Baker School When it was built in 1911, the Baker School replaced the original Hyde Park School, which was established by Monroe Shipe, after Hyde Park School was unable to accommodate the neighborhood's growing population. Additions to Baker School were built in 1924, by city planner and architect Franz Hugo Kuehne, and in 1939 by the firm Kriesle and Brooks. During this period, the building was used as a filming location for the TV shows, "
Friday Night Lights" and "
Walker, Texas Red", as a school in both cases. Austin ISD asked that any buyers use the building for educational purposes.
Alamo Drafthouse Headquarters Movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse bought the Baker Center in 2017 for $10.6 million. Alamo Drafthouse said they would use it as their
corporate headquarters, but that it would also create
affordable housing for public school teachers on the property. They promised it would not be "just a development project". Concerns were raised over Alamo Drafthouse winning the auction, as other bidders had spent millions more on their bids. Kahn would later withdraw his lawsuit. It was added to the register in October 2023, which allotted the company a
tax credit. In 2021, the film
Lousy Carter conducted most of its filming at the Baker Center. The film was shown inside The Rosette on March 31, 2024. Following
Sony's acquisition of Alamo Drafthouse in 2024, Alamo scaled down their presence from two floors, to half of one floor. As a result, they allowed tenants to rent the floors they formerly occupied. There are now 30 tenants, including the
League of Women Voters,
Travis Audubon Society, wine and
holiday markets, interior designers, a photography studio, architectural firms, a coffee shop called Terrible Love, and a community garden. Terrible Love was originally a nearby coffee trailer, but tenant Studio Balcones built them a patio for their business. However, Terrible Love would then go on to occupy a refurnished boiler room in the community garden, leaving the patio to become a
third place for visitors to the Baker Center. The community garden is a passion project of co-owner
Karrie League. Although originally intended only for tenants, it is now also used by neighbors. == See also ==