Barring a few notable exceptions, in terms of development action and overall height the region of Austin directly west of the Capitol could be considered “the downtown that time forgot” — despite being very much within the boundaries of downtown, convenient zoning limitations and other preservation-related protections keep this area pretty low to the ground, which is part of the reason why the area’s dominated by historic old mansions converted to lawyer’s offices.
Still, more and more we’re seeing plans carefully venture into this zone, with details emerging this week for a 31-floor, 357-foot residential tower planned at 416 West 12th Street by local developers Stratus Properties and Chicago-based architecture firm SCB — we know Stratus from its development of the W Hotel and Residences, and SCB is the architecture firm of choice for the several projects around here by residential developers the Hanover Company. It almost feels odd for SCB to work for another developer in this case, since the tower proposed here looks kinda similar to its Hanover Republic Square and Brazos Street projects, at least in its basic form.
Shown off for the first time earlier this week in preliminary renderings at a meeting of the Architectural Review Committee of the City of Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission, the project would rise at the northeast corner of West 12th and San Antonio Streets, a nearly half-acre site currently occupied by the headquarters of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, a women’s professional organization with a long history in Texas — and yes, the building itself is also historic.
Dating back to 1955 and rocking the International Style of midcentury architecture from well-represented local firm Kuehne, Brooks, and Barr, the DKG HQ was listed on the National Register of Historic Places back in 2012. (It’s also directly next door to the historic A. O. Watson House at 402 West 12th Street, currently home to — you guessed it — a law firm.) But as we know, that doesn’t stop the structure from being torn down, so we’ll just have to see what the Historic Landmark Commission says about the whole thing — the results of the meeting aren’t public quite yet, though they should be soon, and this was just a preliminary review anyway.
Since the building isn’t actually in a historic district, there’s only so much the Commission can beef with here, but the site will require a rezoning case to reach its desired height just the same. Whether or not the proposal has any fans at the Commission, what’s mostly interesting about this project is that sheer size — at 357 feet, it’s second only to the 432-foot tower planned at 14th and Guadalupe Streets in terms of height in the area, taller than old-timers like Westgate Tower (261 feet) and other new plans like the Linden condos at 17th and Guadalupe Streets (333 feet).
Since this district is so lacking in towers at the moment, a project with this height is really going to stand out more than it would anywhere else in downtown — that prominence, combined with the fact that during a global pandemic we’ll take any tower announcements we can get, will keep us following this emerging development even more closely than usual. West Downtown is the new thing, we’ve been saying!
Latest Downtown Austin Condos For Sale
-
$2,240,000
MLS # 7048577
Austin, TX -
$499,000
210 Lee Barton DR #321
Austin, TX -
$870,000
501 West Ave #802
Austin, TX -
$649,000
360 Nueces ST #2401
Austin, TX -
$650,000
48 E East Ave #3203
Austin, TX -
$595,000
48 East Ave #3005
Austin, TX -
$1,349,000
70 Rainey ST #1402
Austin, TX -
$2,950,000
210 Lavaca ST #2201
Austin, TX -
$725,000
44 East Ave #3806
Austin, TX -
$3,625,000
44 East Ave #4602
Austin, TX -
$789,000
70 Rainey ST #3105
Austin, TX -
$3,850,000
901 W 9th ST #1102
Austin, TX -
$750,000
507 Sabine ST #905
Austin, TX -
$1,795,000
200 Congress Ave #12E
Austin, TX -
$515,000
54 Rainey ST #1020
Austin, TX
-
Lot Size131 sqft
Home Size1,918 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size349 sqft
Home Size862 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size53 sqft
Home Size846 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size88 sqft
Home Size801 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size641 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size61 sqft
Home Size706 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size1,154 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size157 sqft
Home Size1,953 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size61 sqft
Home Size796 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size2,556 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size837 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size1,042 sqft
Home Size3,668 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
-
Lot SizeN/A
Home Size1,456 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size131 sqft
Home Size1,918 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size188 sqft
Home Size750 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
Leave a Reply