Developer Monroe Martin Shipe laid out this neighborhood of graceful houses and tree-lined streets in the 1890s, in what was at that time the northern edge of Austin. A streetcar that passed through the university campus connected Hyde Park to downtown. It stopped operating in the 1940s, and, with the rising availability of cars, the neighborhood entered a slow decline. By the 1960s, many of the houses served as rental properties for students. But in the next 10 years, young professionals started moving here, charmed by the central location and the quiet, shady streets. Today Hyde Park is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Austin. This is a good place to take a relaxing walk. Most of the houses you'll see are cottages that express a sweet and simple domesticity, while a few lean more toward grandeur. Shipe's own architecturally eclectic home can be seen at 3816 Ave. G.