The Scarbrough Building at Sixth Street and Congress Avenue is downtown’s first skyscraper, completed back in 1910 when its eight floors were more than enough to earn that title. Despite being built in a era of astonishingly low car ownership per capita compared to current rates, the tower doesn’t do much for the pedestrian at street level…
A Closer Look at Plans for Block 71, Downtown’s Latest Transformation
Thanks to new city filings, we’ve got fresh renderings and more for the 36-story office tower and complex planned at Block 71, a 1.75-acre downtown block owned by the University of Texas and bordered by West Seventh, Colorado, West Sixth and Lavaca Streets. The site is also currently . . . Become a patron to get the full story and gain…
Proposed Student Housing Complex Would Surround Historic Freedmen’s Building in West Campus
According to plans filed with the city, a student housing development in West Campus planned by local developer Johnson Trube & Associates would surround the historic Franzetti Store building at 2402 San Gabriel Street, better known as bar and barbecue restaurant Freedmen’s. Public city documents prepared for tonight’s meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission give us . . ….
Rainey Street District Development Roundup: It’s Not Just Bars, You Know
Rainey Street is probably Austin’s most interesting urban planning experiment. The starting gun for the area’s rapid transformation was a 2005 rezoning of what used to be a working-class neighborhood of single-family homes, allowing commercial projects like bars and multifamily developments to rise. Now, the Rainey Street area is practically unrecognizable from its past life, and despite its…
The Downtown Austin Alliance’s Vision Survey Needs Your Hottest Takes
Our friends over at the Downtown Austin Alliance are conducting a survey of Austinites as part of what they’re calling a “Downtown Vision & Action Plan.” The organization uses community input from surveys along these lines to research improvements for downtown issues like parking shortages, so they’ll probably appreciate your hot takes more . . . Become a patron to get the full…
Gensler’s 600 Guadalupe Tower Might Not Be Blue, Thank God
Ever noticed how like, every new tower announced downtown is blue? If it’s not solid blue, it’s beige with blue accents or something. I’m no expert, but there’s apparently a good reason for this: Blue and green glass are the most energy efficient which is why it’s all we use. Difficult to satisfy energy code with other . ….
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