Lavern Cobb purchased land on Mullen Drive in 1938 just off Anderson Lane. Her 0.31 acres of land was already vacant with most gravel, dirt, and Johnson grass. Nothing much was around the Wooten Park neighborhood except farmland and a handful of houses scattered around.
1939 was the year Lavern decided to do something with her property. She decided to have a duplex built on her property. After getting approval from Austin City Council, construction work would begin in early 1940. This duplex would be a two-story brick building located at the intersection of Mullen Drive & Wooten Park Drive. She decided her duplex had fair rental prices.
A two-story brick building that was built on her property in 1940. This two-story brick building included of 6,440 square feet of living space on a 13,500 square foot lot. Her duplex was located at the address of 7920 Mullen Drive, Austin, TX 78757. (Ref: http://propaccess.traviscad.org/clientdb/Property.aspx?prop_id=241416)
A porch was built on the second floor and was located at the front of the building facing Mullen Drive and Wooten Park Drive. The porch was built using masonry trim, metallic railing, and native timber wood.
Nearly all of this building was built using wood frame construction which included wood flooring, stairs, and walls. Native timber was used as for the foundation and stairs. An attic was built using native timber wood. All of the attic was built using wood frame construction. The foundation was built using wooden frame construction with the entrances using a slab foundation.
Now the floor was all hardwood flooring and no carpet. The hardwood flooring was installed on a wood frame construction plan. Carpet would later be installed.
Amenities included air conditioning, central heating, hardwood floors, linoleum flooring, and dishwashers. 4 fireplaces were installed with 2 on each floor. There was a common area with washer and dryer. Each floor had bathrooms. Each of the restrooms had 2 sinks. A 1,000 square foot parking lot was plotted in the back of the duplex apartment. Heating was provided by natural gas and fireplace. This brick veneer building held up strong against harsh weather conditions due to the masonry stone construction.
1970 was the last year her duplex apartment was renovated and turned into apartments which were called Milbeck Manor Apartments. Linoleum and wood flooring were a part of the 1970 renovation. Central heating and air conditioning were already installed by then. Her property became a multi family property type with multi-family dwellings in 6,440 square feet of living space.
1970 was the year her duplex became apartments called Milbeck Manor Apartments. This is when this building was separated into apartments. Now Milbeck Manor Apartments had 2 stories with 7 units. Lavern Cobb owned and operated Milbeck Manor Apartments. (What neighbors call her building was a duplex apartment to be exact.)
She had her hands on her property in terms of management. She was very “hands-on” in terms of her management skills and style with her “hands-on” management. Her rent prices were fair as the monthly rent was usually below $900 dollars a month.
A fire broke out inside the duplex apartment in 1981. The fire did a considerable amount of damage and burned everything that was remodeled. Work was carried out after a request for the permit was submitted on and later authorized on August 28, 1981. The applicant visited the Permit Center to file an application for this permit. The cost of the job was estimated at $18,000 dollars. The fire damage was repaired within 3 months without any incident or other issues.
The property was sold for $450,000 dollars on the date of 10/01/2008. The property was on the market for 184 days. Lavern Cobb was still the owner and Michael Sullivan as manager in charge.
By 2012, amenities later included high speed internet access, linoleum flooring, and, closed central heating. Her building later became duplex apartments. (Ref: https://www.apartments.com/milbeck-manor-apartments-austin-tx/jz0ddv7/)
As listed in their brochure and handbook, “Milbeck Manor Apartments offers a mixture of comfort, style, and convenience. Located at 7920 Mullen Dr. in Austin, this community has much to offer its residents. The leasing staff is ready to help you find your perfect home. Contact us or stop by today.”
(Ref: Milbeck Manor Apartments brochure from 2012)
As listed in the apartmenthomeliving.com description for Milbeck Manor Apartments, the whole building had 1 to 2 bedroom floorplans. “Milbeck Manor in Austin, TX is ready for you to move in. Select between 1 to 2 bedroom floorplans. The professional leasing team is ready for you to come by for a tour. Stop by Milbeck Manor today.”
(Ref: https://www.apartmenthomeliving.com/apartment-finder/Milbeck-Manor-Apartments-Austin-TX-78757-5864007)
Michael Sullivan was promoted to become manager of Milbeck Manor Apartments in November 8, 2014 by Lavern Cobb. He was the manager in charge of Milbeck Manor Apartments in 2015 until its closing. (Ref: https://clustrmaps.com/a/1hia8m/)
Neighbors have complained to Austin 311 noise complaints and code compliance issues. There have been several complaints filed against Milbeck Manor Apartments by many residents over the years. Loud music was one of the many complaints filed to Austin 311 regarding Milbeck Manor Apartments. (Ref: http://311.austintexas.gov/?q=7920+Mullen+Dr&utf8=%E2%9C%93)
Large accumulations of trash around the dumpster was a common issue. Abandoned furniture was often dumped there. It is a chronic issue that needs to be remedied.
This building was also home to a business called Alpha Book Publisher. Their phone number was 512-501-2112. Alpha Book Publisher was operated by Drake Bell. This publisher published digital ebooks. (Ref: https://www.manta.com/d/mk1p9gg/alpha-book-publisher)
2019 was the year Milbeck Manor Apartments was sold to a handful of investors, realtors, and businesses. This is not the first time Milbeck Manor Apartments has been put on the market. According to Austin Home Listings, Milbeck Manor Apartments has been listed on the realty market several times over the years. (Ref: https://www.austinhomelistings.com/7920-mullen-dr-austin-tx-78757-9471097.html)
Daniel Casey of Casco Realty Advisors Inc was responsible for putting Milbeck Manor Apartments for sale. Daniel Casey is on the Austin Board of Realtors. (Ref: https://www.austincityliving.com/idx/listing/7920-Mullen-DR_Austin__78757_MLS_8926235/austin_board_of_realtors~173526)
On the date of 3/13/2019, Lavern Cobb sold Milbeck Manor Apartments to Precision American Homes on a warranty deed for a hefty price of $4,999,988 dollars. Somehow this land sale did not shock neighbors in the surrounding area.
Precision American Homes later sold Milbeck Manor Apartments to Loan Ranger Capital Investments on a trust deed on the date of 3/14/2019. (Ref: http://propaccess.traviscad.org/clientdb/Property.aspx?prop_id=241416)
Surprisingly Milbeck Manor Apartments sold for a lot less than the original selling price by the end of 2019. The price Milbeck Manor Apartments sold for was much lower by a lot. Loan Ranger Capital Investments sold Milbeck Manor Apartments to Goldwright Investments on a warranty deed for a price of $1,475,000 dollars. (Ref: https://www.austinhomelistings.com/7920-mullen-dr-202-austin-tx-78757-1843804.html)
Goldwright Investments is now the owner of Milbeck Manor Apartments and Mullen Townhomes. Goldwright Investments currently own this property.
The owner has a site plan approved for 10 townhouses by the City of Austin. After demolition, 10 new townhouses will be built on the former site of this duplex apartment. These townhouses will built using a stylish modern design. Each of the townhouses will come equipped with high ceilings, garages, fenced yards, and gardens. Each unit inside these townhouses will 918 square feet (918 SQF). All units will be built at 1,524 square feet (1,524 SQF). Each residence is targeted to sell between $450,000-$490,000. Mullen Townhomes LLC will operate the townhouses as this property is part of the Mullen Townhomes.
According to a listing on compass.com, “This property is platted and has a site plan approved for 10 townhouses (9 units at 1,524 square feet and 1 unit at 918 square feet).” The property is now up for sale at a price of $1,475,000. That’s almost $2 million dollars! The appraisal rate is $1,475,000 million dollars.
(Ref: https://www.compass.com/listing/7920-mullen-drive-austin-tx-78757/384632352195159793/)
The building is in the early stages of demolition. However asbestos was discovered during the demolition process which resulted the demotion process coming into a halt. Construction workers found asbestos insulation in the attic when doing demolition work. Only half of the attic has been disassembled.
Current owner Goldwright Investments has to find additional funding for asbestos removal as required by city law and state law. Once Goldwright Investments finds the right contracters to remove the asbestos, they will have to get approval from Austin City Council to resume any further construction work. This is all needed to be in compliance with code. Nothing else has been done to the duplex apartment since late 2019.
However the asbestos has not kept people away. Squatters have been living inside before and after construction began. Articles of clothing and assorted garments can be found on both floors.
Scrappers have stripped valuable metals such as aluminum, copper, steel, and nickel. Pipes have gone missing while several other pipelines are still intact. Other valuables such as furniture and jewelry have been stolen from this property. All other pipelines have yet to be fully removed.
Damage from vandalism has occurred to the duplex apartment. The building has been tagged with graffiti at the front facing Mullen Drive. The building has been tagged with graffiti at least 5 times with of the graffiti on the front part of the building. Signs of break-ins are easy to spot as broken glass is scattered everywhere.
Neighbors in the apartment complex next door and the Wooten neighborhood call the construction site an eyesore. They would like to see the building demolished and revitalized into something else. Neighbors want a new duplex apartments with affordable living options and rent control. Many of the neighbors want a new duplex or apartments.
The construction site has been on the duplex apartment property for months now as of February 2020. An accumulation of large trash around the apartment complex dumpster can bee seen from Mullen Drive. Abandoned furniture is often dumped here. It is a chronic issue.
These duplex apartments/duplex apartment was located at 7920 Mullen Drive, Austin, Texas, US 78757.
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