Spend a Sunny Afternoon Inside Downtown Austin’s Republic Tower

Image: Duda Paine / HKS

It’s been a heck of a week, Austin. Even if you’ve got power, plenty of your neighbors still don’t, and we think everyone could probably use a break from what’s going on outside. If you’re reading this site, there’s a good chance you’re the target audience for this marketing material cooked up by developers Lincoln Property Company and Phoenix Property Company for the 48-story Republic office tower currently under construction at 401 West Fourth Street in downtown Austin — a sunny virtual tour allowing you to experience the finished building in 3D. Your escape hatch is below:

While there’s been some uncertainty about the development status of many signature office towers planned downtown, this project is already deep into its construction timeline, which is good news for anyone who likes its impressive architecture from design bigwigs Duda Paine and HKS, not to mention its inviting ground-level streetscape by the local landscape geniuses at TBG Partners.

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In a downtown with lots of plans competing for “signature tower” status, even if it’s not the tallest we think the Republic is somewhere near the top in terms of iconic design, and we’re thrilled to see it grow in prominence on the skyline. The tower’s location overlooking one of downtown’s best park spaces at Republic Square and the future pedestrian axis of Project Connect along West Fourth Street makes the Republic a building with outstanding potential for interaction with the public realm, with large retail spaces located on all sides of its ground level — plus, in the 3D view above they’ve got the square decked out with its weekend farmers’ market. 

A view of the Republic tower’s frontage facing Republic Square, with the hypothetical closure of Fourth Street to traffic providing a peek into what Project Connect plans to do with this space in the near-ish future. Image: Lincoln Property Company / Phoenix Property Company / DivcoWest / Neoscape

Image: Duda Paine / HKS

Things are currently looking pretty gloomy around here, so this tour isn’t a bad use of your time if you need a reminder that the sun’s coming out again in Austin soon. The Republic tower is scheduled for completion by early 2025.