A limestone studio with a castle tower sits on a meadow above Waller Creek at 304 E. 44th St., and it has been a construction site since early 2025. Sculptor Elisabet Ney built it in 1892 and called it Formosa. The museum closed to the public on Dec. 30, 2024. In February 2025, the City expected to reopen it in summer 2026. Its current schedule now shows construction wrapping up in winter 2027 and the museum reopening in spring 2027.
That leaves Hyde Park's best-known address shut for another season. A few blocks away, the cluster of storefronts at 43rd and Duval is carrying more of the neighborhood's public life. The changes there this year follow a pattern. The newcomers are moving into spaces that already existed, next door to businesses that have been on the block for years.
The Ney's Timeline Moved Back About A Year
In April 2025, the City's construction update put construction start on Feb. 10, 2025. It expected substantial completion in early 2026 and a grand reopening in summer 2026, and it asked people not to enter the active construction site. Two months earlier, the contractor had begun setting up construction fencing around the museum, the pedestrian bridge and a staging area north of Waller Creek. The current schedule on the City's Elisabet Ney Museum Improvements page sets the reopening about three seasons later than that update did.
The size of the job helps explain the wait. The City's project description covers:
- Restoring the original exterior wood doors and windows
- Upgrading and replacing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system
- Replacing the exhibit lighting and general lighting
- Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing and interior finishes
- A new pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, plus accessible pathways connecting the grounds
- About 20,000 square feet of creek bank stabilization along Waller Creek
The City's contract catalog lists Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, LLC as the contractor, with an authorized contract amount of $5,048,094.88. Funding comes from several sources: the 2012 Bond's Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum.
What the neighborhood is missing for now is a building the City says draws 21,000 local, national and international visitors a year. A second phase is also planned. A landscape rehabilitation plan aims to improve access across the historic grounds, add an outdoor classroom and build a new entry plaza. The City has said it expected that work to begin in 2026. In a May 2026 Austin American-Statesman column, Michael Barnes wrote that under director and curator Jade Walker, the studio and its restored meadow gardens are set to become "a beehive of activities" combining art, history and education.
The site still served the neighborhood this fall, even while closed. The 47th annual Historic Hyde Park Homes Tour on Nov. 8 used the museum as its check-in point. The tour has run since 1975, is organized entirely by volunteers, and is the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association's largest annual fundraiser.
Three Doors On The 4200 Block Of Duval
The densest stretch of daily errands in Hyde Park is a short row of Duval Street addresses. The newest occupant is moving in at 4222.
| Address | Business | Where things stand |
|---|---|---|
| 4206 Duval St. | Hyde Park Bar & Grill | Open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| 4220 Duval St. | Antonelli's Cheese Shop | Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| 4222 Duval St. | Kōbō | Dinner-only sushi, announced for November in the former Uncle Nicky's space |
Uncle Nicky's served its last day at 4222 Duval on Sunday, April 26, and its South Lamar location kept operating. The storefront sat empty through the summer and early fall. Then, on Oct. 29, Community Impact reported that Kōbō would take it over.
Who Is Taking Over 4222
Kōbō comes from Ryan and Wade McElroy, working with chef Moto Seto. According to the same Community Impact report, the brothers grew up in Austin and have been regulars in Hyde Park since the '90s. Between them they run several established Austin restaurants. Ryan McElroy co-owns Bird Bird Biscuit and Wade McElroy co-owns Kinsho. Together they co-own Teddy's Bar and Love Supreme.
Seto is from Nagoya, Japan, where he started working in restaurants at 18. He was most recently head chef at Soto in Austin and Houston. The restaurant plans to serve fish from Tokyo's Toyosu Market. The menu will include nigiri, sashimi, maki and temaki hand rolls, plus a short list of small kitchen dishes, with natural wines and sake to drink. It will be open for dinner only.
Wade McElroy explained the choice of location to Community Impact in terms of what the block already has:
"We wanted to jive with the neighborhood. Hyde Park is incredible and has great options whether it's Italian, Mexican, pizza or pastries, but there's no great sushi in the neighborhood so we felt that Kōbō would be a natural fit."
The name means "workshop" in Japanese, and the team describes the restaurant as a place to keep improving each dish. Seto studied architecture before becoming a chef and told Community Impact that background still shapes how he approaches sushi.
The way Kōbō arrived fits the rest of this year's changes. Experienced Austin operators with long ties to the neighborhood picked a vacant storefront between a bar and grill and a cheese shop, and they built the concept to fill a gap in what the block already offers.
The Same Pattern Up Duval And Over On 43rd
The ice cream shop at the north end of the strip followed the same approach. Gati, which started on Holly Street, opened its Hyde Park shop at 4500 Duval St. on June 27. Community Impact's opening report noted two items sold only at the Hyde Park shop: a tamarind candy ice cream and a peach cobbler sundae. The shop makes plant-based ice cream and gluten-free baked goods and lists hours of noon to 10 p.m. on its website.
Around the corner on 43rd Street, several businesses have been there for years and are still open:
- Quack's 43rd St. Bakery at 411 E. 43rd St. takes online orders and is taking Thanksgiving pie preorders.
- Asti Trattoria at 408 E. 43rd St. takes reservations through its website.
- Avenue B Grocery at 4403 Avenue B is open when its "V for Victory" light is on. Its full deli is temporarily on hold.
Antonelli's has posted its holiday hours on its store locations page. The page lists closures on Thanksgiving and the day after, and shortened hours on Christmas Eve, so check it before planning a holiday cheese board.
Taken together, the newer arrivals sit between and around the long-running businesses. Pastries at Quack's, Italian at Asti, cheese at Antonelli's and dinner at Hyde Park Bar & Grill are all still on the block. Kōbō's own pitch lists the neighborhood's Italian, Mexican, pizza and pastry options as the reason a sushi counter made sense.
What Fills The Evenings Until The Ney Comes Back
With the museum closed, the Hyde Park Theatre is the neighborhood's main indoor arts venue this month. Its current production, Bad Books, runs Nov. 5 through 28, according to the theater's website, and November auditions are listed alongside it.
The Ney's return is still on the calendar. The City expects construction to finish in winter 2027, then plans to complete the museum's new interpretive plan before the building reopens in spring 2027. For updates on the restoration, the City's project page lists Ellen Colfax, project manager with Austin Parks and Recreation, as the contact. Kōbō is slated to open in November at 4222 Duval and Gati opened at 4500 in June, so by the time the Ney reopens, both will have been part of the strip for months.
If you're curious how changes like a new restaurant at 4222 Duval or a restored landmark on 44th Street shape life on your own Hyde Park block, I'm always glad to talk it through. Gay Puckett has followed Central Austin's neighborhoods for decades. Let's connect. Call or email to start the conversation.
