John Saunders Chase, as both the first Black licensed architect in Texas and the first Black graduate of the University of Texas School of Architecture after the landmark Sweatt v. Painter case at the U.S. Supreme Court desegregated the university’s graduate school, remains one of the most notable UT alumni both historically and in his chosen field — though many of Chase’s buildings stand in…
About James Rambin
First Tower Tops Out at Downtown Austin’s Former Brackenridge Site
The 17-story University of Texas office tower known as Block 164 currently under construction on a portion of the 14-acre former Brackenridge hospital campus is now officially topped out, and we don’t even need anyone associated with the project to confirm that for us — as of this week, there’s a tree sitting up there. If you’re familiar…
Austin’s Growth Helped Fund 200 Acres of New City Parks in 3 Years
First passed in 1985, Austin’s Parkland Dedication Ordinance has required new residential developments to dedicate a percentage of land for park use, pay a fee in lieu of an on-site park space, or both — and as the city’s growth continued beyond the wildest expectations of the 1980s, the ordinance saw its last update in 2016 , which added a parkland requirement for hotel…
The History of Downtown Austin’s Waterloo Park in 10 Festivals
Developed alongside the nearby Symphony Square as part of 1970s urban renewal efforts along Red River Street and Waller Creek, the 11-acre downtown green space at Waterloo Park hosted countless concerts, festivals, and other events from 1975 until its closure in 2011 for the construction of the Waller Creek Flood Control Tunnel, a project expected at the time to…
All Signs Point to Yes at the Linden, Northwest Downtown’s Tallest Tower Yet
The Linden, a 28-floor downtown Austin condo tower planned in the previously rarely-developed northwestern corner of downtown Austin, is one step closer to becoming this area’s first major residential tower in many years. Along with a recent city permit for the installation of a 418-foot crane implying pending construction, a demolition application filed earlier this week is…
East Avenue Demolition Clearing Path for Rainey’s Next Condo Tower
The pending demolition of a restaurant building will soon clear the site of a planned downtown Austin condo tower on the edge of the Rainey Street District. The 41-story East Tower project by local developers Pearlstone Partners in partnership with New York-based investment firm ATCO Properties is currently expected to break ground later this year atop a 0.4-acre site…