In all the chaos of the pandemic, we neglected to notice that the Trail Foundation, Austin’s nonprofit stewards of the Hike-and-Bike Trail, reached a nice milestone — Brazos Bluff, one of the organization’s 15 trail improvement projects marking the 15th anniversary of its founding, celebrated its completion last month. The project creates a stopping point with seating and other landscaping features…
design
A Restoration Project’s on the Way for the Historic Zilker Clubhouse
After 86 years of service and counting, the Zilker Clubhouse, one of Austin’s best examples of Depression-era public works architecture and sporting some of the most impressive skyline views west of MoPac, is bound for a well-deserved scrubbing. Though the current pandemic has delayed its design phase, a rehabilitation plan for the facility is officially in the works at the…
Northwest Downtown Development Roundup: The Hottest Corner Around
As we’ve laid out in a number of previous articles, the northwest corner of downtown Austin is one of the most interesting areas for growth in the central city. Less bustling or dense than its neighboring districts, yet still close to the rest of the action, it’s become clear over our last few years of prognostication that…
Preservation Austin’s Downtown-Loving 2020 Homes Tour Heads Online
Preservation Austin’s 2020 Homes Tour event had us excited due to this year’s “Downtown Doorsteps” theme, which proved that historic preservation can be about much more than single-family homes in upscale neighborhoods — in fact, the homes on display might be one of the group’s most diverse selections ever, including forms like fourplexes, high-rise loft conversions, and…
Atop a Historic Austin Building, This Hilton Hotel Tower Tries a New Look
It seems kind of bold to pursue the development of a hotel during a pandemic of unspecified length and impact, but as we’ve seen in recent weeks, plenty of projects in Austin are still chugging along. Not least of these is the oddball 159-room hotel plan by Trend Hospitality LP and developer William Franks for 1415 Lavaca Street, which would raise a 12-story structure…
Austin Finally Has Takeout and Delivery Cocktails That Don’t Suck. What’s Next?
It’s been more than a week since the State of Texas made cocktails served “to go” a reality for pickup and delivery orders at pandemic-stricken restaurants and bars, with a new waiver from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expanding the previous, less cool waiver that only allowed takeout drinks within narrow parameters — which didn’t help struggling businesses all that much since the regulatory change still…