AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II - Page 212

jowens · #**4221** Posted **Nov 15, 2008, 9:13 PM**

I noticed today they're starting to jack the crane up again at Four Seasons.

shanny · #**4222** Posted **Nov 16, 2008, 10:44 PM**

yes it is

Scottolini · #**4223** Posted **Nov 17, 2008, 10:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OU812

Looks like they're building a 3 story Dillards @ The Domain. LOL is this really necessary right now? More generic big box department stores?? Especially chains that are already all over Austin?

I would rather see some high rise office buildings there- like in the range of 15, 20, 25 stories or more. But I guess Austin's office market demand is usually never anything like San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston's: which are filled with high rise office bldgs (many outside of the downtown core).

There are three other Dillard's in the city of Austin (Barton Creek Square, Highland, and Lakeline malls). A fourth is in the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave. That's hardly all over Austin, and you certainly don't have to shop there.

There is, and has been millions and millions of square feet of office space built and under construction in Austin the last few years, almost entirely outside of downtown. As a matter of fact, there is a major office building u/c at the Domain currently. Just because they're midrises doesn't mean that this market hasn't added a lot of new office space.

Austin's office market is nothing like Dallas and Houston's, as they are huge business centers. However, Austin (34 million square feet) has more office space than San Antonio (23 million square feet), so I don't know why you would include that city with the others.
http://recenter.tamu.edu/mreports/AustinRRock.pdf
http://recenter.tamu.edu/mreports/SanAntonio.pdf

migol24 · #**4224** Posted **Nov 18, 2008, 12:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by G Lee

Also, some of the info is out of date.
For example they are still showing the original T Stacey proposal (5th & Congress) as pending.

what's the news on that building?

G Lee · #**4225** Posted **Nov 18, 2008, 6:34 AM**

Back in February they reworked their plans which now call for a 30 story office building at 501 Congress and a 70 story hotel-condo at 5th & Brazos.
It doesn't seem likely these will be built anytime soon.

alexjon · #**4226** Posted **Nov 18, 2008, 4:29 PM**

I have a feeling it was a non-starter

zx14 · #**4227** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 12:24 AM**

I think that what is being built right now is it for a while. All the proposed including the green will be put on hold for a while. the economy is trending and will trend downward. maybe Austin is not right now but it will. stacys project will go the way of the louisville museum project.

shanny · #**4228** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 6:07 AM**

a little of topic but do you guys even think its possible for them to fix the broken pane of glass on west side of the frost tower's crown? its been seven months, seems like they would have fixed it by now if they could.

you tell me...can they get to it? it seems to be right where the deck crosses but its a huge pane of glass

Raining Inside · #**4229** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 7:34 AM**

I know. I see that out of place pane every day from work. I guess only skyscraper nerds pay attention to that stuff.

Northcrossed · #**4230** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 1:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanny

It's a Spotted Owl. The Endangered Species Act requires that it be left alone.

BoiseAirport · #**4231** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 4:54 PM**

Just thought I'd pop in and see what Austin is up to...and holy cow!

Well, I think I speak for all Boiseans when I say DAMN we're jealous! Not just at the beautiful towers you guys are getting, but also at the pace of growth downtown! We've been growing tremendously ourselves but our people are addicted to urban sprawl and seem to absolutely refuse to gather around a centralized downtown. It's extremely frustrating to say the least, being a metro of over 650,000 and having a downtown smaller than Cedar Rapids, IA.

Just thought I'd pop in and say hello.

Anthony

priller · #**4232** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 5:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanny

a little of topic but do you guys even think its possible for them to fix the broken pane of glass on west side of the frost tower's crown? its been seven months, seems like they would have fixed it by now if they could.

I'm sure they can fix it -- reaching the glass is not a problem. I imagine the problem is getting a pane of the exact kind of glass they need. I'm assuming the glass on the Frost Tower was custom made, so getting replacements may take a while.

priller · #**4233** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 5:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoiseAirport

Well, I think I speak for all Boiseans when I say DAMN we're jealous! Not just at the beautiful towers you guys are getting, but also at the pace of growth downtown!

Hey, thanks for the compliments. It is rather amazing what is going on here in downtown. Our little city is growing up! In another 2 years, when the current big projects (Austonian, W, Four Seasons, Spring) are complete, the transformation into a truly livable downtown should be well along. It's very exciting!

jeremyz · #**4234** Posted **Nov 19, 2008, 9:30 PM**

I took a picture of the broken glass at Frost Tower by sticking my crappy binoculars in front of my crappy camera. Somehow, I actually got a picture. It looks they glued a bunch of cloth strips to the broken glass.

KevinFromTexas · #**4235** Posted **Nov 20, 2008, 12:06 AM**

They very well may be having trouble getting the glass. I remember reading when the building was built, that the glass they used had only been installed on one other building at that time - which was 3 Times Square (Reuters Building). It seems like replacing the glass up there wouldn't be all that hard. They could fairly easily build scaffolding on the main roof and have it rise up next to the crown. Also, that pane of glass is right next to the catwalk that goes around the crown.

Here's that building.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=reutersbuilding-newyorkcity-ny-usa

I'm wondering if they have different colors of glass that go in and out of "season".

Saddle Man · #**4236** Posted **Nov 20, 2008, 12:16 AM**

I don't think the glass that they were talking about included the crown glass. Just all the glass that covers the skin of the building.

KevinFromTexas · #**4237** Posted **Nov 20, 2008, 3:15 AM**

Fox7 just had a segment on about some old video of Austin that was found. The Texas Archive of Moving Image collects old video of Texas. The oldest video they have of Austin is from 1911. They said that people can send their video to them and they'll digitize it. One copy will be sent back to the person with the original, and a 2nd copy will be archived by the organization.

Here's the clip. They don't show the 1911 video, but they do have one from 1967 showing Congress Avenue.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/N...ocale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Texas Archive of Moving Image's website:
http://www.texasarchive.org/

Mopacs · #**4238** Posted **Nov 20, 2008, 4:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Fox7 just had a segment on about some old video of Austin that was found. The Texas Archive of Moving Image collects old video of Texas. The oldest video they have of Austin is from 1911. They said that people can send their video to them and they'll digitize it. One copy will be sent back to the person with the original, and a 2nd copy will be archived by the organization.

Here's the clip. They don't show the 1911 video, but they do have one from 1967 showing Congress Avenue.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/N...ocale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Texas Archive of Moving Image's website:
http://www.texasarchive.org/

I saw that too... and now I'm absolutely addicted to the site. Tons of old school Austin clips. Oddities too, like video of an overturned truck on Lamar and North Loop, in the 60s.

KevinFromTexas · #**4239** Posted **Nov 20, 2008, 5:00 AM**

1960s video of downtown overlooking I-35 at the curve south of the river. Amazing.
http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php/Downtown_Austin_Panoramas

Driving down Congress.
http://www.texasarchive.org/library/inde...amar_Boulevard,_Congress_Avenue_ca._1964

Developer discussing the development of the Crest Hotel (Radisson Hotel). The hotel was built in 1965.
http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php/Project_7:_Crest_Hotel

KevinFromTexas · #**4240** Posted **Nov 20, 2008, 5:36 AM**

From that video above, I noticed a building on Congress Avenue at 11th & Congress that looked to be about 5 floors tall that I hadn't noticed before in any photos.

I went over and checked out the Portal to Texas History website and found an aerial of downtown from 1965. It shows the building. I'm almost certain that building is still there.

Take a look: Scroll over to the right and check out the lowrise at the Northeast corner of 11th & Congress. That building must be 1005 Congress Avenue, which is a 10-story office building that was supposedly built in 1982. I had always assumed the whole building was built that year, but this building below has the same shape and size that 1005 Congress does. So they must have added more floors to the building and changed the facade.

http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-33308:1

Go here and type in 1005 Congress and compare them.
http://maps.live.com/