Images: Bing Maps / Goettsch Partners
If built, the tower planned at the half-block on the northeast corner of Fourth and Brazos Streets in downtown Austin by Chicago development outfit CA Ventures will be the city’s second-tallest, according to recent city development filings. The project’s site plan is currently in review status with the city, but available documents are unclear on the tower’s exact height, seemingly showing two possibilities — this is likely due to revisions in the building’s design.
A street view of the buildings at the corner of Fourth and Brazos Streets that will be replaced by the upcoming tower project.
The first height given is 65 floors / 823 feet, while the second is 63 floors / 782 feet. We obviously hope the bigger one wins, but either of these height options would make the new tower the second tallest planned for Austin at the moment, only exceeded by the 848-foot 6 X Guadalupe tower already under construction on the other side of downtown. Both options are planned to include apartment and office space with a large amount of ground-floor retail, along with a whopping 16 levels of garage parking above the lobby shown in at least one version of the plans.
A map showing the location of the Fourth and Brazos tower project (outlined in red) and the tower projects planned for its surrounding blocks. Image: Bing Maps / James Rambin
The .81-acre assembly running the length of the half-block north of Fourth Street between Brazos Street and San Jacinto Boulevard is currently occupied by a 1900s warehouse currently operating as event venue Brazos Hall, and a brick office building built in 1999. Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission approved the demolition of the warehouse structure at its April 27th meeting, so it appears the only thing standing in the way of the tower’s construction is the economic uncertainty of the post-pandemic era — we’ll have to see what happens there. In the meantime, let’s take a look at new illustrations of its design from Chicago-based architecture firm Goettsch Partners:
The eastern and southern-facing sides of the Fourth and Brazos tower. Image: Goettsch Partners
As you can see from the heights listed in the illustrations above and below, this is a view of the 823-foot design — well, it’s technically 822 feet, 8 inches, but that’s just clunky. More importantly, doesn’t it look wild? It might be a stretch, but it kind of resembles a guitar with an extremely off-center neck.
The western and northern-facing sides of the Fourth and Brazos tower. Image: Goettsch Partners
It’s hard to fully critique a 2D drawing, but our first reaction is that this project looks like something you’d see in China or maybe the UAE — and whaddaya know, the architects at Goettsch Partners have satellite offices and a large portfolio of projects in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. We see some shared DNA between the design above and the firm’s work at the Al Hilal Bank tower or the Abu Dhabi Global Market, but some of its buildings in Chicago also hit the same high notes as what we’re seeing above:
Chicago office tower by Goettsch Partners rises from sharply tapered base: https://t.co/Vj7mM2oLzr pic.twitter.com/aedaPRpypX
— Dezeen (@dezeen) April 25, 2017
It’s obviously going to be divisive — like almost everything we build around here — but between this project and Tower 5C, we’re seeing some ambitious and somewhat internationally-influenced designs taking hold in downtown Austin, which is a fun change of pace. Even with its global influences, the development’s got help from local names including landscape architects dwg. and engineering firm GarzaEMC.
Like most projects we’re covering these days, there’s no clear timeline for construction at the moment — but hey, doesn’t it look neat?
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