Contemporary Austin: Laguna Gloria
Art Villa
Lovely Laguna Gloria, operated under the Contemporary Austin’s umbrella, is a wonderful spot to experience art in nature.
Clara Driscoll, businesswoman, philanthropist, and historic preservationist and “Savior of the Alamo,” and her husband built Laguna Gloria in 1916 and in 1943 donated it to the city of Austin, which established it as a museum in 1961.
The villa and 14-acre grounds are perched on a bluff overlooking the Lake Austin, surrounded by terraced native gardens created by Clara herself and filled with art, statues, sculptures, found objects, and bits of whimsy.