Though our civic apparatus and the greater convention center-industrial complex would have you believe the ever-expanding Austin Convention Center is a critical economic booster for the city, the jury’s still out for plenty of Austinites on where the sprawling center, which currently occupies six city blocks, falls on the continuum between “necessary” and “evil.” The urban convention center, at…
Senior Housing Tower Planned Behind East Austin’s Historic Lopez House
The Routon-Alvarez-Lopez House, a historic residence at 809 East Ninth Street, has found itself in a pretty tight squeeze over the last few years. Perched on a diminutive .17-acre lot overlooking I-35, the home is sandwiched between two larger multifamily developments, directly west of East Austin condo the Tyndall and just across the street from the AMLI Eastside apartments. I call this the “Up” house. They have condos going up all around them, but they’re still hanging in there. from r/Austin Owned by…
Notice Anything Different About Austin’s Downtown Hilton Lately?
You may have noticed a new look lately at the downtown Austin condo and hotel tower at Fourth and Neches Streets, home to the Hilton Austin and 5 Fifty Five residences. A new coat of paint is probably the quickest way to transform an existing building — just ask the LINE Hotel , which recently brightened up the exterior of the former…
TEMPO 2D Public Art Program Commissions 12 New Austin Murals
For 33 years, the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places program has worked with artists — some local, others national — to create eye-catching works of public art around the city. Along with permanent installations like the variety of art pieces planned or already in place at our new Central Library (check out those glowing-eyed owl…
See the Waller Creek Conservancy’s New Digs at Symphony Square
Earlier this year, we learned that the Waller Creek Conservancy would move its offices from elsewhere in downtown Austin to Symphony Square, a complex of four historic buildings relocated to the site from elsewhere in town as part of federally-funded urban renewal initiatives in the 1970s. The centerpiece of the complex is its striking outdoor…
North Central Roundup: Say ‘Howdy’ to More Than 1,500 Apartment Units
Yesterday, we dug into apartment plans for the former Honda dealership at 1301 West Koenig Lane, but it didn’t take long before we realized there’s a lot more development worth noting in the north central neighborhoods of Austin. Being downtown-dwellers, we don’t always pay enough attention to what’s going on in the neighborhoods up north from the University of…