In the early days of the Great Depression, construction jobs all but disappeared, and that was bad news for Mexican-American Austinite Roy Velasquez, who had risen to the role of foreman on a crew laying sewer pipe in the late 1920s before he was 20 years old. With no local work left, he traveled to Kingsland to…
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The Chicago Architects Behind Downtown Austin’s Rising Skyline
As you might imagine, most tall buildings in and around downtown Austin are designed by architects from Texas. But looking at projects either planned or under construction in the central city, you’ll notice Chicago pops up a lot — not exactly a close neighbor, but as a hotspot for architecture (and towers in particular) it…
Say ‘Howdy’ to 300 Colorado, Topped Out at 32 Floors in Downtown Austin
As you might imagine, tower news is a little harder to come by these days. Still, a lot of previously-announced buildings in downtown Austin — condos, apartments, offices, and so forth — are making progress here and there. Case in point: 300 Colorado, the 32-story office project by Cousins Properties and local firms Riverside Resources and Ironwood…
A Field Guide to Austin’s New Deal-Era Public Works Architecture
Perhaps the most lasting impact of the New Deal programs enacted during the 1930s by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the economic woes of the Great Depression is found in its public works projects, built or funded by an alphabet soup of federal agencies including the Public Works Administration (PWA), the Works Progress…
Here’s a Closer Look at the Tower Headed for Fourth and Brazos Downtown
If built, the tower planned at the half-block on the northeast corner of Fourth and Brazos Streets in downtown Austin by Chicago development outfit CA Ventures will be the city’s second-tallest, according to recent city development filings. The project’s site plan is currently in review status with the city, but available documents are unclear on the tower’s exact height,…
Central Austin Development Roundup: We’re Still Building These, Folks
A fun game to play during a global pandemic such as this one is to search your inbox for the word “unprecedented” and try to find the funniest way it’s been strategically deployed in an email blast by one of the brands you don’t immediately kick to the spam folder. I got one from Panera Bread the…