A Longhorn Helped to Preserve and Elevate This Iconic Local Property
It’s easy to miss the Commodore Perry Estate from Red River Street, where a nondescript neon sign merely hints at the sanctuary inside its stone walls. But beyond the gate lies a nearly century-old property, home to an immaculately restored Italianate mansion, 10 acres of sprawling European gardens, and a treasure trove of local history—now preserved for Austinites and visitors alike.
Once the country home of socialites Lutie and Edgar “Commodore” Perry, the estate is now a luxury boutique hotel in the Auberge Resorts Collection, connecting Austin’s past and present. It’s a rare living landmark in a city that’s ever-changing, thanks to developer Clark Lyda, JD ’85, and his local partners who share a passion for the estate’s history and artisanship.
“Buildings tell the story of the people who built them and of the time that they were built in,” Lyda says. “That history is important. It informs who we are, [and] it’s a tie to our past.”
Lyda first discovered the estate in the summer of 1975, when his mother took him to visit a private school opening on the grounds. He was immediately struck by the mansion, which was “very unusual” for the modest government and university town he had grown up in. Curious about the estate’s history, he began researching its original owners for his school newspaper.
Lyda says the estate’s namesake existed at a “nexus of historical importance.” Commodore Perry was a cotton trader and real estate developer who later became the head of the Austin Housing Authority. Though he never actually served in the Navy, he was jokingly commissioned a “Commodore” by Governor Beauford Jester (the namesake of UT Austin’s Jester dormitory) after his boat washed away in a storm on Lake Austin. He was also very politically active, as both an early supporter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and close friend of Austin Mayor Tom Miller.
Perry was known to appreciate the finer things and a good party, both of which became focal points of his Gatsby-esque estate. Completed in 1928, the property included a triangular elevator, a bowling alley, and sunken garden. And because it was a short walk from the original Austin Country Club (now the Hancock Golf Course), it became a swanky social hub.
“There were fascinating people connected with this property and craftsmanship that was embodied in it that we’ve lost,” Lyda says, citing hand-crafted features from the famous Weigl IronWorks and wood-carver Peter Mansbendel.
The property’s initial heyday ended in 1944, when the Perrys moved to the penthouse of the Driskill hotel. The estate was later gifted to the Catholic Diocese of Austin, which opened the first of several schools on the grounds. Lyda says there were some close calls for the property, including its near sale to an investor group that planned to “tear everything down” and build a medical campus. Though the estate survived, it fell into disrepair over time.
Fortunately, in 2011, Lyda was able to team up with The Marchbanks Company to acquire and restore the property. They decided to reimagine The Commodore Perry as a hotel, elevating the site as a local destination, while retaining its residential and hospitable spirit.
For Lyda, the six-year restoration process was a labor of love.
“There was a lot of deferred maintenance. The gardens were completely gone … There were raccoons in the attic and fleas. It was a mess,” Lyda says. “We spent about a year just stabilizing the house. We reroofed it, rebuilt the gardens to the original plan, and then we went through about a three-and-a-half year rezoning and entitlement process.”
In 2015, the team rezoned the property as historic with the help of local nonprofit Preservation Austin (previously known as the Heritage Society of Austin). As the nonprofit’s executive director Lindsey Derrington explains, obtaining historical zoning is crucial for safeguarding historic properties and responsibly giving them new lives.
“It ensures that when people do work on these buildings, it’s reviewed by the city’s historic preservation office and the city’s historic landmark commission,” Derrington says. “We want it to read as significant for its historic value, while also acknowledging that buildings need new uses.”
Lyda enlisted the expertise of architects Clayton Korte and Moule & Polyzoides and designer Ken Fulk to retain historical integrity while reworking the estate into a contemporary hotel. They referenced the original set of blue lines for the house and a series of black-and-white photos that depicted original furnishings from 1928. The team also had to get creative, utilizing a crawl space below the house to add electricity without tearing out original finishes, and repurposing a former dumbwaiter in the staff’s quarters as a minibar.
The first phase of the hotel was unveiled in 2020, with five one-of-a-kind guest suites in the original mansion, 42 private rooms and seven suites in the newly constructed inn building, and an oval-shaped pool inspired by the original architect’s signature elliptical motif. There’s also a garden restaurant paying homage to Lutie Perry, and a historic chapel dating back to the property’s former Catholic school, which now operates as an event space.
Four years after launching, the estate snagged two Michelin keys (the hotel equivalent of Michelin stars). But even with growing international panache, the Commodore Perry remains a local treasure, says hotel general manager Jordi Vallès.
“The idea of rescuing such an iconic building is to bring it back to your community and be open to your neighbors,” Vallès says. “Make sure that it’s an approachable concept, even though it’s luxury.”
Facilitating connections between guests and the local community is Jonathan Maurel, an artist who has lived in Austin for 13 years. Maurel got his start as a bellhop at the hotel before transitioning to his current role as cultural experience specialist, which includes teaching on-site art classes and organizing personalized excursions to local gems such as Heritage Boots, the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, and nearby artist studios. He also books Texan musicians such as Midland and Emilie Basez for weekly concerts on the property.
“The idea when I create an experience with a partner that is from Austin is to add something that you will not be able to plan on your own,” Maurel says, explaining that he is passionate about “working with the community to bring the local talents” and creating an approachable ambiance for guests.
In addition to guest experiences, the estate also offers a private membership club for Austin locals. Maurel explains that the club includes access to general guest programming, as well as more intimate events such as photography and printmaking classes, as well as book signings with Texan authors.
As one of the hotel’s longest-serving employees, Maurel has become a wellspring of little-known secrets about the estate. He’s passionate about little details, such as the foxes in the wallpaper nodding to a family of foxes that lives on the grounds, and the hundred-year-old Post Oaks scattered around the property.
“This little courtyard is part of my favorite spot,” he says of a hacienda-style lounge in the center of the main inn. “It’s a great little oasis within an oasis.”
Inside the estate walls, it’s easy to get lost in this serenity and forget you’re only blocks away from I-35 and a bustling H-E-B. It’s part of what advocates like Lyda love about the property and hope to share with future generations.
“It’s very much designed to be a beloved part of the community, not just for visitors, but to be part of Austin’s life,” Lyda says. “It’s too wonderful of a place for people to not have access to.”
CREDITS: Courtesy of Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection (5)
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