AUSTIN | 333 Guadalupe (Hobby Building Site) | FT | FLOORS | Proposed

[We vs us]

Those look like serious fences.

Would we have seen a demo permit come through? I feel like there'd be a hue and cry from the preservationist crowd, as crappy as the building is.

[We vs us]

Towers:

https://austin.towers.net/pay-your-final...n-austins-long-suffering-hobby-building/

No new info, but some worthwhile history.

[H2O]

Ha! I remember when we were working on Block 21 (W Hotel), former Mayor Will Wynn said "I don't really care what the development looks like, as long as it is big enough to block the view of that horrible Hobby Building from the S 1st Bridge".

[lonewolf]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Those look like serious fences.

Would we have seen a demo permit come through? I feel like there'd be a hue and cry from the preservationist crowd, as crappy as the building is.

building has no history of public interaction. it's not formerly a burger joint/cafe/records store

aesthetic has no reference to local culture whatsoever

only 41 years old

also it's smack dab center of downtown

don't see anyone carrying the torch for this one. i kinda like the building though. but demo it

[drummer]

If it weren't for the horrid street interaction, it's interesting (albeit ugly). I walked by it on Saturday for the first time in a while and saw the fences on the opposite side. Definitely ready to see it go.

[ILUVSAT]

Sorry...just found this thread.


Looks like CBRE is hawking the potential of a 96-story (phase 1) tower plus a 79-story (phase 2) tower on the Hobby Building site...

https://austin.towers.net/heres-how-down...-could-redevelop/[email protected]

[GoldenBoot]

I just saw that article.

Wow!

Nevertheless, if there is truly going to be a substantial "affordable housing" component in this redevelopment (especially without subsidies or incentives), I have a difficult time seeing this amount of height AND something aesthetically pleasing to most. I really, really hope I am wrong, however.

[drummer]

^^ If it's two towers, potentially, I could see one focused on affordable housing and another on more profitable aims. That said, a lot of dual tower options don't make it past the first.

[Armybrat]

That’s a lot of pie in the sky.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by Armybrat

That’s a lot of pie in the sky.

And a whole lot of parking -- those drawings are showing the two towers essentially atop an Austin-largest 16 floor parking garage spanning an entire city block. Put another way, a parking cube 4 floors taller than 6xGuad's....

[ATX2030]

Ground lease inked for Hobby Building redevelopment

Texas General Land Office says the transformation of an entire downtown block is moving forward

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2025/07/16/hobby-building-downtown-austin-ground-lease.html

Though no visible work has happened over the last two years, the state of Texas confirmed it has picked a developer to redevelop this downtown Austin property near Third and Guadalupe streets. At the end of this report, check out a list of commercial developers in the metro.

[The ATX]

The ABJ filed a a Public Records Request for more info. Let's see if that provides some details.

[Lobotomizer]

I heard it was either gonna be a Buc-ee's or Dollar General.

[ATX2030]

This could be tall

https://images1.showcase.com/d2/03d8uR-OEGeIOjAvG6Ed6TM1Y4i39amkJwLf245aO_E/document.pdf

[davidtexan]

Very interesting update! I actually noticed some activity yesterday at the corner of 4th & Guadalupe in front of the Hobby building, but I assumed it was related to the crews working on new traffic signals and street lights for The Republic. I asked ChatGPT and eventually convinced it that the truck could possibly be drill rig taking soil samples? Who knows. Full res photo here.

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by ATX2030

This could be tall

https://images1.showcase.com/d2/03d8uR-OEGeIOjAvG6Ed6TM1Y4i39amkJwLf245aO_E/document.pdf

The tallest section of the massing in the prospectus is 96 stories tall!

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by davidtexan

Very interesting update! I actually noticed some activity yesterday at the corner of 4th & Guadalupe in front of the Hobby building, but I assumed it was related to the crews working on new traffic signals and street lights for The Republic. I asked ChatGPT and eventually convinced it that the truck could possibly be drill rig taking soil samples? Who knows. Full res photo here.

No need to convince ChatGPT— the truck is indeed taking soil samples for development.

[velvetviewer]

This would be such a great opportunity to build a museum for Texas Music History and a Hall of Fame and incorporate it into the development. This is the perfect location right behind the ACL Moody Theatre. It would be such a missed opportunity if the city doesn't take advantage of it.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by velvetviewer

This would be such a great opportunity to build a museum for Texas Music History and a Hall of Fame and incorporate it into the development. This is the perfect location right behind the ACL Moody Theatre. It would be such a missed opportunity if the city doesn't take advantage of it.

Nope, I think this block needs something tall. We have a potential for a museum district to form around the Congress and MLK intersection if we can get another museum or two to join the Blanton, Bullock, and Ransom Center.

[velvetviewer]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

Nope, I think this block needs something tall. We have a potential for a museum district to form around the Congress and MLK intersection if we can get another museum or two to join the Blanton, Bullock, and Ransom Center.

This museum could be incorporated into the block, so you can still go as tall as you want. Having it right behind the ACL theatre would make so much more since in that it would be such an attraction and part of the heart of downtown and close to where more foot traffic and music is. Although it doesn't matter in the end because I'm sure it won't happen, and it will be a lost opportunity.