If you’re spending any quality time downtown these days, you might have noticed Republic Square is looking a little out of the ordinary — fences now surround the perimeter of the park’s central “great lawn,” which now looks more like a great big field of dirt, with folks in hard hats mucking around in skid steers and whatnot. So what’s…
architecture
The New Adventures of Old Red River, Austin’s Next Great Pedestrian Space
There’s a real laundry list of development currently taking place in downtown Austin’s so-called “Innovation District” east of the Capitol. You’ve got Central Health’s massive reimagining of the former Brackenridge Hospital site, with the “Innovation Tower” itself now up for lease at the center of the action overlooking the new Waterloo Park, and right across the intersection of East 12th and Red River Streets the Symphony Square office…
Austin’s Seaholm Intake Building Hasn’t Looked This Clean in Decades
The long-awaited rehabilitation of the Seaholm Power Plant’s former intake structure on the shores of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin should complete its first phase early this summer, and if you’ve spent any time around the lake in the last few weeks you might have already noticed that this 1950s Art Deco landmark has received a heck of a good…
Austin’s Annie B Apartment Tower Adds a Fancy Crown in West Downtown
One thing you’ll hear quite often from folks with what you could call “mixed views” on Austin’s growth is that there’s just too many darn glass boxes going up downtown — punch the phrase “another glass box” into any search bar and you’ll discover that this is not a phenomenon unique to Austin or even North America. Like…
Fifth and Lavaca Hotel Tower Plan Heads for Historic Review
A hotel tower planned for the southeast corner of West Fifth and Lavaca Streets in downtown Austin will seek the approval of a demolition permit for two adjacent properties at 209 and 213 West Fifth Street from the Historic Landmark Commission early next month, according to city documents. The 28-story project by local hospitality builder Merritt Development…
It’s Time for a Montage on South Lamar
A South Austin condo project by local developers Pearlstone Partners will bring 175 new residences to a vacant former used car lot at 2323 South Lamar Boulevard near Bluebonnet Lane, planned as part of the company’s growing portfolio of multifamily housing communities designed to be “attainable” to middle-income buyers recently priced out of Austin’s central neighborhoods. The start…