• 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 / Here’s Our First Look at the Two Towers Headed for Block 32 in Downtown Austin
Search suggestions: condos for sale • rainey street

Here’s Our First Look at the Two Towers Headed for Block 32 in Downtown Austin

James Rambin September 13, 2022 Comment

A view of the 301 San Jacinto warehouse building in 2009, when it was home to a Mexican restaurant. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Updates to the site plan for the Block 32 tower project now working its way through the city’s permitting process offer us a closer look at the two towers set to rise atop a half-block at East Third and San Jacinto Streets in downtown Austin — and although our city is pretty spoiled for impressive new buildings lately, these plans show a pair of towers with a design that should prove remarkable on the skyline. We now know the developer behind the project is Austin’s own Manifold Real Estate, which has quite a few projects cooking at the moment, though Block 32 could become the largest yet. 

The two towers would rise at the half-block bound by San Jacinto Boulevard, East Third, East Fourth, and Trinity Streets directly west of the Austin Convention Center, a site currently occupied by the warehouse-style building containing Vince Young Steakhouse, alongside Thomas Printworks and the Sunset Room event venue — all of these will need to be demolished to make way for this project, a proposition that caused some controversy at first.

Image: Visit Austin

The towers are planned across two phases, but will rise from a shared eight-story parking podium spanning the full half-block, which also includes an extra three underground garage levels. The first-phase tower, rising 42 floors and seen below on the right, will contain 340 multifamily residences alongside 20,000 square feet of retail space between its ground floor and a ninth-floor amenity level. The second-phase tower, rising higher than its neighbor at 55 floors total and seen below on the left, is set to contain another 340 multifamily units along with a 276-key hotel and 28,000 additional square feet of retail split between its ground level, a ninth-floor hotel amenity level, and a second residential amenity level at the 22nd floor. Between both towers, the full complex will contain 882,705 square feet.

A southern elevation of the Block 32 tower complex, showing the appearance of the two-tower development facing West Third Street. Image: Kimley-Horn / Manifold Real Estate / Rhode Partners

While we can’t judge every detail based on this black and white drawing of the complex, its architects at Rhode Partners — the local firm known for other area towers including the Independent condos — appear to have designed the two towers with extremely on-trend curved facades, alongside sections of exposed framing on the exterior giving the buildings a high-tech look.

It’s unclear if this element serves any real structural purpose alongside the support of the tower’s interior core, but it’s reminiscent of Rhode’s past work with exposed tension rods at the Independent, not to mention a slight influence carried over from the firm’s (sadly unbuilt) design for a tower above the Royal Arch Masonic Lodge elsewhere downtown. The plan also has some superficial similarities to a proposal marketed by Manifold last year for a potential two-tower development spanning both sides of West Avenue — but maybe that’s just a coincidence.

A closer look at the tower’s western elevation near the ground level — this is what you’ll see from San Jacinto Boulevard. Image: Kimley-Horn / Manifold Real Estate / Rhode Partners

One thing we’re a little concerned about based on this admittedly simplistic elevation is the monolithic nature of the complex’s parking podium, which seems to rise a sheer eight floors without much articulation. The uneven vertical lines seen on the architectural drawing could imply some sort of lighting system, or at least the use of some interesting colors or materials — after all, that’s what you’re going to see while standing on the ground, which is where you are most of the time. We hope the first real 3D renderings of this complex show off what’s going on with the exterior of the project’s podium in a bit more detail — we’ve been fans of Manifold’s designs downtown so far, and we would really like to avoid another Fairmont Austin situation.

Related

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 78701, architecture, city life, design, hotel, residential, retail

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: « Massive Mixed-Use Development Planned for East Austin Dairy Site
Next Post: 901 South Congress Offices Bringing Austin More of the Good Wood »

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

44 East Avenue #2205
Austin, TX
Photo of 44  East Avenue #2205, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 8345255)
$1,475,000
29
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,232 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

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
48 East Avenue #2210
Austin, TX
Photo of 48  East Avenue #2210, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 5004162)
$1,569,500
38
  • Lot Size
    17,904 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,277 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 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

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...