This evening, Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission will hear the details of a proposed 12-story tower addition to the historic Bartholomew-Robinson Building at the southeast corner of West 15th and Lavaca Streets downtown. The project would seemingly integrate elements of the existing single-story building, which dates back to the 1880s, into the new structure’s ground floor, while raising…
Seeking Love and Liberty at Austin’s 1970s Clothing-Optional Apartments
It’s said that some early Christian baptisms were performed in the nude, signifying the restoration of the subject’s soul to its state of innocence at birth. To be naked without shame is to live free from original sin, at least in the biblical sense — and in the Austin of the 1970s, a legendary decade of hippie…
A Tower’s in the Works at Fourth and Brazos in Downtown Austin
A new tower development could soon rise atop a half-block at the northeast corner of East Fourth and Brazos Streets in downtown Austin — a rising pocket of the central city blessed with quite a few prominent neighbors also planning towers of their own. Recent city filings for the .81-acre assembly of adjacent tracts at 204, 206, and 216 East…
41-Story Condo Tower Filling Another Gap in the Rainey District’s Skyline
A 41-story downtown Austin condo project could raise a total of 283 residences in a pretty tight corner of the ever-growing Rainey Street neighborhood starting next year. According to local real estate firm Pearlstone Partners, which is co-developing the building with New York-based investment group ATCO, groundbreaking for the district’s latest tower is tentatively scheduled in the first quarter…
After 5 Years of Development, Closings Arrive at the Austin Proper Residences
The Austin Proper Hotel & Residences, with its lodging and restaurant operations already open for business as of last month, has begun the closing process for its residential units this week, with owners expected to begin moving in soon. Announced by Los Angeles-based real estate development firm the Kor Group all the way back in 2015, this 32-story downtown Austin…
Two Permanent Public Toilets are Fully Armed and Operational Downtown
After several years of planning, two of the three permanent “Portland Loo” public restroom facilities previously announced by the City of Austin are officially installed and “open for business,” you might say, in the downtown area. The restrooms, one on the east side of Trinity Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets and the other on the east side of Brazos Street between Fifth…