What should we call the northwest corner of downtown? That's the latest burnin' question we asked our readers earlier this month, in an effort to define the identity of a growing neighborhood that we've seen called Uptown, North Side, Museum District, and so forth. We ended up with 75 responses -- and counting -- from Austinites willing to humor us on the subject. That's ...
city life
Central Austin Development Roundup: New Views and New Towers
Like almost every week, it was a good week for towers in downtown Austin. This time around, we got a look at an all-new development in the Rainey Street District, plus progress updates for a few other projects -- not to mention some extremely fresh new renderings. As they say in the old country, "bada bing, bada boom:" 90 Rainey Street Local developer and Urbanspace CEO ...
Austinites Weren’t Always So Sure About Downtown’s Iconic Frost Bank Tower
At 515 feet, the Frost Bank Tower at 401 Congress Avenue was downtown Austin's tallest building after its grand opening in 2004, but found itself quickly surpassed by the 360 Condominiums in 2008, which stood higher by a mere 47 feet. Still, four years of being the tallest in town ain't bad, right? As Austin's growth continues seemingly unabated, at ...
In Downtown Austin’s Northwest Corner, a Neighborhood Cries Out for a Name
What do you call the part of downtown Austin northwest of the Capitol? No, I don't mean Judge's Hill, a neighborhood located further to the west than this area according to its self-defined boundaries -- we're talking about the region roughly bound by West 12th Street to the south, Rio Grande Street to the west, MLK Jr. Boulevard to the north, and Lavaca or perhaps ...
Five Snapshots of Downtown Austin’s Ever-Changing Sixth Street
East Pecan Street, now called Sixth Street, has remained a prominent corridor in downtown Austin since the city's incorporation in 1840. Its historic, Victorian-style buildings have mostly remained the same, but the street's social function has continually evolved. Almost 20 years ago, January 30, 1999 was a notable night in the history of both Sixth Street and the Austin ...