Old Enfield neighborhood celebrates 100th anniversary May 4

One of Austin's oldest neighborhoods turns 100 years old this weekend.

Old Enfield in West Austin will hold its centennial celebration May 4 with a parade around the historic Pease Mansion. The event starts at 4:30 p.m., followed by the neighborhood's annual picnic at 5 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear early 1900s-era attire to celebrate the anniversary.

Austin City Council will also honor Old Enfield's 100th anniversary May 1 as part of a proclamation. Jim Christianson, 24-year Old Enfield resident and chairman of the neighborhood's centennial committee, will be at the meeting to accept the recognition.

"When Austin was developing around the turn of the century at the beginning of World War I, we were pretty much the first neighborhood that was developed west of town," Christianson said.

The neighborhood, bounded by Pease Park on the east, Windsor Road to the north, Enfield Road to the south and MoPac to the west, was first established in 1914, he said. The neighborhood's first big building boom occurred in 1920, Christianson said, with many homes still intact from that era.

"There's a variety of architecture from that time," he said.

Built in 1857, the historic Pease Mansion serves as the neighborhood's centerpiece. For more information about the area, visit the Old Enfield Homeowners Association website at www.old-enfield.org.