Austonian Dismantles Crane, Throws Party

Over the last few weeks, the Austonian has been slowly dismantling its crane, signaling the beginning of the final phase of construction. With the exterior shell complete and the elevators now fully functional, the Austonian invited hundreds of guests to a private party on the the top three floors of the tower last Friday night.

From floors 54, 55, an 56, I was able to see downtown from a new perspective. Needless to say, the first observation is that the Austonian is really, really, really tall. From the 56th floor, the Monarch looks tiny and the top of the Frost Bank Tower is far below. Even the 44-story 360 tower is much, much smaller. It is so tall that your ears will inevitably pop on the way up and down in the high speed elevators. At night, the city streets stretch out endlessly in almost every direction while the capital glows and the lights of sixth street flash their bright colors.

There will be at least one more opportunity for non-residents to get a look at the amazing view before residents begin moving in June. In May, the Austonian will be the site of the Women’s Symphony League of Austin’s 2010 Symphony Designer Show house which will be open to the public. It will be a great chance to see what can be done visually with a high end condo.

Photos by blimpphoto.com