an early learning center serving roughly 130 children ages six weeks to five years, featuring income-based sliding-scale tuition and priority enrollment for district staff. Interior abatement and structural preservation work kick off this winter, marking the start of a multi-year construction push aimed at opening the classroom gates for the 2027 school year.

Local Pulse

Austin Energy Completes Lady Bird Lake Tunneling Parks Crews finished underground electrical boring at Waller Beach, keeping the Butler Trail detour active through summer 2027 for waterline work.
City Backs Elm Ridge Apartment Renovations Housing A thirty-three million dollar bond package funds comprehensive repairs and long-term affordability protections for residents at the Airport Boulevard complex.
North Austin Roundabout Approved for Safety Roads Construction begins soon at Rutland and Parkfield drives to replace the awkward intersection with a continuous-flow modern roundabout.

Today's Outlook

High 84°F · Low 50°F — Clear
- Grab a morning layer for that crisp low before sunshine warms up the afternoon.

What's On Around Town

Today

Mac Sabbath Come and Take It Live (2015 E Riverside Dr), 6:00 PM · $57 Fast-food parody metal theatrics with drive-thru-sized riffs and comedy.
Leonid & Friends ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W Willie Nelson Blvd), 7:30 PM · $22 Incredible tribute band playing brass-heavy classic rock anthems live.
Waitress Bass Concert Hall (2350 Robert Dedman Dr), 7:30 PM · Paid Sara Bareilles' hit musical serves up diner drama and heart.
Black Country, New Road Radio/East (3504 Montopolis Dr), 8:00 PM · $59 Post-punk British ensemble takes the sprawling southeast outdoor stage.

Tomorrow

Vince Staples Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater (801 Red River St), 7:00 PM · Paid
Ben Böhmer The Concourse Project (8509 Burleson Rd), 9:00 PM · $65–90

Friday

San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets Moody Center (2001 Robert Dedman Dr), 7:00 PM · Paid
ZHU The Concourse Project (8509 Burleson Rd), 9:00 PM · $60–70

Spotlight & Story

Sandy's Hamburgers
- Andy and Julia Harris opened their walk-up stand in 1946, naming it for their daughter. What keeps its neon humming under skyline towers isn't just cheap frozen custard, but a legendary 99-year lease signed in 1945 that runs through 2044.

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