Over the last few months, we’ve tried to make as much noise as possible regarding upcoming plans for a residential tower at 504 East Fifth Street, the former site of long-time Italian restaurant Carmelo’s — also known as the Old Depot Hotel if you’re looking at the address from a historical perspective — at the corner of Fifth and Red River Streets that…
Chasing the Ghosts of Towers Past at Downtown Austin’s 308 Guadalupe Site
It’s a little odd to imagine just how different the skyline of downtown Austin would look if only a few things had happened differently. Projects change, or simply die on the vine — they fail to secure their financing, they get significantly redesigned or “value engineered” to the point of being nearly unrecognizable from the original concept, maybe they…
Marathon Project Headed to Rosedale: Looks Like a Factory, Actually an Office
Marathon Boulevard might not ring your bell. It runs parallel to North Lamar Boulevard, just one block west — which is right on the edge but still inside the area I’m led to believe is okay to call Rosedale, near Medical Drive and the excellent Draught House Pub that’s been brewing beer since before it…
Sidewalk Cafe, ‘Weird’ Statue Planned for Scarbrough Building on Congress
Plans for improvements on the ground floor of downtown Austin’s historic Scarbrough Building appear to be moving forward, based on new documents out of the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. Remember, everything built in the Congress Avenue Historic District has to hit the commission’s desk at some point, and this project’s up for discussion at tonight’s meeting, giving…
Dockless scooters: the revolution is ours if we want it
We are on the verge of an urban revolution. A new device has revolutionized how we travel, making cars obsolete. Cities are going to re-architect themselves around the invention. The year, of course, is 2001 and the invention is the Segway. That revolution didn’t pan out. The Segway is now known mostly as a gag in a…
Artists Revealed for Creek Show 2018, Headed to Waller Creek This November
Every November, the Waller Creek Conservancy hosts Creek Show, a nighttime art exhibition featuring lighted installations along the downtown stretch of Waller Creek, designed and built by local artists and creative teams. These events, as part of the conservancy’s mission to revitalize and restore the urban waterway, are meant to call attention to the viability of Waller as a…