Lundberg Bakery, Austin

The Lundberg Bakery, also known as the Old Bakery and Emporium, is a historic site located in downtown Austin, which currently functions as a gift shop. This building was completed in the year 1876. During the early days of the bakery's operation, bread was not packaged or wrapped for sale. Instead, customers would wait in line with baskets lined with cloth to carry their freshly purchased bread.

The bakery continued its operation until its owner, Charles Lundberg, a Swedish immigrant, passed away in 1895. Subsequently, the building changed ownership multiple times until it was acquired and renovated by the Austin Heritage Society in 1962. In 1970, the bakery faced a threat of demolition when plans were made to construct a new building for the Texas Department of Transportation. Fortunately, its preservation was ensured when excavations next door revealed the foundations of the previous state capitol building. These foundations were then transformed into a historical plaza, and the bakery was spared.

Constructed primarily from limestone with a brick facade, the building boasts a prominent cast-iron eagle at the apex of its gabled roof, which overlooks Congress Avenue. Notably, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1969.