Driskill Hotel: An Austin Landmark

Last week I was in Austin for work, so I decided to step into the Driskill Hotel out of curiosity. A good while back I first heard Guy Clark's song "Ramblin' Jack and Mahan," which is set in the hotel, and I asked Ramblin' Jack about the song after a show he played at Fort Worth's now-defunct Live Oak a couple of years ago. According to Ramblin' Jack, Guy Clark was the first to go upstairs to his room, and the song is about what he imagined was happening downstairs. So I was curious about the place and its history.

The hotel was established in 1886, and Governor Sul Ross was the first to hold his inauguration ball at the Driskill. LBJ and Ladybird had their first date there, and LBJ even awaited the results of the 1964 election in a room overlooking 6th Street. So the hotel has a very interesting history, and I wanted to walk inside and absorb it. Although I didn't go past the lobby, I got a feel for the place. It is a hotel that is large in scale, with marble columns and a grand marble staircase with a painting of Colonel Driskill at the top. I could imagine cattle barons smoking cigars in plush chairs and ladies in hoop skirts going through the "women and children's entrance" so as not to be offended by the indelicacy of the male guests enjoying their leisure in the saloon. Although I didn't stay long, I am glad I stopped in for a gander.

I have included a link to a news story about the hotel's 130th anniversary and Guy Clark's song set in the hotel.