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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Photo of Austin, TX 78741 (MLS # 9426554)

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Year built: 1956

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$649,900

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Home size: 764 sq ft
Lot size: 1,219 sqft
Year built: 1968

2 beds
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Home size: 925 sq ft
Lot size: 5,837 sqft
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2 beds
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Home size: 1,155 sq ft
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Home size: 890 sq ft
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Year built: 1969

3 beds
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Home size: 378 sq ft
Lot size: 1,089 sqft
Year built: 1984

1 bed
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$115,000

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Home size: 1,176 sq ft
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Home size: 1,614 sq ft
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Year built: 1968

3 beds
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$425,000

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Home size: 1,437 sq ft
Lot size: 1,176 sqft
Year built: 2014

3 beds
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$340,000

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Home size: 378 sq ft
Lot size: 1,089 sqft
Year built: 1984

1 bed
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$99,800

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Home size: 2,480 sq ft
Lot size: 1,611 sqft
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Home size: 1,285 sq ft
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Home size: 1,910 sq ft
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Year built: 1968

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1840 Burton DR #208 , Austin

Home size: 518 sq ft Lot size: 1,393 sqft Year built: 1984

1 bed 1 bath $143,800
1901 Carlson DR #86G , Austin

Home size: 1,281 sq ft Lot size: 1,176 sqft Year built: 2011

2 beds 3 baths $323,000
1710 Frontier Valley DR , Austin

Home size: 1,742 sq ft Year built: 2016

3 beds 2 baths $395,000
1201 Grove BLVD #1103 , Austin

Home size: 1,068 sq ft Lot size: 3,049 sqft Year built: 2005

2 beds 3 baths $229,900
1840 Burton DR #164 , Austin

Home size: 378 sq ft Lot size: 1,089 sqft Year built: 1984

1 bed 1 bath $110,000
2821 Saville LOOP #21C , Austin

Home size: 966 sq ft Lot size: 1,176 sqft Year built: 2007

1 bed 1 bath $229,000
6400 Lynch LN , Austin

Home size: 1,698 sq ft Lot size: 6,403 sqft Year built: 1962

4 beds 2 baths $350,000
MLS # 9426554 , Austin

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

1 bed 2 baths $139,900
1713 Sylvan DR , Austin

Home size: 2,947 sq ft Lot size: 12,501 sqft Year built: 1956

4 beds 3 baths $649,900
1304 Summit ST #213 , Austin

Home size: 764 sq ft Lot size: 1,219 sqft Year built: 1968

2 beds 1 bath $175,000
1201 Summit ST , Austin

Home size: 1,462 sq ft Lot size: 8,755 sqft Year built: 1949

2 beds 1 bath $399,000
3405 Santa Fe DR , Austin

Home size: 1,826 sq ft Lot size: 10,323 sqft Year built: 1964

3 beds 2 baths $432,500
919 Valdez ST #B , Austin

Home size: 925 sq ft Lot size: 5,837 sqft Year built: 2018

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

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

2 beds 3 baths $331,000
6201 Carnation TER , Austin

Home size: 890 sq ft Lot size: 5,706 sqft Year built: 1969

3 beds 1 bath $225,000
1840 Burton DR #100 , Austin

Home size: 378 sq ft Lot size: 1,089 sqft Year built: 1984

1 bed 1 bath $115,000
2214 Maxwell LN , Austin

Home size: 1,176 sq ft Lot size: 6,534 sqft Year built: 1992

3 beds 2 baths $280,000
1414 Waterloo Shore LN , Austin

Home size: 1,767 sq ft Year built: 2016

3 beds 4 baths $629,900
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Home size: 1,151 sq ft Lot size: 3,049 sqft Year built: 2005

2 beds 3 baths $247,000
3501 Santa Monica DR , Austin

Home size: 1,614 sq ft Lot size: 11,151 sqft Year built: 1968

3 beds 2 baths $425,000
1836 Carlson DR #294C , Austin

Home size: 1,437 sq ft Lot size: 1,176 sqft Year built: 2014

3 beds 3 baths $340,000
1840 Burton DR #181 , Austin

Home size: 378 sq ft Lot size: 1,089 sqft Year built: 1984

1 bed 1 bath $99,800
1205 Town Creek Town Creek RD , Austin

Home size: 2,480 sq ft Lot size: 1,611 sqft Year built: 2018

3 beds 4 baths $674,900
7208 Lysander CT , Austin

Home size: 1,285 sq ft Lot size: 5,575 sqft Year built: 2014

3 beds 2 baths $330,000
2004 Parker LN , Austin

Home size: 1,910 sq ft Lot size: 11,979 sqft Year built: 1968

4 beds 2 baths $650,000