A roughly 30-story tower project could soon rise from a historic Masonic lodge building in downtown Austin, according to a collection of planning documents filed in preparation for tonight’s meeting of the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. The documents, part of a certificate of appropriateness application filed with the commission by local architects Brett Rhode of…
design
Take a Closer Look at the Travis, the Rainey District’s New Tallest Tower
We’ve already gotten one peek at what’s planned for the Travis, a mixed-use project building two towers at 80 Red River Street in downtown’s Rainey Street District, which could break ground as early as later this year — but remember, the project’s developers, Dallas-based Genesis Real Estate Group, say they’re building this thing in phases. We saw the Phase…
Digging Into the Blockbuster Plan for the Austin American-Statesman Site
Now that we’ve had a few days to digest the Austin American-Statesman’s breaking news story about the redevelopment of its own headquarters on the south shores of Lady Bird Lake, we thought it might be nice to think a little further about the potential wrapped up in this roughly 19-acre site at 305 South Congress Avenue. Even though…
‘Airbnb-Powered’ Home Sharing Concept Natiivo Heads to Rainey Street District
The long-awaited tower project at 48 East Avenue in downtown Austin’s Rainey Street District won’t be home to either condos or apartments, as previously reported during various stages of the development’s roughly six-year lifespan — instead, the 33-floor building will be built as a 249-unit hotel, but that’s really only half the story. In line with…
After 15 Years of Mueller, Its Iconic Control Tower Has Never Looked Better
It was 2007 when I tried breaking into the defunct control tower at Austin’s former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport — you can call that “urban exploration” or “criminal trespassing” at your discretion, though at the age of 15 there’s admittedly not much distance between the two. My failed attempt arrived long after the site ceased…
We’ve Got Options for East Austin’s New Longhorn Dam Pedestrian Bridge
Earlier this week, the City of Austin’s Public Works Department held its second of three community engagement meetings to solicit public feedback on alignment and design options for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the eastern edge of Lady Bird Lake. Considering the well-documented shortcomings of the current bridge along the stretch of Pleasant Valley Road crossing the top…