Earlier this month, a former mayor of San Luis Obispo, California, wrote a letter to the editor of that town’s newspaper in which he felt it perfectly acceptable and cool to describe a proposed bikeway as a “gigantic urban rape.” “Yes, rape!” Ken Schwartz wrote before graciously elaborating, “No other word would be proper. The rape will not…
Cambridge Tower, a Midcentury Milestone in Downtown Austin, Seeks National Historic Recognition
Cambridge Tower, a 15-story residential building at 1801 Lavaca Street near West Campus, was downtown Austin’s tallest apartment tower when it first opened in 1965. Though you might not give the building much thought now, the innovations of its time were significant — with an assortment of amenities for its residents including restaurants on the…
Downtown Austin’s Most Mysterious Building Proposals, Mapped
Here’s a bold prediction for you — we’re going to get more residential towers in downtown Austin. When you follow this stuff, sometimes you come across buildings in the early stages of development that aren’t even far enough along in their design process for plans to exist, and those are the hard ones to write…
Implosion Planned at Block 71, Downtown’s First in More Than a Decade
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer building, but it appears downtown Austin’s first implosion in more than 11 years will take place at Block 71’s Ashbel Smith Hall tower sometime this spring. We’ve been hunting for answers since December of last year, when various permits were filed with the city for demolition at the site, a 1.75-acre downtown block…
Solving the Mystery of the ‘Moonscape’ at the Corner of Fifth and Bowie Streets
Q: Have you seen the concrete “moonscape” located at the corner of Fifth and Bowie Streets? What’s actually going on here? A: Many people have asked me if this is some kind of art project, or has something to do with the building next door. Okay, bear with me for a second — in April…
Inn Cahoots Heads to East Sixth
There’s been plenty of news out of East Austin lately regarding progress at the Plaza Saltillo TOD, but the general area’s identity remains one of funky bars and eateries. The recently-opened Native Hostel and Bar & Kitchen at 807 East Fourth Street is just that sort of establishment, and it was only a matter of time before another contender arrived on…