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…
sixth street
Go Shopping on Sixth Street Circa 1974
We’ve recently discussed the past and present of downtown Austin’s ever-changing East Sixth Street, and though it’s obviously up for debate, our takeaway from the historical context of the street leads us to believe its present occupation as a hotspot for interchangeable shot bars between Congress Avenue and the highway doesn’t do justice to its past as…
Inside the Restoration of Downtown’s Historic O. Henry Hall
O. Henry Hall, a historic downtown building located at 601 Colorado Street, originally opened in 1881 as a federal courthouse and post office. Designed by architect James G. Hill, its construction was overseen by famed antebellum-era master builder Abner Cook, whose best-known work is probably the Texas Governor’s Mansion. The structure’s Renaissance Revival-style architecture makes it noteworthy…
Inside Public Toilet, Downtown Austin’s Latest Pop-Up Spot
Austin’s thriving pop-up scene keeps the city’s tastemakers on their toes, with restaurant concepts, avant-garde exhibits and mobile boutiques defining the cutting edge of cool. So when I got wind of an exclusive new pop-up concept opening last week at the corner of East Sixth Street and the I-35 Frontage Road, I obviously knew I had to…
Office Development Proposed Above Former Emo’s Space on Dirty Sixth
A new office development could rise four stories at 610 East Sixth Street, according to plans filed with the city. The unnamed project is up for review by the Historic Landmark Commission at its Monday, August 21 meeting. New York-based real estate investment firm Cayuga Capital Management submitted a package of initial plans to the…
Texas Lottery Commission to Move From East Sixth Headquarters
The Texas Lottery Commission plans to vacate its current headquarters at Grant Plaza in the 600 block of East Sixth Street, according to city documents issued earlier this month. Empire Square Group , a boutique private equity firm that owns the plaza, will lose its main tenant in the move. According to the landlord’s portfolio description, the commission occupies 92 percent of…