Historically speaking, the most important cocktail ever poured in Austin isn’t the Mexican Martini, the Ranch Water, or even the Mad Dog Margarita. By some overly peevish definitions, it wasn’t even a cocktail at all. But when Woody Elder bellied up to the bar at Christie’s Seafood Restaurant on Barton Springs Road shortly after noon on Tuesday, June 1, 1971, 53 years ago this month,…
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Austin’s Fannie Davis Town Lake Gazebo Could Seek Historic Landmark Zoning
Constructed on parkland along the south shoreline of downtown’s central waterfront in 1969, the Fannie Davis Town Lake Gazebo is one of Austin’s most important and recognizable works of small-scale architecture. As the first structure built to beautify the shores of the new lake crossing the heart of the city after the completion of the…
Austin Agrees, South First Needs a Barton Springs-Style Road Safety Pilot
After reviewing the promising early results of the city’s safety pilot on Barton Springs Road last month, we decided to casually survey our readers on where they might like to see the project’s infrastructure improvements applied elsewhere in Austin. The pilot’s “road diet”-style lane reduction, added protection for bike lanes, and upgraded pedestrian access all constitute a no-brainer for the highly visible gateway…
The City’s Barton Springs Road Safety Project Works. Where Should It Go Next?
After a history of serious car crashes and a particularly dramatic accident in 2022 injuring 10 people, the yearlong safety pilot implemented on Barton Springs Road by the City of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department was a welcome intervention on one of the city’s most popular streets for pedestrians and cyclists at the gateway to Zilker Park — by reducing the road to one car…
Shell Plans Two Electric Vehicle Charging Hubs in Austin
Multinational petroleum giant Shell is leaning into a recently announced strategic pivot towards electric vehicles, with plans to nearly quadruple its existing network of EV charging stations by 2030 — and Austin appears to be one of the first cities on the list for the oil company’s Houston-based U.S. subsidiary, with at least two local properties owned by entities…
Zephyr Condos, Not Montage, Build a Zilker Homage on South Lamar
This week, we’ve learned that the 182-unit condo project by local developers Pearlstone Partners currently under construction atop the site of a former used car lot at 2323 South Lamar Boulevard would not be called Montage after all — which is kinda funny, because I have an insulated tumbler sitting in my kitchen cabinet with that name on…