AUSTIN | Austin Planetarium & Residential Tower | 655 FT | 47 FLOORS

[NYC2ATX]

I did see that it's currently a parking lot, and considering it's the closest thing to a museum district that Austin can boast, it certainly needs this boost. I definitely agree. I do hope, as you said, that this generates more development in that area. My fear is not that this is outside of downtown, but moreso that the skyline will be skewed in a linear fashion and not concentrated in a way that gives Austin a distinct skyline profile. I guess we just have to cross our fingers that more development follows this awesome tower's lead up to North Congress.

I cannot wait until I move to Austin so I can be right in the middle of all this.

[eburress]

I don't get it. Do people like this building because it's tall?

I really don't care for this tower and in the unlikely event that it does get built, hopefully its design is tweaked/changed because it already looks dated.

[JayPro]

I too am concerned a bit for a building this tall so far removed from the DT core. Not knowing how the City of Austin is governed vis a vis highrise placement I'd like to know if they have any plans to add at least a bit more height and density to the UT/capitol building section.

That way, IMHO, this really nice tower won't look so out of place.

Throwback designs can work of done right.

[Eidolon]

I like this tower because it has an interesting design, like one from the 70s or 80s.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by JayPro

I too am concerned a bit for a building this tall so far removed from the DT core. Not knowing how the City of Austin is governed vis a vis highrise placement I'd like to know if they have any plans to add at least a bit more height and density to the UT/capitol building section.

That way, IMHO, this really nice tower won't look so out of place.

Throwback designs can work of done right.

The state has plans to bulk up office and residential density in the capitol complex by divesting itself of far flung offices and replacing them in the core in a minimal number of buildings while simultaneously selling off many of its inconsequential holdings in the capitol complex to high density developers. I.E. the long term prospects here look to form a second skyline. An "uptown" if you will.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by eburress

I don't get it. Do people like this building because it's tall?

I really don't care for this tower and in the unlikely event that it does get built, hopefully its design is tweaked/changed because it already looks dated.

It may look a little dated, but it is a type of dated that Austin doesn't have. Also, it is a type of dated that works well in the area and works very well with the purpose of the site.

[eburress]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

It may look a little dated, but it is a type of dated that Austin doesn't have. Also, it is a type of dated that works well in the area and works very well with the purpose of the site.

hahaha - that's what concerns me. I really love Austin's skyline because among other things, it doesn't have stinkers like this. I'd personally like to keep that no-stinker streak going!

[The ATX]

One person's stinker is another's architectural gem. Such is the nature of art.

[BevoLJ]

A modern looking glassy building like the Austonian or W would look far more out of place in this area than anything else possibly could. Well other than maybe a ferris wheel. The Eye of London would look quite silly there.

But the way it looks is why I think it works for where it is. It looks like a futuristic design from many years ago. lol. If that makes any sense. To be part of a planetarium that vibe works for it and the area where it is being built which has many large buildings from the late 1800's and then 30's and stopped in the 70's. The lower CBD is a mix of many more small buildings from the 1800's and then the large ones from the 80's to today. That this design looks like a futuristic design would be imagined in the 60's or 70's is pretty cool for where it is going and that it is a planetarium.

[JayPro]

@wwmiv: Thanks for the info. I hope the economy holds out long enough that we can see an Uptown district visibly coming to pass. Y'all have been lucky so far. Again, not knowing much of this town, I would guess that its strengths lie in industries that can fairly resist the effects of a particularly sharp downturn.

This structure is worthy of being the focal point of the kind of activity that this section of the city looks as if it's been long crying out for.

[Dallas]

I think it's a cool looking building. Austin prides itself on being different. Not every building has to be glass and not every city has to be uniform in how it's developed. Hope it gets built !!

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by StatenIslander237

I did see that it's currently a parking lot, and considering it's the closest thing to a museum district that Austin can boast, it certainly needs this boost. I definitely agree. I do hope, as you said, that this generates more development in that area. My fear is not that this is outside of downtown, but moreso that the skyline will be skewed in a linear fashion and not concentrated in a way that gives Austin a distinct skyline profile. I guess we just have to cross our fingers that more development follows this awesome tower's lead up to North Congress.

I cannot wait until I move to Austin so I can be right in the middle of all this.

Austin has always been oriented on a very north/south linear pattern. Austin is likely the largest US city with just one interstate highway, I-35, and as a result the city grew along that one major highway for years with very little growth to the east or west. Anyway, Austin's skyline is already 3 miles long when you include the UT Campus and a few buildings south of the river. And this building will sit almost directly in the middle of it.

Originally Posted by JayPro

I'd like to know if they have any plans to add at least a bit more height and density to the UT/capitol building section.

Yes, the State of Texas owns most of the land in that area around the Capitol. They've approved zoning changes and property sales that would allow for around 7 million square feet of space to be added to that area.

Here's a map showing roughly what could be built there. There were several towers in the area of 500 feet shown.

This is the article talking about what the State would like to see there and how tall the buildings could be. Of course, there could be more and even taller ones, this just gives you an idea.
http://www.statesman.com/business/ne...inglePage=true

Part of that area would be affected by the Capitol view corridor, this is a setback require protecting views of the Capitol dome from selected sites around town.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://impactnews.com/articles/museu...-for-expansion

Museum district poised for expansion

by Macy Hurwitz
June 22, 2012

Planetarium project first envisioned in 2003 gets development partner

Central Austin’s museum district could grow even larger if the Austin Planetarium organization and development partner KUD International LLC are awarded the lease they requested from the Texas Land Commission on property across the street from the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Blanton Museum of Art.

Austin Planetarium announced plans May 26 for the $240 million, 806,000-square-foot development proposed to occupy the southeastern block at MLK Boulevard and Congress Avenue. The project would fulfill the state’s written goals for mixed-use development with a planetarium, science and technology museum, museum gift shops, a 47-story residential tower, retail space and restaurants.

Moving forward

Austin Planetarium Executive Director Torvald Hessel said he is hopeful that the process with the Texas Land Commission could be complete within a year, and KUD Executive Vice President Tom Winter said the project should take between three and four years to build, meaning it could be complete in 2016 at the earliest. Winter said he is excited about the potential cultural impact the project could have.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...-securing.html

Austin Planetarium closer to securing prime property

Austin Business Journal by Sarah Drake, Web Editor
Date: Thursday, August 16, 2012, 10:26am CDT - Last Modified: Thursday, August 16, 2012, 11:39am CDT

Sarah Drake
Web Editor- Austin Business Journal

Local nonprofit Austin Planetarium received approval Wednesday from the Texas Facilities Commission to proceed with its proposal to develop a $240 million mixed-use project that includes a science and technology museum at Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The Commission's approval yesterday allows the Planning and Real Estate Division to perform a conceptual evaluation on the proposal to transform State Parking Lot 7 into what would include the largest planetarium in the state.

“We cannot start a capital campaign until we have a lease agreement, and this is a huge step towards that," Torvald Hessel, executive director of the Austin Planetarium, said in a press release.

[photoLith]

Keeping my fingers crossed on this one!

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/business/ev...inglePage=true

Evolution continues for Austin's skyline

By Shonda Novak
Published: 10:13 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012

4. Planetarium

Location: North Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Stories: 47; would include mixed-use tower with a planetarium, science museum, technology center, plus shops, restaurants and residences

Developer: KUD International

Square feet: 801,800

Projected start, completion: late 2014 — late 2016.

Cost: $240 million