Pleasant Valley’s ‘Mini-Tower’ in Southeast Austin Is No Mystery

A view of the Pleasant Valley Drill Tower. Photo by James Rambin.

Q: What’s the deal with that concrete mini-tower near the softball fields on Pleasant Valley Road, just outside the right outfield fence?

A: Hey, here’s a question I can answer without even making a phone call! The Krieg athletic complex, located on the expanse of city parkland east of Pleasant Valley Road and south of the Colorado River after it passes the Longhorn Dam, also includes an office building for some of the city and county’s various public safety departments, including the Austin Public Safety Wellness Center. But back in the 1970s, the building housed a training facility for the Austin Fire Department.

A 1978 article from the Austin American-Statesman about plans for the Austin Fire Department training facility on Pleasant Valley Road. Image: Austin American-Statesman / Austin Public Library

A view of the Pleasant Valley Drill Tower and Austin Fire Department trucks parked near the office facilities at the Austin Parks and Recreation Krieg athletics complex. Photo by James Rambin.

A 1974 article from the Austin American-Statesman about the dedication of the new drill tower at Pleasant Valley Road. Image: Austin American-Statesman / Austin Public Library.

Located at this complex is the Pleasant Valley Drill Tower, a six-story concrete structure used to train firefighters in techniques necessary to fight fires in tall buildings. As you can see from the photos, the tower simulates the design of a typical multi-story urban building with features like stairwells, windows, and balconies.

The structure has stood since 1974, when it was built by the fire department at their training center to replace the drill tower now located practically in the heart of downtown Austin, at the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Colorado Streets — we know it now as Buford Tower, and many Austinites probably just think it’s a funny-looking bell tower at this point.

A 1977 article in the Austin American-Statesman about the renovation of the downtown drill tower later dubbed Buford Tower. The Pleasant Valley Road training facility is mentioned. Image: Austin American-Statesman / Austin Public Library

Every year on September 11, Austin firefighters climb the tower in silence, wearing full gear, and ascend and descend until they’ve covered the approximate height of the World Trade Center — which takes roughly an hour — as a memorial to the more than 300 firefighters who died in the 9/11 attacks.

The Austin Fire Department now operates a 9-story drill tower at its training facility near the airport, which makes the Pleasant Valley structure a little less important than it probably was in the 1970s. Still, even with all the development going on around it in southwest Austin, I hope the smaller tower sticks around for a while — I’ve thought it was neat ever since I was a kid.

The Pleasant Valley Drill Tower in all its glory. Photo by James Rambin.

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1 bed
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Home size: 690 sq ft
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Home size: 1,070 sq ft
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2 beds
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Home size: 1,159 sq ft
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Home size: 850 sq ft
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Year built: 1973

2 beds
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Home size: 2,388 sq ft
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3 beds
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Home size: 2,366 sq ft
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Home size: 1,876 sq ft
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3 beds
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Home size: 2,167 sq ft
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Home size: 1,774 sq ft
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Year built: 1964

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Home size: 1,491 sq ft Lot size: 1,611 sqft Year built: 1973

3 beds 3 baths $225,000
1709 Deerfield DR , Austin

Home size: 2,796 sq ft Lot size: 8,102 sqft Year built: 1963

4 beds 3 baths $439,000
1803 Cedar Ridge DR , Austin

Home size: 2,600 sq ft Lot size: 9,801 sqft Year built: 1974

3 beds 4 baths $699,900
4500 E Oltorf ST #112 , Austin

Home size: 1,004 sq ft Lot size: 2,874 sqft Year built: 1985

2 beds 2 baths $165,000
7312 E Ben White BLVD #5 , Austin

Home size: 1,363 sq ft Year built: 2006

3 beds 3 baths $237,312
2204 Montague ST , Austin

Home size: 2,035 sq ft Lot size: 5,575 sqft Year built: 2015

3 beds 3 baths $389,500
1807 Parker LN , Austin

Home size: 3,480 sq ft Lot size: 25,134 sqft Year built: 1964

4 beds 3 baths $954,900
6011 Ponca ST , Austin

Lot size: 28,749 sqft Year built: 0

0 beds 0 baths $450,000
1600 Poppy Seed LN , Austin

Home size: 1,586 sq ft Lot size: 5,445 sqft Year built: 2006

3 beds 2 baths $285,750
6207 Caddie ST , Austin

Home size: 800 sq ft Lot size: 6,621 sqft Year built: 1952

2 beds 1 bath $305,000
1908 Cedar Ridge DR , Austin

Home size: 2,163 sq ft Lot size: 17,424 sqft Year built: 1972

3 beds 2 baths $549,000
1840 Burton DR #178 , Austin

Home size: 464 sq ft Lot size: 1,263 sqft Year built: 1984

1 bed 1 bath $140,000
1908 Townesouth CIR , Austin

Home size: 1,858 sq ft Lot size: 11,761 sqft Year built: 1979

0 beds 0 baths $380,000
1112 Lily TER , Austin

Home size: 1,110 sq ft Lot size: 6,534 sqft Year built: 1971

3 beds 2 baths $275,000
2450 Wickersham LN #1320 , Austin

Home size: 750 sq ft Lot size: 2,178 sqft Year built: 1985

1 bed 1 bath $155,000
1101 Grove BLVD #209 , Austin

Home size: 690 sq ft Lot size: 1,306 sqft Year built: 1970

1 bed 1 bath $199,900
2832 Bond DR #16C , Austin

Home size: 1,070 sq ft Lot size: 1,176 sqft Year built: 2007

2 beds 2 baths $279,900
1213 Lily TER , Austin

Home size: 1,159 sq ft Lot size: 5,575 sqft Year built: 1970

4 beds 3 baths $299,800
000 Valdez ST #919 A , Austin

Home size: 1,155 sq ft Lot size: 5,837 sqft Year built: 2018

2 beds 3 baths $316,900
2124 Burton DR #164 , Austin

Home size: 850 sq ft Lot size: 1,698 sqft Year built: 1973

2 beds 2 baths $148,500
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Home size: 2,388 sq ft Lot size: 35,152 sqft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $699,900
3038 Sunridge Dr , Austin

Home size: 2,366 sq ft Lot size: 10,890 sqft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $699,900
3018 Sunridge Dr Bldg 1 , Austin

Home size: 1,876 sq ft Lot size: 6,534 sqft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $624,900
3018 Sunridge Dr Bldg 2 , Austin

Home size: 2,167 sq ft Lot size: 5,662 sqft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $649,900
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Home size: 1,774 sq ft Lot size: 10,410 sqft Year built: 1964

4 beds 2 baths $539,500