A new rendering of the completed 700 River apartment tower. Image: 700 River / HKS / Steelblue
The 43-story 700 River apartment tower now under construction at the corner of Rainey and River Streets in downtown’s perpetually exploding Rainey Street District announced its official topping out today, with the structure reaching its maximum height of 500 feet. This is a significant milestone for a neighborhood experiencing the densest concentration of simultaneous tower construction anywhere in Austin, with two other projects of similar size under construction on the same street and six towers currently in various stages of completion in the immediate Rainey area alone.
Image: 700 River / HKS / Steelblue
The 377-unit project is developed by Trammell Crow Company’s residential subsidiary High Street Residential, working alongside local developers River Street Partners and national investment firm BDT & MSD Partners. The tower plan went through a number of significant changes since its first appearance five years ago, originally planned as a hotel and apartment building designed by acclaimed Texan architecture studio Lake Flato with nearly 30,000 square feet of public-facing retail space as a hub for the surrounding entertainment district.
Image: 700 River / HKS / Steelblue
But the economic impact of the pandemic slowly changed many aspects of these plans, with the project ultimately dropping its hotel component, redesigning most of that retail space as private amenity space for its residents, and switching up its project architects to global design firm HKS — although Lake Flato is still credited as a collaborator on the development team.
Image: 700 River / HKS / Steelblue
The overall result is a tower with more of an inward-facing focus — although it still contains more than 3,000 square feet of retail space at the ground level, 700 River’s marketing now emphasizes the building as a refuge from its surroundings:
“We are grateful to DPR Construction and our many project partners for helping reach this important construction milestone safely and ahead of schedule. We are eager to open our doors this fall and offer residents an environment of uncompromising design and service,” said Matteo Pacifici of HSR. “700 River will provide an escape from the city, with its scenic views, convenient access to lakeside trails, and a range of wellness-focused amenities. The property will deliver a world-class cosmopolitan experience.”
— High Street Residential
Image: 700 River / HKS / Steelblue
Along with its general contractors at DPR Construction, the project team includes Campbell Landscape Architecture, Civilitude, No Walls Studio, Thornton Tomasetti, Blum Consulting Engineers, Clodagh Design, and Waldrop + Nichols Studio. The tower’s 377 units include a mix of studio to three-bedroom apartments along with a number of penthouse residences. According to the developers, the building is expecting its first move-ins by fall 2024.
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