SOUTH CONGRESS started out as a grand avenue. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the main road between Austin and San Antonio, and the surrounding area was filled with huge live oak trees, which are still standing today. But in the ’40s, a new highway started directing traffic away from the area, and by the time I moved to Austin from West Texas in the mid-’80s it was basically abandoned.
In 1995, when I moved to Travis Heights, a residential area nearby, South Congress was a red-light district. There were prostitutes, junkies, a handful of insurance agencies, and maybe a sandwich shop. One place that continued to thrive, however, was the Continental Club, a legendary music venue that opened in 1957. It’s the reason I bought a…
