• 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 / Colorfield Condos Break Ground at Castle Hill’s Former Graffiti Gallery
Search suggestions: condos for sale • rainey street

Colorfield Condos Break Ground at Castle Hill’s Former Graffiti Gallery

James Rambin May 11, 2021 Comment

A view of rooftop amenities at the Colorfield development, with the TMI Castle in the background. Image: Radical Galaxy Studio

A 10-unit condo community in the Castle Hill district directly west of downtown Austin and adjacent to the Clarksville neighborhood has officially broken ground on the site of the city’s well-known and now-relocated outdoor graffiti gallery, formally known since 2011 as the HOPE Outdoor Gallery.

A view of the project from Baylor Street, with its interior “mural wall” visible. Image: Radical Galaxy Studio

The Colorfield condos will occupy the hillside at 1012 Baylor Street, a 1.2-acre property which famously became a tagging and street art hotspot for Austin’s urban explorers after the failure of a 1980s condo project known as Le Palestra left extensive concrete slabs exposed and ignored on the site for decades.

A recent street view of the 1012 Baylor Street site, which is now currently in the early phases of construction as the Colorfield condos.

A view of the ill-fated Le Palestra site before its demolition in the early 1990s, which left only the concrete foundations behind on the hillside. Image courtesy of Dane Hersey / Facebook.

A view of the gallery and sign before its closure. Image: HOPE Outdoor Gallery

The property’s longtime owner, investor Vic Ayad, commendably partnered with the HOPE project organizers in 2011 to sustain the de facto gallery and continued to foot the tax bill for this increasingly-valuable piece of land — but the plan was always to eventually develop the site, and now that the HOPE Outdoor Gallery prepares to reopen a new space across town, the future of the address is now fully underway.

Looking southeast towards downtown from the heights of the former HOPE Outdoor Gallery. Photo by Alvaroreguly / Flickr.

A rendering of the Colorfield project’s rooftop firepit amenity space, with roughly the same skyline views as the photo above. Image: Radical Galaxy Studio

Local developers the Cumby Group purchased the property in 2019, with Alterstudio Architecture handling the condo community’s design. As a show of good faith to Austinites who might understandably miss the gallery’s unique urban character, the Colorfield project has committed to donating $20,000 to the HOPE Gallery for its new art space, with an additional $25,000 in-kind donation of labor and resources to relocate the original gallery’s sign and a portion of its concrete wall for a “memorial art wall” to be displayed at the new site as a monument to the HOPE project’s gritty beginnings. The developer also worked with the region’s neighborhood association:

The developer worked with the Old West Austin Neighborhood Association for more than a year as it designed the project to address traffic concerns and create larger, family-friendly homes. The building was designed to preserve the views of the historic Victorian “castle,” which once housed the Texas Military Institute, and Capitol views.

— The Cumby Group 

According to the developers, the group will also transport approximately 800 cubic yards of concrete from the original gallery to the new HOPE site where it will be “ground up and used for landscaping and pathways.” A further $90,000 donation will commission a “mural wall” for the new building from local artists.

An interior view of kitchen finishes at one of the Colorfield’s condo residences. Image: Radical Galaxy Studio

A view of one of the Colorfield condo units featuring skyline views. Image: Radical Galaxy Studio

Along with Cumby Group and Alterstudio, the project’s local construction and engineering team includes MJ Structures, Jones|Carter, and CES; with landscape architecture from Design Workshop. Floorplans at the new community will range from 3,200 to 5,058 square feet, and are priced starting at $3.6 million. According to the Cumby Group, presales have already begun for the project, which is currently on track for completion in winter 2022.

Editor's Suggested Posts

With Demolition Pending, Castle Hill’s Graffiti Gallery Isn’t Long for This World

With Demolition Pending, Castle Hill’s Graffiti Gallery Isn’t Long for This World

Here's a Look at the Condo Project Replacing Castle Hill's Graffiti Park

Here's a Look at the Condo Project Replacing Castle Hill's Graffiti Park

This Downtown Austin Office Plan Has an Art Gallery – But What Is Art, Anyway?

This Downtown Austin Office Plan Has an Art Gallery – But What Is Art, Anyway?

Related

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 78703, architecture, condos, design, development, historic preservation, history, residential

About James Rambin

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

48 SE East Avenue #2508
Austin, TX
Photo of 48 SE East Avenue #2508, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 8722079)
$865,000
33
  • Lot Size
    66 sqft

  • Home Size
    803 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

View Virtual Tour
Previous Post: « East Austin’s George Washington Carver Museum Is Ready To Grow
Next Post: Sienna at the Thompson Brings Hotel-Adjacent Apartments to Fifth and Brazos »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

  •  Schedule a showing

Featured Buildings

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

FEATURED Listings

5924 S Congress Avenue #12
Austin, TX
Photo of 5924 S Congress Avenue #12, Austin, TX 78745 (MLS # 8592590)
$599,000
37
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,608 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    4 Baths

View Virtual Tour
70 Rainey Street #1408
Austin, TX
Photo of 70  Rainey Street #1408, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2400059)
$1,995,000
39
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,434 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
360 Nueces Street #1216
Austin, TX
Photo of 360  Nueces Street #1216, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 6124051)
$875,000
36
  • Lot Size
    131 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,117 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
1700 Ullrich Avenue
Austin, TX
Photo of 1700  Ullrich Avenue, Austin, TX 78756 (MLS # 6581028)
$695,170
27
  • Lot Size
    6,709 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,066 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

3205 Holton Street
Austin, TX
Photo of 3205  Holton Street, Austin, TX 78702 (MLS # 2917084)
$1,850,000
34
  • Lot Size
    7,062 sqft

  • Home Size
    2,571 sqft

  • Beds
    4 Beds

  • Baths
    4 Baths

48 East Avenue #1608
Austin, TX
Photo of 48  East Avenue #1608, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 9928914)
$825,000
10
  • Lot Size
    17,904 sqft

  • Home Size
    803 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

austin condo report

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

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

Loading Comments...