AUSTIN | The Austonian | 683 FT / 208 M | 56 FLOORS | T/O - Page 31

Scottolini · #**601** Posted **Jan 6, 2010, 8:41 AM**

I imagine it wouldn't be any more overbearing than Frost Bank Tower's crown.

wwmiv · #**602** Posted **Jan 6, 2010, 9:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottolini

I imagine it wouldn't be any more overbearing than Frost Bank Tower's crown.

Alot of the lighting in the Frost's crown is merely reflection and refraction from other pieces of glass AND it isn't nearly as intense as the Austonian. It also spreads the light it has over a much larger surface - a surface that has many breaks and pieces and empty space thrown in. The cumulative effect of all of that is that it doesn't seem nearly as bright as a block-ish crown would with the same amount of lighting.

If they do light the rest of it at the same intensity it will be overbearing and will look like a huge block of light floating above Austin... Not attractive.

AND FWIW event the Frost makes an effort to have a gradation effect. They have the strips of dimmer lighting on the corners of the building beneath the crown.

priller · #**603** Posted **Jan 6, 2010, 4:47 PM**

Oh, I think the Frost Tower is just about perfect in the way it is lit.

Scottolini · #**604** Posted **Jan 6, 2010, 11:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by priller

Oh, I think the Frost Tower is just about perfect in the way it is lit.

I do as well. What I was trying to convey was that Austonian's crown wouldn't be any brighter than Frost's crown, which would be fine by me.

Here's a comparison of the two as of now.

Photography by LoneStarMike

wwmiv · #**605** Posted **Jan 7, 2010, 12:08 AM**

Oh I LOVE the Frost's lighting.

KevinFromTexas · #**606** Posted **Jan 7, 2010, 12:20 AM**

^The brightness of Austonian's crown may be the same as Frosts, assuming they use the same kind of lights (flood lights) that they do on Frost, but even so, The Austonian's crown is no where near as large as Frost's crown. The Austonian's crown is about 61 feet tall and is quite slender east to west. Frost's crown is about 100 feet tall and about that wide at the base. Also the building is lit below the crown for another 40 feet or so on the facade. So about 140 feet of the top of the building is lit, which means it's twice the height of The Austonian's lit area. The only other buildings in Austin that are brighter than Frost are the Capitol and UT Tower.

I'm thinking they'll light the curved part of The Austonian's crown a few shades darker than that top crescent part. The color may even be different, maybe a yellowish color. It would be pointless to light the lower parts the same shade as the crescent area, since it would make that crescent area seem almost notched at the top and fade out, rather than the nice crescent shape it has now. I'm thinking the curved part of the crown will probably be lit similarly to how 300 West Sixth is lit on the end of its barrel roof. The lights create a sort of arch effect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

Photo by LoneStarMike

By the way, from the view that I had from Saint Edward's University, The Austonian's crown didn't seem very bright. In fact, the currently lit area of the crown from that view, only appeared as bright and large as the Frost Bank logos on the Frost Bank Tower.

KevinFromTexas · #**607** Posted **Jan 13, 2010, 6:18 PM**

Taken about 30 minutes ago:

KevinFromTexas · #**608** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 7:36 AM**

1/17

Thymant · #**609** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 6:39 PM**

Very very nice!

WonderlandPark · #**610** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 6:54 PM**

Austin has got to be the most changed skyline of the last decade of any major US city, along with Miami. Looks stunning and so, so different than when I last visited in '99.

photoLith · #**611** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 7:11 PM**

Wait, does the Austonian have an observation deck up there? I see those coin slot scopes up at the top. Im sure its been asked before but I didnt think it was going to have an observation deck.

chex · #**612** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 7:12 PM**

very nice pics kevin, thanx for sharing!
this building came along really nice! it melts very good with its surroundings!
i like how it's litten up at dusk, with that light blue light! very nice!

priller · #**613** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 7:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by photolitherland

Wait, does the Austonian have an observation deck up there? I see those coin slot scopes up at the top. Im sure its been asked before but I didnt think it was going to have an observation deck.

There is a balcony up there at the base of the crown, but since this is a residential building I doubt it will be open to the public.

KevinFromTexas · #**614** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 10:11 PM**

Thanks guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chex

very nice pics kevin, thanx for sharing!
this building came along really nice! it melts very good with its surroundings!
i like how it's litten up at dusk, with that light blue light! very nice!

The blue lights on the crown look that way just as they're coming on. Once the lights are on at full power, they're a bright white.

By the way, I absolutely love the crown now. The glass is very reflective of the sky, but not like a mirror. It's more like the reflection you'd see in say, a sheet of aluminum or tin, but with a bit more sheen to it. Because the crown curves, the glass picks up the reflection of the sky with different colors from different areas of the sky. You might have blue sky on one spot, but then it might reflect the orange color of the setting sun or pinks or purples from clouds at sunset. And it this is exactly how it looked with the naked eye. I saw it from Mopac last week as the sun was setting, and most of the skyline had already gone dark because the sun was low, but the top of the Austonian was still lit by the sun. So the crown seemed to glow. At first I had thought they'd turned on more lights in the crown.

With the crown behaving this way, I hope they only start to turn the lights on inside the crown after it starts to get dark, and not while the sun is still setting with all the different colors.

John Martin · #**615** Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 10:45 PM**

What a great building! I really like the shape of it.

pj3000 · #**616** Posted **Jan 27, 2010, 3:45 AM**

Very nice looking tower. But what's with the name?

KevinFromTexas · #**617** Posted **Feb 20, 2010, 7:32 PM**

It's just a name. Everyone always asks that, why not "The Austinite"? I'm not sure that would have sounded right.

The Austonian is getting two more restaurants.

Quote:

Former Driskill chef David Bull to open two restaurants at Austonian condo tower

By Mike Stutter
AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT WRITER

Updated: 9:38 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010
Published: 7:48 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, 2010

Former Driskill Grill chef David Bull said Friday that he plans to return to the downtown culinary scene in September with two restaurants at the Austonian.

Bull, who shaped the Driskill Grill into one of the city's best restaurants and competed on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America," will oversee an upscale restaurant named Congress and a more casual spot called Second at Congress.

Both will be on the ground floor of the 56-story luxury condominium tower, which is scheduled to open in June at Second Street and Congress Avenue.

...

http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/form...cc-8405-f3dcd89714c3#pluck_comments_list

Complex01 · #**618** Posted **Feb 24, 2010, 2:27 AM**

The tower is looking good. I saw it today during the snow. Very Kewl...

Onward · #**619** Posted **Feb 24, 2010, 6:28 AM**

Turned out awesome! Congrads once again Austin.

imzache · #**620** Posted **Mar 3, 2010, 1:09 AM**

Hey, the north side of the crown is lit up (at least partially). Saw it from campus. Not sure if the south is lit up, too.

Looks pretty classy so far.