• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

TOWERS

Austin city life since 2007.

  • News
    • Condo Projects
    • Neighborhoods
  • Listings
    • Austin Condo Guide
  • Newsletter
Search
You are here: Home / Condo Projects / Cambridge Tower, a Midcentury Milestone in Downtown Austin, Seeks National Historic Recognition
Search suggestions: condos for sale • rainey street

Cambridge Tower, a Midcentury Milestone in Downtown Austin, Seeks National Historic Recognition

James Rambin February 14, 2018 Comment

An illustration of Cambridge Tower from around the time of its construction in 1965. Image: Austin History Center

Cambridge Tower, a 15-story residential building at 1801 Lavaca Street near West Campus, was downtown Austin’s tallest apartment tower when it first opened in 1965.

Cambridge Tower as it appears today. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Though you might not give the building much thought now, the innovations of its time were significant — with an assortment of amenities for its residents including restaurants on the ground floor, valet parking, and concierge service, the building was likely the highest-end apartment community in the city when it opened, until changing its usage to condos in the late 1970s. 

The lobby of Cambridge Tower in 1975. Image: Cambridge Tower

A few weeks ago, the review board of the Texas Historical Commission passed an application for Cambridge Tower to be included in the National Register of Historic Places — meaning that the building now only has to receive final approval from the National Parks Service to enter the register. It may not be downtown’s most stunning building, but there’s a pretty good argument for granting the tower historic recognition. Let’s take a look.

A look at some of Cambridge Tower’s exterior architecture. Photo by James Rambin.

Cambridge Tower’s architect, Thomas Edward Stanley, lived in Dallas, and was perhaps better known for his work there — including a striking modernist 20-story office tower completed in 1958 at 211 North Ervay Street. 

Within the modernist style of architecture so prominent in the midcentury era, Stanley often dabbled in a subset of design now known as New Formalism, which might be described as essentially a modernist take on classical architecture, rejecting some of modernism’s boxier tendencies for curves and ornamentation in the form of arches, columns, and domes. Still, you wouldn’t exactly mistake Cambridge Tower for a classical building.

Cambridge tower’s porte-cochère on the ground level, intended for valet usage in tandem with the tower’s underground parking garage. Photo by James Rambin.

According to the Texas Historical Commission, local architects Fehr & Granger were the first architects to integrate elements of New Formalism’s classical styling into a major project in Austin with the design of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport terminal and control tower, completed in 1961. Still, Cambridge Tower might be one of Austin’s more prominent examples of this architecture.

Cambridge Tower is significant not only as an excellent example of the classic aspects of the New Formalism Style in Austin, but also as the embodiment of a certain exoticism and romanticism, additional characteristics of the expressive architectural style. Cambridge Tower displays this in two ways, with the classical columns and arches around the building as well as the decorative concrete block balustrades that frame the terraces.

At the grid of balconies around the building, thin non-structural concrete columns form the “support” for rounded arches that span each vertical bay. In their reference to classical architecture, these simplified and abstracted columns and arches became typical of New Formalist design.

— Cambridge Tower’s NRHP Application Form

A closer look at the arches along the top floor of Cambridge Tower. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Stanley designed other buildings in relatively the same midcentury time period that share obvious DNA with Cambridge Tower, even at first glance. The arches found on his iconic former Sanger-Harris department stores built in the mid-1960s around Dallas are instantly familiar compared to this building’s look. 

A view of Cambridge Tower’s pool and cabana area, the design of which evokes the same look as the larger building. Photo by James Rambin.

According to the NRHP application, the tower’s former retail spaces — which used to house several restaurants and a barbershop but are now used as office space — are historically very popular with architecture tenants. In fact, local design firm Alterstudio currently operates out of one of Cambridge Tower’s ground-floor offices, and they seem to like it very much.

Image: AIA Austin / Casey Dunn

We’ll find out soon enough if this tower’s historic status is recognized on the national level. Until then, just enjoy the understated beauty of this building — in my book, it’s one of the secret gems of an otherwise rather dull corner of downtown.

 

Cambridge Tower availability

 

Editor's Suggested Posts

City Staff Recommends Historic Zoning for Westgate Towers

City Staff Recommends Historic Zoning for Westgate Towers

Bank of America Center, Downtown Austin's Favorite Monolith, Gets a Friendlier Ground Floor

Bank of America Center, Downtown Austin's Favorite Monolith, Gets a Friendlier Ground Floor

Mark Odom Studio to Restore Midcentury Office on North Lamar

Mark Odom Studio to Restore Midcentury Office on North Lamar

Related

Filed Under: Condo Projects Tagged With: 78701, apartments, architecture, commercial, condos, design, downtown, historic preservation, history, mixed-use, residential, towers

About James Rambin

James is an Austin native and fifth-generation Texan, but tries not to brag about it. Email him anything at james@towers.net.

300 Bowie Street #703
Austin, TX
Photo of 300  Bowie Street #703, Austin, TX 78703 (MLS # 1326444)
$699,980
31
  • Lot Size
    101 sqft

  • Home Size
    983 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
Previous Post: « Downtown Austin’s Most Mysterious Building Proposals, Mapped
Next Post: Can Austin’s Bike-Sharing Go Dockless Without the Entire City Losing Its Mind? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  •  Schedule a showing

FEATURED Listings

555 E 5th Street #725
Austin, TX
Photo of 555 E 5th Street #725, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 9482800)
$545,000
20
  • Lot Size
    88 sqft

  • Home Size
    817 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

View Virtual Tour
555 E 5th Street #3022
Austin, TX
Photo of 555 E 5th Street #3022, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2618905)
$3,499,000
24
  • Lot Size
    393 sqft

  • Home Size
    3,638 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    3 Baths

300 Bowie Street #703
Austin, TX
Photo of 300  Bowie Street #703, Austin, TX 78703 (MLS # 1326444)
$699,980
31
  • Lot Size
    101 sqft

  • Home Size
    983 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
619 Tillery Street #B
Austin, TX
Photo of 619  Tillery Street #B, Austin, TX 78702 (MLS # 4009706)
$839,619
30
  • Lot Size
    3,050 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,796 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    3 Baths

44 East Avenue #3103
Austin, TX
Photo of 44  East Avenue #3103, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2986314)
$695,000
40
  • Lot Size
    436 sqft

  • Home Size
    618 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

austin condo report

Featured Buildings

  • 360 Condos
  • Austin City Lofts
  • The Independent
  • The Shore Condos
  • 70 Rainey

Footer

LEGAL NOTICE

TREC Information About Brokerage Services (pdf)

Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice


TOWERS realty

Austin Condos For Sale

Agents

Downtown Buildings

Luxury Towers

  • Four Seasons Residences
  • W Hotel & Residences
  • The Austonian
  • 5 Fifty Five at Hilton

Most Popular

  • The Shore
  • 360 Condos
  • Seaholm Condos
  • Spring Condos
  • Milago Condos

New Construction

  • The Independent
  • 70 Rainey
  • Austin Proper
  • Fifth & West

Loft Style

  • Austin City Lofts
  • Brazos Place
  • The Sabine
  • Plaza Lofts
  • Avenue Lofts
  • Brazos Lofts
  • Brown Building

Resources

  • Austin Condo Guide
  • Condos For Sale
  • Condo Buyer FAQ
  • Property Search

Featured

Archives

Newsletter · About · Contact Us · DMCA · Privacy Policy · SLAPP · Copyright © 2007-2022 TOWERS.net · All Rights Reserved
 

Loading Comments...