As fans of buildings everywhere, it stands to reason that we also enjoy the more sinister-looking buildings discussed on the famous r/EvilBuildings subreddit, which catalogues structures that happen to look particularly like the hangout of a supervillain, crooked sci-fi megacorporation, or otherwise, well, evil. Brutalism, red lighting, and other severe architectural flourishes generally score the most upvotes,…
Hundreds of Apartments Headed for South Lamar’s ‘Chicken Wing’
Do you remember the “friendly whale” apartment project now leasing at Aura on Lamar, built atop a uniquely curved (downright whale-shaped) tract of land at the corner of West Koenig Lane and North Lamar Boulevard? The development was made possible by the sale of the property to the developer from the Texas Department of Transportation, a state…
The Amaya’s Condo Redevelopment is Austin’s Feel-Good Project of the Year
A zoning change approved by the City of Austin’s Planning Commission this week will allow the Amaya family behind local Tex-Mex institution Amaya’s Taco Village to redevelop their 1.2-acre restaurant site at the far edge of the North Loop neighborhood near the southwest corner of I-35 and Highway 290, with plans for a five-story mixed-use building containing an estimated 80…
64 Months Seems Like Long Enough to Build the Tallest Tower in Texas, Right?
When someone says they’re going to build the tallest tower in the state right in your backyard, it’s okay to get a little thirsty for updates. And brother, we are thirsty. To us, even small steps forward are worth celebrating on the mixed-use office, hotel, and residential “supertall” planned to rise a reported 73 floors (and somewhere between 1,022 feet and…
Remember When Austin’s Hike-and-Bike Trail Didn’t Have Enough Trees?
If you’re an Austin old-timer, what we’re about to tell you sounds insultingly simple — but did you know the city’s famously lush Hike-and-Bike Trail wasn’t always so green? If you’re one of the many people that moved here yesterday, you’d have no idea that much of the current tree cover shading many sections of the trail, particularly in the downtown area,…
Learning to Love the Capitol Complex Project’s Aircraft Carrier-Sized Garage
Unless you happen to live in one of the lovely condo towers in the small northern pocket of downtown between 15th Street and MLK Jr. Boulevard, you might not be fully aware of what’s currently happening behind the fences of the Texas Capitol Complex Project, a multi-phase plan by the Texas Facilities Commission to transform the region of drab state office buildings and parking…