“I’ve always wanted to turn a Burger King into a wine bar,” I patiently explain to my court-appointed psychiatrist. “Imagine how great it would feel to tear down all those ugly Whopper signs and slap up some cheap French posters they sell at the airport!” But seriously, there’s nothing stopping you from turning a Burger King into a…
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Downtown Austin’s Mexic-Arte Museum Plans a Long-Awaited Renovation
Since 1984, the Mexic-Arte Museum has served Austin as the city’s official home for Mexican, Latino, and Latin American art — and it should be the most well-positioned museum in the city to showcase that art, having occupied an extremely visible location at the southeast corner of Congress Avenue and Fifth Street since 1988. But…
700 River Apartment Tower Celebrates Topping Out in the Rainey Street District
The 43-story 700 River apartment tower now under construction at the corner of Rainey and River Streets in downtown’s perpetually exploding Rainey Street District announced its official topping out today, with the structure reaching its maximum height of 500 feet. This is a significant milestone for a neighborhood experiencing the densest concentration of simultaneous tower construction anywhere in Austin, with two other projects of…
Here’s How Nau’s Enfield Drug Could Redevelop in Clarksville
The 2022 closure of Clarksville pharmacy Nau’s Enfield Drug was a dispiriting end for the long history of this iconic “Old Austin” staple, which first opened as a drugstore and small lunch counter serving burgers and milkshakes way back in 1951. But for many nearby residents, the shuttering of the business wasn’t a huge surprise, since it had publicly struggled…
Demolition Planned for East Austin’s Most Mysterious Abandoned Strip Mall
The history of the shopping center at the northeast corner of Ed Bluestein Boulevard and FM 969 — also known as 183 and East MLK Jr. Boulevard — ends before it begins. Known at various points of its non-development as East Pointe, Palm Square, and Journey Plaza, the effort to build a strip mall in…
An Unsung Green Space Plans a Better Skyline View at West Austin Park
West Austin Park, located at 1317 West 10th Street just a few blocks west of downtown, isn’t one of Austin’s better-known outdoor destinations compared with the more cosmopolitan reputation of the nearby Pease Park — but despite looking a little rough around the edges, this three-acre neighborhood park dating back to 1930 has its own pleasant appeal…