Last week, we heard a surprising announcement from the Texas Department of Transportation and State Senator Kirk Watson regarding plans to significantly redesign Austin’s downtown stretch of Interstate 35, part of an $8 billion long-range plan — apparently dubbed Capital Express — intending to add two toll lanes to both sides of the highway all the way from Round Rock to…
Statesman Sale Shines Spotlight on South Central Waterfront’s Future
On Halloween earlier this week, we learned that Cox Media Group, owners of the Austin American-Statesman since 1976, have put the newspaper up for sale. It’s not a particularly spooky news item unless you’re a journalist concerned about the uncertain future of Austin’s paper of record, but it draws attention to another interesting possibility: the development of the…
A First Glimpse of the Commodore Perry Estate’s Planned Boutique Hotel
UPDATE: New city filings for next week’s Historic Landmark Commission meeting include additional info on renovation plans for the Perry Estate. Architects Clayton & Little have modified their proposed porch cover structure on the front of the original mansion to meet the needs of the commission, and in the process we’ve got a better view…
Mark Odom Studio to Restore Midcentury Office on North Lamar
The office building at 2001 North Lamar Boulevard might not keep your attention for long. After all, it’s essentially a beige box, built with the same tan bricks it appears every architect in Austin was contractually obligated to use in their institutional and commercial projects from about 1960 to 1980. But there’s a compelling sort…
MÁSMACC: Downtown Austin’s Boldest Architecture At Risk
A couple of weeks ago, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Culture Center held a community open house to review and provide input on design concepts by CasaBella Architects for the center’s expansion. The firm is engaged to develop a new vision and Master Plan for the MACC, a design effort being touted as “MÁSMACC.” You can download a pdf of the…
Refresh Your Memory on Rainey Street’s Most Mysterious Mixed-Use Project
You know that food truck park on Rainey Street across from Banger’s? It’s an awfully large undeveloped space considering the hotness of the area, occupying multiple lots from 78 to 84 Rainey Street. The rough value of the assembled lots is about $3.6 million, and hey, whaddaya know — they’re all owned by LLCs associated with developer Sackman Enterprises,…