• 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 / News / Celebrating the High-Flying History of Highland’s Hidden Hangar
Search suggestions: condos for sale • rainey street

Celebrating the High-Flying History of Highland’s Hidden Hangar

James Rambin December 12, 2022 Comment

Photo by Patrick Wong

There’s plenty to love about the Highland neighborhood of Central Austin, but for our money there’s no part of this region more interesting than the small district of mostly industrial properties located just south of the Red Line tracks directly east of North Lamar Boulevard. We think there’s a lot of potential in these few blocks for creative commercial and retail projects that embrace the architectural character of the many warehouse structures here, sort of like the emerging St. Elmo District down south.

There’s already a number of businesses operating here giving this small pocket of the city a funky “Old Austin” feel, including the vintage furniture store Corner Collector’s Market and the local artist-run Industry Print Shop — there’s even a 298-unit apartment building currently under construction at the edge of this small area, the Broadstone North Lamar project at 6709 North Lamar Boulevard, that will hopefully bring some fresh foot traffic to the region.

An aerial view of the Garden Seventeen site. Photo by Patrick Wong

But the single most historically fascinating piece of design in this little district we’ve made up is Garden Seventeen. This gardening store at 604 Williams Street occupies a Quonset hut-style converted airplane hangar dating back to the 1920s, originally built at the nearby University Airport but relocated “brick by brick” to its current address in the 1940s. (University Airport, a little-known precursor to Mueller Airport, was located on North Lamar Boulevard just a few blocks north of here, with some of its hangars still visible as the headquarters of Alamo Glass and the Red Velvet event venue.)

The hangar building during its life at the University Airport in the 1920s. Image: UT Dallas

Two biplanes stored inside the hangar in the 1920s. Image: UT Dallas

Photo by Patrick Wong

Occupied by lab equipment manufacturer Rainhart from 1945 to 2016 and repurposed for the garden store in 2020, the structure retains a notable degree of character from its two former lives, with the iconic look of the original hangar complimented by preserved 1940s-era machinery and fixtures added by its previous manufacturing tenants. And we’re not the only ones to notice this building is a total gem — earlier this month, Preservation Austin recognized the Hangar and its tenants Garden Seventeen with a stewardship award for the brilliant adaptation of the building, as part of the organization’s 62nd annual Preservation Merit Awards.

This thoughtful adaptive reuse project utilized a light touch, allowing preserved 1940s era drill press machinery to serve as a reminder of the building’s productive past. Preservation efforts at the site included retaining the open floor plan, wide-spanning metal trusses, and expansive windows.

The Hangar’s transformation from its aviation and industrial origins into a welcoming retail garden center retains the structure’s historical and architectural integrity while serving as a model for the stewardship and revitalization of other unusual historic properties. The project is a testament to the power of adaptive reuse and the continued value of Austin’s industrial architecture.

— Preservation Austin

With its history in mind, you might enjoy this recent video created by Preservation Austin as part of the award ceremony, celebrating the design of the Hangar structure and its creative reuse — a model, we think, for the kind of projects and businesses we’d like to see supporting the preservation of unsung structures all over Austin:

Related

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 78751, 78752, architecture, design, historic preservation, history

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.

603 Davis Street #604
Austin, TX
Photo of 603  Davis Street #604, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2434110)
$649,900
10
  • Lot Size
    214 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,136 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

Previous Post: « Austin’s Waterloo Park Hotel Tower Could Finally Break Ground in 2023
Next Post: Downtown Austin’s Capitol Complex Project Finally Unveils Its Texas Mall »

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

603 Davis Street #604
Austin, TX
Photo of 603  Davis Street #604, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2434110)
$649,900
10
  • Lot Size
    214 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,136 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

44 EAST Avenue #2310
Austin, TX
Photo of 44  EAST Avenue #2310, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 9418770)
$1,425,000
40
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,260 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
44 East Avenue #1607
Austin, TX
Photo of 44  East Avenue #1607, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 3439383)
$1,250,000
36
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,221 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
608 Brentwood Street #A
Austin, TX
Photo of 608  Brentwood Street #A, Austin, TX 78752 (MLS # 3202099)
$989,608
33
  • Lot Size
    4,356 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,959 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    3 Baths

501 West Avenue #2103
Austin, TX
Photo of 501  West Avenue #2103, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 4503529)
$2,895,000
40
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    2,822 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    4 Baths

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...