The Capitol Complex Clears a Corner at 15th and Lavaca in Downtown Austin

A view of the state-owned block at West 15th and Lavaca Streets now being cleared to make way for the second phase of the Texas Capitol Complex Project, which will bring offices to the site. Photo by James Rambin

If you’ve strolled around downtown in the last few days and you’ve got a couple of brain cells left to rub together, you might have noticed a bit of demolition currently underway at West 15th and Lavaca Streets, clearing the existing buildings and a big parking lot from the state-owned block at the northeast corner of this intersection.

Once the block’s cleared, the Texas Facilities Commission can kick off phase two of its Capitol Complex Project, which will replace this block and part of the block directly to the east with two state office buildings containing a total of 525,000 square feet. Here’s how this same corner is going to look once that second phase is complete:

A rendering of one of the two state office buildings headed to this stretch of West 15th Street as part of the Capitol Complex Project’s second phase. It also adds more underground parking, but at least we’re losing the surface lot. Image: HOK / TFC

The structure on the site now in mid-demolition dates back to 1957, originally constructed as a store and office space for the Cook Paint and Varnish Company but used for years as the home of the Capitol Complex Child Care Center — which has now relocated to the new Barbara Jordan Building at 1601 Congress Avenue, built as part of the Capitol Complex Project’s first phase and opened last year.

A mid-demo view of the 1505 Lavaca Street structure. Photo by James Rambin

You think we can convince the state to keep this tree? Photo by James Rambin

While the former Cook Paint building is not without its midcentury charms, the structure didn’t actually gain its colorful paint job until 2015. Things looked a little more austere before that — in February 2007, the famously cranky urban design writer James Howard Kunstler picked the building for his website’s “eyesore of the month” feature, describing it as a “dreary death box.” Here’s how it looked back then:

Image: Kunstler.com

Although the state office buildings headed to this block and part of the block directly to the east seem like business as usual, the second phase of the Capitol Complex plan taking place here will also extend the new pedestrian mall at the heart of the project one block further, from 16th to 15th Street, finally connecting the full complex with a walkable central green space — that’s the part everyone should really care about.

In this rendering looking west from the Capitol Complex’s new pedestrian mall, the building in the foreground is the new state office building replacing the Texas DPS district office currently located at West 15th Street and Congress Avenue. The larger office building headed to the corner of West 15th and Lavaca Streets is visible in the background. Image: HOK / TFC

According to the Facilities Commission, the Capitol Complex Project officially marks the groundbreaking of Phase II on April 20, or one week from today. Can’t miss it!