Built in 1876 by Swedish immigrant Charles Lundberg, the historic former bakery at 1006 Congress Avenue now known as the Old Bakery & Emporium still serves downtown with a shop selling handmade items by area artisans, alongside a visitor center and celebrated gallery space showcasing the work of local artists over 50. But a relatively unsung aspect of the site is…
historic preservation
Austin’s Former Faulk Central Library Seeks National Historic Status
From 1979 to 2017, the Faulk Central Library served as the austere headquarters of our city’s public library system at 800 Guadalupe Street, a bunker-like concrete fortress of books renamed for late Austin storyteller John Henry Faulk in 1996 — and although downtown’s new Central Library has its charms, we’re still fond of the Faulk Building’s stern appearance…
Pay Your Final Respects to Downtown Austin’s Long-Suffering Hobby Building
It’s a remarkable work of 1980s postmodern architecture, and it’s also full of rats. Cobble those two truths together and you’ve got a nearly complete understanding of the William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building at 333 Guadalupe Street, a downtown structure of great ambition and eclectic design widely disliked by its tenants anyway —…
With Dart Bowl Bound for Demolition, Highland Lanes Could Redevelop Next
The building formerly home to longtime Austin landmark Dart Bowl received the green light for demolition this week from the city’s Historic Landmark Commission, with the former bowling alley at 5700 Grover Avenue to be replaced by a 247-unit apartment project from developers OHT Partners — but recent city filings indicate the family partnership behind Dart Bowl’s legendary…
Congress Avenue’s First Residential Tower Plan in Years Takes Shape, Maybe
A plan to construct a 55-story tower containing multifamily residences behind historic storefronts on Congress Avenue would be the first new residential building on the so-called Main Street of Texas since the completion of the Austonian condos in 2010 — but the proposal faces scrutiny from the city’s Historic Landmark Commission due to this important downtown corridor’s…
It’s Last Call to Vote for Housing at the Palm District in Downtown Austin
The recent planning effort by the City of Austin designating a large swath of downtown near I-35 as the Palm District has always felt a bit inexact for us, rolling the Rainey Street District, the area around the Austin Convention Center that also contains the plan’s namesake Palm School, the entertainment district along Red River Street, and the Innovation District near the new…