It’s easy to forget about Homewood Suites. That’s not necessarily a judgement of its quality, but in a city with big-ticket hotels sprouting up left and right, a 17-story midrange chain hotel doesn’t really hog the spotlight. That being said, the Homewood Suites under construction at 78-80 East Avenue one block east of Rainey Street is moving right along,…
Inside the Restoration of Downtown’s Historic O. Henry Hall
O. Henry Hall, a historic downtown building located at 601 Colorado Street, originally opened in 1881 as a federal courthouse and post office. Designed by architect James G. Hill, its construction was overseen by famed antebellum-era master builder Abner Cook, whose best-known work is probably the Texas Governor’s Mansion. The structure’s Renaissance Revival-style architecture makes it noteworthy…
Calling Austin’s Tech Firms: Your New Office Will Arrive at East 6th and Chicon
Excavation is already well underway at the corner of East Sixth and Chicon Streets. For East Austin, it feels like a tale as old as time — or at least as old as this side of town’s reputation as one of the hippest places on earth, love it or hate it. This particular corner is receiving a…
Conversation with George Blume
Today, we’re picking up the conversation series originally featured on our sister site, Modern Austin, and sitting down with George Blume, Project Designer at the Austin offices of mega-architecture firm Gensler. Blume is heavily involved in the design of Gensler’s downtown towers, including Third and Shoal, 500 West Second Street, and the upcoming Block 87 mixed-use project, to name a few. He’s also got possibly the most…
Getting to Know Block 71, Downtown’s Most Fascinating Mixed-Use Plan
If we’re being precise, Block 71 is the City of Austin’s assigned number for a 1.75-acre downtown block owned by the University of Texas and bordered by West Seventh, Colorado, West Sixth and Lavaca Streets. But more importantly, it’s also the presumed name of developer Trammell Crow Company’s planned mixed-use complex, set to transform the site with a 36-story office tower, retail, restaurants, an…
South Shore Highline Development is East Riverside’s New Normal
I just can’t quit East Riverside. Between Oracle’s massive new office campus in Lakeshore and the general trend of new projects springing up all the way out to Montopolis and beyond, there’s a reason I keep crawling back. Don’t even get me started on the potential of the Project Catalyst development — point is, there’s suddenly a lot going on in a part…