The redevelopment of the Grant Plaza office complex at 611 East Sixth Street, occupying a full block at the far eastern end of what’s considered Sixth Street’s famous strip of shot bars, represents an opportunity for something new in downtown’s most troubled district — but we underestimated just how drastically the site’s owners at New York-based firm Empire Square Group are…
sixth street
A Block-Sized Redevelopment Could Join East Sixth Street’s Planned Revival
With the Texas Lottery Commission reportedly completing its move to fresh digs in the George H.W. Bush Building of the Capitol Complex project earlier this summer, it appears yet another downtown Austin block formerly occupied by a state agency is contemplating its future — a site plan filed with the city earlier this week indicates the easily-overlooked Grant Plaza office complex at 611…
To Build a Better East Sixth Street, Consider the Night Market
A recent push by the City of Austin to study public safety improvements for downtown’s East Sixth Street entertainment district following a string of shootings already has lots of ideas on the table — including a wider variety of cultural activities on the street, rezoning for additional commercial or even residential development, and encouraging more diverse uses for the area’s many historic storefronts beyond the near-identical string of…
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…
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…