HOPE Outdoor Gallery

HOPE Outdoor Gallery
HOPE Outdoor Gallery in 2014
Interactive map of the HOPE Outdoor Gallery area
General information
Location741 Dalton Lane, Austin, Texas, United States
Coordinates30°13′47″N 97°40′04″W / 30.2296684°N 97.667752°W / 30.2296684; -97.667752

HOPE Outdoor Gallery is a graffiti park that, as of November 2025, is located close to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport at 741 Dalton Lane.[1] HOPE Outdoor Gallery was originally located in the north east corner of the Castle Hill Local Historic District in downtown Austin from 2011 to 2019.[2]

Castle Hill Location (2011 - 2019)

The original 1.2-acre[3] Castle Hill site was located at 1008 Baylor Street, just outside the Old West Austin Historic District. It sat at the base of a hill topped by a "castle-like three-story structure"[4] built in 1869 as the home of the Texas Military Institute, a military high school.[5]

In the 1980s, the property at the base of the hill was developed into a terraced single-story condominium complex called Le Palestra. After the developers filed suit against several subcontractors over structural deficiencies - at a time when the nearly completed condominiums still stood empty - the property was sold at a foreclosure auction to NCNB Texas National Bank for US$377,000 in 1989. The building was demolished in the early 1990s, with only the foundations remaining. An eyesore to neighbors,[6] the property changed hands several times after that. In 2007, Dick Clark + Associates had commenced work on designing a new condominium complex for the property, however, those plans fell through amid the onset of the Great Recession.[7]

Just before South by Southwest 2011,[8] then owners Vic Ayad and Dick Clark allowed HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) to run a short-term outdoor gallery on the property[4] - then called Local to Global Outdoor Gallery Project.[8] To prepare the site, HOPE founder Andi Scull cleared the property[8] and artist Shepard Fairey put up posters on some of the concrete slabs.[9][10][4][8] Those posters, however, quickly became overrun with graffiti, most of which was attributed to the graffiti crew TCK, one of Austin's largest graffiti crews, at least as of 2011. Consequently, Vic Ayad and Dick Clark closed the site,[11] putting up "No Trespassing" signs and yellow barrier tape. "You wouldn't go and paint over a Picasso" Dick Clark told The Austin Chronicle.[8] Local to Global Outdoor Gallery Project re-opened back up to the public in time for South by Southwest 2012[12] and then never closed after that.[13][1]

In August 2016, CultureMap reported that property taxes, insurance and other holding costs amounted to $100,000 / year.[14]

HOPE Outdoor Gallery continued to operate out of this location until 2019[2] when the sloping portion of the property[15] was sold to the Cumby Group, which broke ground on The Colorfield,[3] a 0.67 acre[16][17][18] luxury condominium complex, in 2021.[3] Consisting of 10 units,[16] ranging between 3,200 and 5,058 sqft with a starting price of $3.6 million,[19] construction on The Colorfield concluded in 2025.[a] As an homage to HOPE Outdoor Gallery, The Colorfield has a permanent mural wall.[3] As of 2025,[20] Vic Ayad still owned the remaining flatter part of the original 1.2 acres (now mapped as 1109 W. 11th St.) and had plans to develop that land into 12 three-bedroom condominiums.[15] (co-owner Dick Clark died from cancer in 2017[21])

In HOPE Outdoor Gallery's final months at the Castle Hill location, Austin-based SubVRsive made 3D scans of the property[22][23] that can now be viewed at the Austin Public Library via VR headsets.[24]

Carson Creek Ranch Location (2025 -)

A little over a mile away from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, as the crow flies, lies Carson Creek Ranch. Originally known as MacArthur-Sneed Ranch,[25] Carson Creek Ranch is a Century Ranch[26] that, today, operates as an event venue. Past events hosted by Carson Creek Ranch include Euphoria Festival, from 2014 to 2017, and Levitation, from 2013 to 2015.[27]

In 2018, Carson Creek Ranch donated an option[28] to buy 17 acres[29] of land adjacent to theirs to HOPE Outdoor Gallery. In April 2023,[30] amid rising costs,[31] HOPE Outdoor Gallery wound up selling 8 acres back to Carson Creek Ranch so that Carson Creek Ranch might have overflow parking for their events, leaving the HOPE Outdoor Gallery with 9 acres.[32][33] Between that and permitting issues,[32] COVID-19 and a lawsuit between the two parties that was ultimately dropped,[28] HOPE Outdoor Gallery had an invite-only soft opening at its new location of 741 Dalton Lane on November 26, 2025, held its grand opening on November 28, 2025 (Black Friday)[1] and had a ribbon cutting ceremony on December 17, 2025.[34]

In addition to receiving funding from the land sale, this new location also received funding from the sale of commemorative bricks and from the Nouns DAO Community.[1]

The new location features a piece of wall that was relocated from the original location and includes an installation designed as land art: some of its structures are laid out to spell "H-O-P-E" in 180-foot-long letters, visible from aircraft leaving Austin–Bergstrom International Airport.[32] Additional amenities at the site include a cafe, a rooftop bar, an art supply shop, a food truck park and event spaces.[35]

Helping Other People Everywhere (HOPE)

The organization behind HOPE Outdoor Gallery is Helping Other People Everywhere (HOPE), a 501(c)(3) organization since 2009.[36] The idea for HOPE was born in 2006, after founder Andi Scull Cheatham saw an early cut of The Devil Came on Horseback, a film concerning the War in Darfur, and decided that a campaign "that people can digest easily" was needed.[4]

To raise money, Andi Scull Cheatham reached out to Shepard Fairey, designer of the Barack Obama "Hope" poster, with whom she had collaborated before. By coincidence, Shepard Fairey was in the process of introducing a new wing of his OBEY clothing brand, OBEY Awareness, which donates 100% of profits to various causes,[4] and HOPE wound up being the first beneficiary.[37] Four months later, HOPE received $46,000 from OBEY Awareness.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The November 14, 2025 archive.org snapshot of thecolorfieldaustin.com shows "NOW COMPLETED!", however, the August 13, 2025 archive.org snapshot does not.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Caleri, Brianna (November 21, 2025). "Austin's famous Hope Outdoor Gallery opens in November". CultureMap. Archived from the original on November 22, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  2. ^ a b McAfee, Katy (March 28, 2025). "Six years after it closed, HOPE Outdoor Gallery is set to reopen this fall near the airport". KUT. Archived from the original on July 18, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Rohit, Parimal (May 12, 2021). "New condos at old HOPE graffiti park to cost $3.6M apiece". KXAN-TV. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Makela, Bob (June 19, 2014). "HOG Wild". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  5. ^ Barnes, Michael (October 16, 2025). "Inside Austin's castles, from fortress to family home". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  6. ^ "Abandoned construction site on Castle Hill irks neighbors". Austin American-Statesman. August 23, 1990. p. 4 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Rambin, James (January 9, 2018). "With Demolition Pending, Castle Hill's Graffiti Gallery Isn't Long for This World". TOWERS. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e Martinez, Ramon (August 12, 2011). "End of the Road for Baylor Street Art Wall?". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  9. ^ "HOPE & SXSW". Obey Giant. March 18, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  10. ^ HOPE Outdoor Gallery Launch SXSW 2011. August 30, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2025 – via Vimeo.
  11. ^ Serrano, Jody (September 30, 2011). "Photographer discusses Austin street art". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  12. ^ "SXSW 2012: HOPE Everwhere in Austin". H.O.P.E Blog. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  13. ^ Cooper, Rachel (January 2, 2019). "Austin's Iconic Graffiti Park Closes As A New Canvas Is Prepped Near The Airport". KUT. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  14. ^ Raney, Nicole (August 8, 2016). "Downtown Austin's iconic graffiti park searches for new home". CultureMap. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Neely, Christopher (January 27, 2020). "Austin's old 'Graffiti Park' site proposed for two-part, 22-condo development". Community Impact. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Grumet, Bridget (February 21, 2024). "Luxury condos were supposed to replace Austin's old graffiti park. Why aren't they done?". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  17. ^ Martinez, Austin (February 4, 2020). "Graffiti Park relocates". The Daily Texan. p. 1.
  18. ^ "830871 COLORFIELD LLC". Travis County Appraisal District. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  19. ^ Egan, John (May 12, 2021). "Multimillion-dollar condos make colorful entry into iconic Old West Austin locale". CultureMap. Archived from the original on September 7, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  20. ^ "830872 EASTCASTLE HOLDINGS LLC". Travis County Appraisal District. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  21. ^ Dinges, Gary (August 9, 2017). "Renowned Austin architect Dick Clark dead at 72". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  22. ^ Cobler, Nicole (November 21, 2018). "Thanks to Austin startup, graffiti park will live on through virtual reality". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  23. ^ "HOPE Outdoor Gallery: Preserving an Austin Landmark in VR". subvrsive.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  24. ^ de Leon, Luis (November 27, 2018). "HOPE Outdoor Gallery will live on through virtual reality". KVUE. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "About The Ranch". carsoncreekranch.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  26. ^ Texas Family Land Heritage Registry, Volume 11, 1986-1990. Texas Department of Agriculture. 1990. p. 142. Retrieved November 22, 2025 – via The Portal to Texas History.
  27. ^ Flores, Nancy (November 18, 2017). "HOPE Outdoor Gallery to relocate to Carson Creek Ranch". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  28. ^ a b Curtin, Kevin (February 11, 2021). "HOPE Outdoor Gallery Takes Carson Creek Ranch to Court". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  29. ^ Flores, Nancy (December 30, 2019). "HOPE Gallery to reopen in 2020 near airport". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  30. ^ "977779 CARSON CREEK RANCH PARTNERS LLC". Travis County Appraisal District. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  31. ^ Whittaker, Richard (October 9, 2025). "HOPE Outdoor Gallery Makes Its Long-Awaited Return". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  32. ^ a b c Grumet, Bridget (March 13, 2024). "New graffiti park in Austin keeps hitting walls — instead of painting them". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on November 16, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  33. ^ "288529 HOG CARSON CREEK PROPERTY LLC". Travis County Appraisal District. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  34. ^ Jones, Abigail (December 17, 2025). "PHOTOS: Austin graffiti park celebrates ribbon-cutting". KXAN-TV. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  35. ^ McLeod, Haley (April 1, 2025). "Graffiti park HOPE Outdoor Gallery finds new home in South Austin". Community Impact. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  36. ^ "Hope Events Inc". ProPublica. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  37. ^ Fairey, Shepard (May 15, 2012). Shepard Fairey On Obey Awareness. Retrieved November 17, 2025 – via Vimeo.
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