We’re huge fans of the plan by the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department to rehab the historic 1950s Art Deco-style facility on Lady Bird Lake formerly used as the pump house of the adjacent Seaholm Power Plant into a new downtown public space — and unlike the fate of many plans we like, after waiting more than 10 years we’re happy to report…
history
20 Years after 9/11, Austin’s Frost Bank Tower Remains a Symbol of Strength
With numerous taller towers now prominent on Austin’s skyline — and even more on the way — the 33-story Frost Bank Tower at 401 Congress Avenue isn’t quite the symbol of the “New Austin” it once was at the time of its opening in 2004, remaining the city’s tallest building only until the completion of the 360 Condominiums in 2008. But as…
In Praise of Austin’s TRS Headquarters, a Doomed ’70s Concrete Wonderland
After being solidly shamed out of a big-spending plan to relocate its Austin offices to the recently-completed (and architecturally quite brilliant) Indeed Tower, the state pension managers at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas are now humbly weighing the possibilities of departing downtown for Mueller’s emerging Aldrich Street business district and selling its current headquarters at 1000 Red River Street. Even though the current…
Downtown Austin’s Most Eligible Warehouses Hit the Market at 99 Trinity
A block of 1970s-era warehouses located at 99 Trinity Street, representing a low-density curiosity in a region of downtown Austin otherwise experiencing rapid growth, is listed for sale as of this week via commercial real estate giants JLL — and maybe it’s needless to say, but the possibility of development at this site is music to our ears. This prime 0.94-acre…
Is There Really a Case for Reopening Sixth Street’s Weekends to Cars?
Members of Austin City Council voted unanimously last night to pass a resolution “relating to comprehensive strategies and immediate and longer-term actions to create a safer Sixth Street environment for all,” which directs city staff to study potential design interventions and other changes that could improve public safety in the East Sixth Street bar district that’s seen a…
Corner-Clearing Demolition Approved for 14th and Lavaca Tower Plan
Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission approved the demolition of five adjacent buildings in downtown northwest of the Capitol at its meeting earlier this week, representing another step forward for a reported hotel tower project at the site from a partnership between local firms Sabot Development and Twin Crest Capital. The site is an approximately 0.42-acre assembly of four neighboring properties including…