• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

TOWERS

Austin city life since 2007.

  • News
    • Condo Projects
    • Neighborhoods
  • Listings
    • Austin Condo Guide
  • Newsletter
Search
You are here: Home / News / Uh oh: The Dreaded 1,003 Room Downtown Marriott Might be Built
Search suggestions: condos for sale • rainey street

Uh oh: The Dreaded 1,003 Room Downtown Marriott Might be Built

towers staff June 21, 2011 Comment

Almost a year ago to the day, the Austin City Council enacted a zoning change and turned over a public alley in the most effort to lure a major convention hotel to Block 18 — the Congress Avenue block that used to house Las Manitas and which was at one point going to be taken over by a very large Marriott hotel. A year ago it seemed the unpopular project was dead forever, now it is reported that the 30-story hotel project across from the Austonian is likely to start construction next year.

The Congress Avenue Marriott — a 1,003 room hotel complex on 2nd and Congress avenue — was one of the most controversial, and one of the least popular downtown projects when originally proposed. The project is best known for displacing Las Manitas and other local businesses. Before being cancelled, the last two versions of the project were criticized for bland institutional architecture and a lack of ground-floor retail on a key block connecting the convention center area to the second street district. The original plan for the project included 1,000 rooms across 3 separate Marriott-branded hotels in one convoluted multi-faceted building. The second version of the project included two hotels in one building. Version 3.0 included just one Marriott hotel with 1,000 rooms. The budget at one point reached $250 million before the project was shelved.

Now the project is back. If the city agrees to waive $4.3 million in fees, White Lodging Services Corp. plans to begin the design and engineering process for the project almost immediately. Once completed, the 27-30 story block wide tower would be the largest hotel in Austin.

The Downtown Marriott as Originally Proposed
New Downtown Austin Marriott on Congress Avenue

The sad thing is that the city does badly need downtown hotel rooms and another large convention center hotel. The issue with the Marriott project as previously proposed is that — unlike the highly popular W hotel — the hotel is monolithic, architecturally uninteresting, lacks retail, fails to engage the surrounding streets, and brings no community venues or resources. It comes across as a pure profit play subsidized by tax payers and without regard for the advancement off the neighborhood.

Tweet

Related

Filed Under: News

About towers staff

Real estate, architecture, and city planning. Email: austin@towers.net

301 West Avenue #1806
Austin, TX
Photo of 301  West Avenue #1806, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2246992)
$1,695,000
34
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,490 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

Previous Post: « Downtown “Startup District” Proposed
Next Post: New 50-Story Modern Hotel Proposed for downtown, Battle with Marriott Begins »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  •  Schedule a showing

FEATURED Listings

2305 Coronado Street #E
Austin, TX
Photo of 2305  Coronado Street #E, Austin, TX 78702 (MLS # 7596312)
$550,000
18
  • Lot Size
    1,394 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,252 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    2 Baths

608 Brentwood Street #A
Austin, TX
Photo of 608  Brentwood Street #A, Austin, TX 78752 (MLS # 3202099)
$989,608
33
  • Lot Size
    4,356 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,959 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    3 Baths

44 EAST Avenue #2310
Austin, TX
Photo of 44  EAST Avenue #2310, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 9418770)
$1,425,000
40
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,260 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

View Virtual Tour
360 Nueces Street #2710
Austin, TX
Photo of 360  Nueces Street #2710, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 8186211)
$619,900
39
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    770 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

View Virtual Tour
70 Rainey Street #1403
Austin, TX
Photo of 70  Rainey Street #1403, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 2486918)
$580,000
25
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    663 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

austin condo report

Featured Buildings

  • 360 Condos
  • Austin City Lofts
  • The Independent
  • The Shore Condos
  • 70 Rainey

Footer

LEGAL NOTICE

TREC Information About Brokerage Services (pdf)

Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice


TOWERS realty

Austin Condos For Sale

Agents

Downtown Buildings

Luxury Towers

  • Four Seasons Residences
  • W Hotel & Residences
  • The Austonian
  • 5 Fifty Five at Hilton

Most Popular

  • The Shore
  • 360 Condos
  • Seaholm Condos
  • Spring Condos
  • Milago Condos

New Construction

  • The Independent
  • 70 Rainey
  • Austin Proper
  • Fifth & West

Loft Style

  • Austin City Lofts
  • Brazos Place
  • The Sabine
  • Plaza Lofts
  • Avenue Lofts
  • Brazos Lofts
  • Brown Building

Resources

  • Austin Condo Guide
  • Condos For Sale
  • Condo Buyer FAQ
  • Property Search

Featured

Archives

Newsletter · About · Contact Us · DMCA · Privacy Policy · SLAPP · Copyright © 2007-2022 TOWERS.net · All Rights Reserved