The Guthrie Brings Multifamily Development to an East Austin Lumberyard

A rendering of the Guthrie development planned at 3300 Gonzales Street. Photo courtesy of Argyle Residential.

Gonzales Street is quiet, for now. It’s a sleepy path of single-family homes in far East Austin just north of the East Seventh Street bridge’s span over Tillery Street, and the elevation of Seventh Street in this area insulates nearby homes from most major traffic. The abundant trees on the un-and-underdeveloped lots at the intersection of Gonzales and Tillery Streets lend the block an oddly rural stillness, which helps to circumvent its actual geography barely more than two miles from downtown.

A swing hanging underneath the Seventh Street bridge near the intersection of Tillery and Gonzales Streets. Photo courtesy of Hatch Workshop / Red Swing Project.

Since this is Austin, the Govalle neighborhood that claims Gonzales Street at its center might be described as “the next big thing,” or “the crest of the wave” — the watershed point on a vertical swath of high-density real estate development slowly chewing its way eastward through aging single-family homes and light industrial warehouses, leaving behind apartment complexes and mixed-use midrises as it goes.

The site of the former Guthrie Lumberyard at 3300 Gonzales Street. Photo by James Rambin.

It’s here in Govalle, at the site of a former Gonzales Street lumberyard, that we find a new benchmark for the eastern spread of density: The Guthrie, a four-story multifamily development planned by Oden Hughes and Argyle Residential at 3300 Gonzales Street.

A north-facing elevation of the Guthrie project. Photo courtesy of Steinberg Design Collaborative.

The project — which gets its name from the lumberyard previously at the address a la The Arnold, The Chicon, The Leslie, and so on — will contain 310 apartment units, with 12 units at a secondary Guthrie II development at 3215 Gonzales Street, just across the road from the main site.

A southern elevation of the Guthrie II, designed as a live/work building. Photo courtesy of Steinberg Design Collaborative.

It’s not really the design of the building that grabs me. Judging by the available renderings, plans and elevations, it just sort of looks like the Triangle — in fact, it’s designed by the same architects. But two things are particularly noteworthy here:

• The units at the Guthrie II are designed as live/work space, with a commercial ground floor and two floors of living space up top. This is a feature for these types of buildings you just don’t see very often — it’s usually ground floor retail with apartments up above, and never the twain shall meet. Super interesting, even if the lack of current pedestrian traffic in the neighborhood means these spaces will inevitably end up as law offices or something.

• If I’m keeping score correctly, the Guthrie is the first multifamily development of its size to arrive in this section of Austin’s far east side by something like half a mile, at least on the East Seventh Street corridor and surrounding areas.

A map of the sites for the Guthrie and Guthrie II developments. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.

Further east on Gonzales Street, MX3 Homes has several projects in play, which makes me wonder if parts of East Austin closer to the highway are finally getting too expensive even for developers. Putting up 300-plus residential units is certainly a bold way to anchor future development in a slightly more remote section of the zip code.

Another rendering of the Guthrie project. Photo courtesy of Argyle Residential.

Between this Guthrie project, the East 5th Condos, and the Rail Spur Building located a bit further down Tillery Street, we’re seeing some genuine action in this bit of Govalle. The neighborhood remains one of my favorite parts of the city, but I’m not necessarily crossing my fingers for the area to receive the East Sixth treatment.

More density is inevitable, but awareness of your surroundings and neighborhood context is often overlooked by multifamily developers. Govalle has a quieter vibe that lends itself to industrial adaptive reuse projects like the Rail Spur Building or Austin Bouldering Project’s repurposed produce factory over brand new midrise development — which often seems to deliver buildings with no sense of time, place, or anything else, for that matter.

Govalle neighborhood homes for sale

3502-1 Neal ST , Austin

Home size: 2,056 sq ft
Lot size: 10,933 sqft
Year built: 2018

3 beds
3 baths
$620,000

405 N Pleasant Valley RD , Austin

Home size: 1,196 sq ft
Lot size: 5,183 sqft
Year built: 1970

3 beds
1 bath
$325,000

4608 Gonzales ST , Austin

Home size: 780 sq ft
Lot size: 7,448 sqft
Year built: 1958

2 beds
1 bath
$395,000

604 Allen ST #103 , Austin

Home size: 1,487 sq ft
Lot size: 2,657 sqft
Year built: 2014

3 beds
3 baths
$420,000

4703 Milburn LN , Austin

Home size: 2,074 sq ft
Lot size: 19,122 sqft
Year built: 1940

3 beds
2 baths
$795,000

1101 Euphoria BND #37 , Austin

Home size: 1,627 sq ft
Lot size: 2,613 sqft
Year built: 2016

3 beds
3 baths
$425,000

4803 Lyons RD , Austin

Home size: 1,145 sq ft
Lot size: 16,247 sqft
Year built: 1970

2 beds
1 bath
$499,989

1107 Tillery ST , Austin

Home size: 2,519 sq ft
Lot size: 8,668 sqft
Year built: 1953

5 beds
2 baths
$1,100,000

303 Broadway ST , Austin

Home size: 598 sq ft
Lot size: 4,573 sqft
Year built: 1920

1 bed
1 bath
$325,000

4708 & 4706 E Milburn LN E , Austin

Home size: 1,536 sq ft
Lot size: 16,901 sqft
Year built: 1952

3 beds
1 bath
$699,000

2721 Francisco ST , Austin

Home size: 672 sq ft
Lot size: 7,971 sqft
Year built: 1955

2 beds
1 bath
$385,000

203 Tillery SQ , Austin

Home size: 1,598 sq ft
Lot size: 7,492 sqft
Year built: 1996

5 beds
2 baths
$442,000

3200 Govalle , Austin

Home size: 1,176 sq ft
Lot size: 21,518 sqft
Year built: 1940

3 beds
1 bath
$899,000

3213 Gonzales ST , Austin

Home size: 1,724 sq ft
Lot size: 8,189 sqft
Year built: 1945

4 beds
3 baths
$529,900

3206 Lyons RD , Austin

Home size: 1,394 sq ft
Lot size: 11,499 sqft
Year built: 1960

3 beds
1 bath
$450,000

3502-1 Neal ST , Austin

Home size: 2,056 sq ft Lot size: 10,933 sqft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $620,000
405 N Pleasant Valley RD , Austin

Home size: 1,196 sq ft Lot size: 5,183 sqft Year built: 1970

3 beds 1 bath $325,000
4608 Gonzales ST , Austin

Home size: 780 sq ft Lot size: 7,448 sqft Year built: 1958

2 beds 1 bath $395,000
604 Allen ST #103 , Austin

Home size: 1,487 sq ft Lot size: 2,657 sqft Year built: 2014

3 beds 3 baths $420,000
4703 Milburn LN , Austin

Home size: 2,074 sq ft Lot size: 19,122 sqft Year built: 1940

3 beds 2 baths $795,000
1101 Euphoria BND #37 , Austin

Home size: 1,627 sq ft Lot size: 2,613 sqft Year built: 2016

3 beds 3 baths $425,000
4803 Lyons RD , Austin

Home size: 1,145 sq ft Lot size: 16,247 sqft Year built: 1970

2 beds 1 bath $499,989
1107 Tillery ST , Austin

Home size: 2,519 sq ft Lot size: 8,668 sqft Year built: 1953

5 beds 2 baths $1,100,000
303 Broadway ST , Austin

Home size: 598 sq ft Lot size: 4,573 sqft Year built: 1920

1 bed 1 bath $325,000
4708 & 4706 E Milburn LN E , Austin

Home size: 1,536 sq ft Lot size: 16,901 sqft Year built: 1952

3 beds 1 bath $699,000
2721 Francisco ST , Austin

Home size: 672 sq ft Lot size: 7,971 sqft Year built: 1955

2 beds 1 bath $385,000
203 Tillery SQ , Austin

Home size: 1,598 sq ft Lot size: 7,492 sqft Year built: 1996

5 beds 2 baths $442,000
3200 Govalle , Austin

Home size: 1,176 sq ft Lot size: 21,518 sqft Year built: 1940

3 beds 1 bath $899,000
3213 Gonzales ST , Austin

Home size: 1,724 sq ft Lot size: 8,189 sqft Year built: 1945

4 beds 3 baths $529,900
3206 Lyons RD , Austin

Home size: 1,394 sq ft Lot size: 11,499 sqft Year built: 1960

3 beds 1 bath $450,000