Turning Back the Clock

When it comes to Mueller, the elephant in the room is usually how to pronounce it. The other question is usually something about it once being an airport. It’s one of those times where two things can be true at once, and the true story of Mueller is so much more interesting than mere pronunciation. So buckle your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff; this is going to be a bumpy flight. 

A Long History 

Our story begins 100 years ago at 508 East 16th Street, home of Robert Mueller, his wife Leona, and their three children. In 1926, Mueller, part of one of Austin’s earliest families, was elected to the City Commission as part of the “managerial ticket,” a group of businessmen focused on making city government more efficient. 

Austin voters had recently adopted the City Manager-Commission form of government, which remains in place today. At their first meeting on July 1, 1926, the new commission created modern city departments and began reshaping Austin’s future. One of their first major initiatives was establishing the City Plan Commission, which would oversee a $4.2 million bond program to build streets, parks, schools, fire stations, utilities, and a municipal airport. Much of the vision behind Austin’s 1928 city plan can still be seen in today’s Mueller development. 

However, the city plan also became part of one of Austin’s most troubling chapters. At the time, Black residents lived throughout Austin in several neighborhoods. The plan concentrated public investment in East Austin, encouraging African American families to relocate there while services elsewhere were reduced. Within a few years, Austin became sharply divided along East Avenue, now Interstate 35. 

Robert Mueller’s legacy is complicated. He played a role in policies that contributed to segregation, while also helping establish the parks, schools, civic facilities, and infrastructure that generations of Austinites continue to use today. After Mueller died from pneumonia in January 1927, his brother Leo filled his vacant commission seat. In 1930, the commission unanimously voted to name Austin’s municipal airport after Robert Mueller. 

Three decades later, Mueller Airport gained national recognition when its iconic terminal and control tower received a 1960 design award from the American Institute of Architects. But by the 1980s, Austin had outgrown the airport. Expansion plans threatened nearby neighborhoods, leading residents to form Citizens for Airport Relocation (CARE) and launch the “Move It” campaign. 

CARE member Rick Krivoniak remembers that the first relocation vote in 1985 failed because there was no clear alternative. A second vote in 1987 approved moving the airport east of Austin, but that plan collapsed amid controversy. In 1990, the federal government announced the closure of Bergstrom Air Force Base, giving Austin the opportunity it needed. In 1993, voters overwhelmingly approved moving the airport there, taking advantage of an existing 12,000-foot runway and federally available land. 

A New Future

Long before the airport closed, neighbors were already imagining what could replace it. Architect Gerard Kinney, a Cherrywood resident and CARE leader, created a conceptual redevelopment plan in 1984 featuring a dense urban core surrounded by residential neighborhoods and retail areas. 

“The wedding cake design came from those first meetings,” Kinney recalls. “I took the concept and drew it up.” Remarkably, the idea closely resembles today’s Mueller. 

Kinney later chaired the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Redevelopment Process and Goals Task Force. During one of the first public meetings, he used the now-common pronunciation “Mew-ler” when referring to the project. 

“Robert Mueller Jr. stood up and said, ‘Mr. Kinney, would you please stop mispronouncing my family’s name?’” The family quickly settled the debate: the original pronunciation was “Miller.” According to Kinney, “Mew-ler” became more common as new residents arrived in Austin. 

As planning continued, community leaders focused on preventing uncontrolled development of the 711-acre site. The task force recommended preserving the wedding-cake concept and engaging a master planner. In 1997, City Council adopted the framework and hired ROMA Design Group to create a detailed plan. 

Extensive public engagement led to the creation of the Mueller Neighborhoods Coalition, chaired by Jim Walker and representing 17 surrounding neighborhoods. The coalition established guiding principles that continue to define Mueller today: fiscal responsibility, economic development, East Austin revitalization, neighborhood compatibility, diversity, affordability, and sustainability.  

Walker, who had recently moved to Cherrywood and was studying city planning at UT, attended a Planning Commission meeting for extra credit and quickly became fascinated by the redevelopment effort. He remains involved today as a member of the Mueller Foundation Board. 

The airport officially moved to Bergstrom in 1999. “We had a little party in the terminal building a month after the move,” Krivoniak recalls. “Somebody walked in with luggage looking for a flight.” 

The transition also created unexpected opportunities. In 2000, Krivoniak joined a meeting with then-Mayor Kirk Watson, filmmakers Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez, to discuss converting former airport hangars into film studios. 

“Everybody in that meeting had the same goal,” he says. “We all wanted it to happen.” The result was Austin Film Studios and Troublemaker Studios, helping establish Austin as a major center for film production. 

In 2002, City Council adopted the Mueller Master Plan. Two years later, the city signed a master development agreement with Catellus Development Corporation, officially launching one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the country. “We fought repeatedly for those community goals,” Walker says. “Without that community input, Mueller would look very different today.” 

Dell Children’s Medical Center, completed in 2007, became the first major project reflecting those principles. Over the following years, Mueller earned national recognition for sustainability and community design, becoming the nation’s first LEED Gold-certified neighborhood development. 

Perhaps Mueller’s greatest achievement, however, is one many residents barely notice: 25% of all housing is permanently affordable and integrated throughout the neighborhood rather than concentrated in one area. This was made possible through city ownership of the land and the work of the Mueller Foundation, which helps preserve long-term affordability. 

Last year, Mueller Lake Park was renamed Gerard Kinney Park, honoring the visionary whose early ideas helped shape the community. 

Today, the redevelopment oversight group, now called the RMMA Plan Implementation Advisory Commission, continues its work. Krivoniak has served since its creation and currently serves as vice chair. The commission is scheduled to hold its final meeting in 2027, closing a chapter that began more than four decades ago. 

So tomorrow morning, when you enjoy another day in Mueller, take a moment to appreciate the generations of neighbors who imagined what this place could become. This community didn’t happen by accident. It happened because ordinary people cared enough to dream bigger and then worked together to make it happen.