Richard Overton’s home up for council vote to preserve the east Austin fixture’s legacy

"He was really thankful for all the donations that people gave in the last two years of his life so he could remain in his home," Volma said. "He wanted to thank them and have this so that they could come see."

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Richard Overton, the nation’s oldest World War II veteran at the time of his death, lived in his east Austin home from the time he built it in the mid-1940s until he died at age 112 last December.

Thursday, city council will vote on whether to approve the structure as a historic landmark.

Overton’s cousin, Volma Overton, Jr., spent the last several months getting the structure approved through the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. Thursday’s council vote would finalize the commission’s recommendation to approve the landmark.

• RELATED: Richard Overton’s burial at historic cemetery continues Texas tradition

Volma said approval would move the house one step closer to becoming a museum, one of Overton’s final wishes.

“He was really thankful for all the donations that people gave in the last two years of his life so he could remain in his home,” Volma said. “He wanted to thank them and have this so that they could come see.”

On KXAN News Today, see inside Overton’s home, which has remained largely the same in the last year.