The city has stepped in to halt construction after a South Texas developer exceeded its approved demolition plans, tearing down all but a small portion of a 19th-century building in East Austin that preservationists say is part of the neighborhood’s rapidly disappearing historic fabric.
The structure at 1010 East Cesar Chavez Street was most recently home to the popular cafe and restaurant Cenote. The new owner, Haidar Properties, applied for a permit in 2024 to renovate the structure and bring in the Southern California-based coffee chain Urth Caffé. A little more than a year later, the lot is nearly bare, and the city has stepped in to halt work on the project and assess the demolition.
The developer presented its plans to Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission in December 2024, saying at the time “the intent would be to preserve as much as possible of the shell.” But looking at the remains on the site, critics say it’s clear that intent never became a reality. Despite the developer telling the commission it would preserve more than 3,000 square feet of the original property, only a small fraction of the historic facade remains standing, potentially jeopardizing its ability to receive historic landmark designation and underscoring the steady loss of historic structures on Austin’s east side.
“To see the building torn down like that, it was pretty heartbreaking,” said Mary Jenkins, who restored the building and opened Cenote in 2012…