I wouldn't worry too much, guys. That was just a photo-op for the suites. I remember projects in the past that had their "ground breaking" ceremony and then didn't actually break ground for another month or so.

That is what I hope will happen too. A taller and more slender Frost with a very tall mast/spire supported from inside the four knife edges. A building with fantastic lighting.:yes:

Want to ask Doug Jr. to his face why they shortened the Fairmont? He'll be one of the panelists at the upcoming Bisnow "Downtown Austin: Texas's Next Big Thing" conference in December. https://www.bisnow.com/events/austin-san-antonio These Bisnow events usually have between 200 and 400 attendees, so it can be challenging to visit with the speakers individually but they do take questions from the audience.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...ps32c97b92.png

I walked by today and saw that some dirt has been moved along Red River St. near the creek. I also saw a couple of workers there. This view is from the northwest corner of the lot.

11/18/2014
http://i.imgur.com/1cgXmYS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/yUJp7eY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/N02RJH3.jpg

Now it's time for the "It's happeming" gif.

Ah, I guess I'll do the honors.

http://i.imgur.com/RRiF1oP.gif

Rode around today and found the following:
http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/...pse416039c.jpg

http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/...psf3d502e7.jpg

Notice the side of the podium? It has many window on it here in the rendering. The most recent renders we have seen eliminate all on this side that faces I35, its now a blank wall. How boring now
http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/...pscea17e5f.jpg

Awesome update. Thanks!

Actually, I don't think the windows have been removed. The rendering on the display board just looks like it is from a different angle. That's encouraging because the image on the display board looks pretty good (albeit not as good as some of the earlier renders)

Edit: I might have misunderstood your reference (but I don't know)-- sorry, just in case!

The display boards illustrate the old, "original" design. Manchester has not (and may not) change those images.

IVANWOLF is correct. According to the most recent public renderings, the façade facing I-35 is left mostly "blank." Even though that side faces Palm School...the "blank" façade of the podium rises much higher then the school.

Yep, my mistake.

No worries...still dreaming that those were going to come to fruition myself.

The blank wall is really ugly!!!

This is the most current render.
http://media.bizj.us/view/img/427817...mezvhumjgw.jpg

Compared to the render on the lot.
http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/...pscea17e5f.jpg

That's a hideous rendering, and I have to assume that it will look a lot better in real life. I mean, nobody would intentionally design that much ugliness into something so expensive and prominent, would they? The two components don't even relate to one another, they look like they were designed in different eras and locations, then brought together by some sort of catastrophic accident.

My hope is that by being completely freaked out about it right now, I'll be pleasantly surprised by the final result.

I don't think these two renderings from Gensler's website have been posted in this thread:

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/...Rendering1.png
http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/...Rendering2.png
http://www.gensler.com/projects/fairmont-austin-hotel

That second one is pretty nifty -- a much more flattering angle than the blunt view portrayed earlier in the thread. Of course it's taken way out of context and stands alone on a natural landscape, so it will probably look even better with all the other towers nearby. Thanks for posting the renderings!

If that is indeed the "final" design then I can live with it. It's an improvement over the last renderings but not as good as the one on the billboard.

Is it normal to see changes this late when ground work has started? It seems that once work has begun, that the final look of the building has been set in stone. These renderings look like they have changed a couple things or maybe they are just a better renderings, I'm not sure.

Facade redesigns and redos can happen long after the building has been complete. Remember the Chase Bank Tower, 816 Congress and Dobie Center all had major facade redos 10 to 20 years after they were completed.

I'm not sure what you're looking at. Those latest renderings are identical to the previously released set to my eye.

I don't think it's going to look too bad. That north side view, the one in the first image, isn't showing the slabby wall I was first concerned about. It's going to be broken up by that setback on the west side of it, and the indented ends on the east side of the tower.