Election Day 2026 takes place on November 3, and early voting begins in Texas on October 19. Preservation Austin sent a historic preservation-focused questionnaire to the candidates running for seats in the Austin City Council. The decisions made by City Council impact a range of preservation activities in our city. Preservation Austin is excited to share with our members and the Austin community the perspectives of those candidates who responded.

Preservation Austin is thrilled to recognize the thoughtful, pioneering, and community-oriented winners of our 66th Annual Preservation Merit Awards. Our twelve winners for 2026 represent the wide-ranging efforts to uplift preservation practice and enhance historic spaces across Austin.

The cemetery, located at 1300-1308 Springdale Road, is the oldest known Black cemetery in Austin and one of the city’s most significant sites of Black heritage. Preservation Austin is honored to partner with Bethany Cemetery Association President Sue Spears-Martin to prepare and bring forward this nomination. 

Austin City Council unanimously voted to designate the Goins-Versea-Nitschke House (907 E 13 St) as a City of Austin Landmark and protect the building from demolition by owner Eureka Holdings. The 140+ year-old building is one of the oldest houses in the Swede Hill area, and is a landmark of East Austin’s working-class German and African American history.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is advancing a sweeping and damaging proposal to rewrite the regulations for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). If implemented, these new rules would dramatically diminish the current legal protections for historic and cultural places.

Sue Spears-Martin is a native Austinite and veteran community organizer. Sue has been involved with Bethany Cemetery, the city’s first cemetery exclusively for African Americans, since the 1990s. Since then she has been dedicated to safeguarding the site’s rich heritage through preservation and community engagement.

Preservation Austin’s 66th Annual Preservation Merit Awards honor visionary approaches to preserving our city’s unique architectural, cultural, and environmental heritage. By recognizing outstanding individuals, businesses, organizations, and institutions, we hope to inspire others to carry on this important work.

Women have played a pivotal role in shaping the vibrant Austin we know today. These remarkable advocates, often working behind the scenes, laid the foundation for the city’s growth and cultural diversity through their dedication to education, community service, and social justice. One such woman was “Grandma” Camacho.