AUSTIN | Fairmont Hotel | 595 FEET/ SPIRE | 456 FEET/ROOF | 37 FLRS

[ahealy]

YES!! I was always a little worried about this one. The design is by far my favorite out of the new crop.

[lzppjb]

Can't wait to see this thing rise. It won't be alone for long with Skyhouse and especially if the Rainey Gateway towers get built.

[Austin1971]

Any idea if/when this will break ground?

[KevinFromTexas]

Here are all the renderings I've saved of the Fairmont Hotel so far. Some of these came from the PDF linked below.

http://www.ccimtexas.com/images/website243/waller_creek_development_12012.pdf

[KevinFromTexas]

This says they're breaking ground in October!

The article says 2nd tallest in Austin after The Austonian, so I'm wondering if they decided to keep the spire or not. I was told the hotel might have a helipad on the roof and that it could interfere with plans for the spire. There was one rendering I posted above that seemed to show the building without the spire. I sent an email to Gensler on Tuesday asking about the spire, but I haven't heard back about that.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/r...re-hotel-projects-to-break.html?page=all

Feb 28, 2013, 8:33am CST
Two more hotel projects to break ground in downtown Austin

Jan Buchholz
Staff Writer-
Austin Business Journal

Downtown Austin observers have had their eyes peeled on the intense construction activity at the JW Marriott hotel site, now sporting three massive tower cranes.

But soon the skyline will be punctuated with new tower cranes, as two more hotels are preparing to break ground in the next six months. Developers of the proposed Hotel Van Zandt in the Waterfront District and the Fairmont Austin nearby confirmed that they are moving ahead with construction. The announcements were made at the monthly breakfast gathering of the Urban Land Institute’s Austin chapter.

A short distance away at Red River and Cesar Chavez streets, Manchester Texas Financial Group LLC is planning to break ground in October on the Fairmont Austin, a 50-story, 1,000-room hotel that will be the second highest building in the city behind The Austonian condominiums.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

This says they're breaking ground in October!

The article says 2nd tallest in Austin after The Austonian, so I'm wondering if they decided to keep the spire or not. I was told the hotel might have a helipad on the roof and that it could interfere with plans for the spire. There was one rendering I posted above that seemed to show the building without the spire. I sent an email to Gensler on Tuesday asking about the spire, but I haven't heard back about that.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/r...re-hotel-projects-to-break.html?page=all

The rendering w/o the spire is the most recent. I think it's gone.

[KevinFromTexas]

Actually I had that rendering saved in that PDF since February of last year. I emailed it to myself when our computer wasn't working. I later just forgot about it. I don't even remember where I found it now.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Actually I had that rendering saved in that PDF since February of last year. I emailed it to myself when our computer wasn't working. I later just forgot about it. I don't even remember where I found it now.

I'm pretty sure that would still make it the most recent.

[lzppjb]

That rendering also looks like it's one tower instead of that two-tiered look of the other renders.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

That rendering also looks like it's one tower instead of that two-tiered look of the other renders.

That's just the angle we're looking at it from. The other "tower" is behind it.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

I'm pretty sure that would still make it the most recent.

Of course it would be. What I should have said is, even though it is the most recent one, that it was still being included in that PDF link with the design with the spire.

[KevinFromTexas]

The project has filed a site plan with the City of Austin. It shows the heights as being 690 feet 8 inches to the spire and 571 feet 8 inches to the mechanical screen. It will have 47 occupied levels above street level and two more mechanical levels above the main roof.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/1305...Hotel%20%20Fairmont%20Austin%20Hotel.pdf

[The ATX]

This is technically a new tallest for Austin. (I say that with no attempt whatsoever of starting another discussion about spire vs. roof height.)

[KevinFromTexas]

It'll also be the tallest hotel in Texas with or without the spire.

[MightyYoda]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

This is technically a new tallest for Austin. (I say that with no attempt whatsoever of starting another discussion about spire vs. roof height.)

I am very excited about this building, but I doubt the "spire" as drawn would count towards the total height of the building. I would rather see the helipad and no spire because everything on this building is great except the spire which looks very much tacked on. Austinonian will still be the city's tallest.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by MightyYoda

I am very excited about this building, but I doubt the "spire" as drawn would count towards the total height of the building. I would rather see the helipad and no spire because everything on this building is great except the spire which looks very much tacked on. Austinonian will still be the city's tallest.

Unfortunately spires are counted towards the official height.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by MightyYoda

I am very excited about this building, but I doubt the "spire" as drawn would count towards the total height of the building. I would rather see the helipad and no spire because everything on this building is great except the spire which looks very much tacked on. Austinonian will still be the city's tallest.

Actually, officially the spire would count since it's part of the building's design. It would be different it were used for communication since communication antennas aren't part of the design and can even be removed.

The spire should make a decent visual impact from a distance since it's fairly big.

[KevinFromTexas]

The American-Statesman has a pay wall now, but this says the project will start in November.

http://www.statesman.com/news/business/350-million-fairmont-hotel-to-start-work-in-novemb/nYLnt/

Posted: 4:48 p.m. Friday, June 14, 2013
$350 million Fairmont hotel to start work in November
Project to help lure larger conventions, set new bar for luxury

By Shonda Novak
American-Statesman Staff

The developer of the 50-story, $350 million Fairmont hotel planned for downtown Austin said Friday that the project will break ground in November at Red River Street and East Cesar Chavez.

Developer Doug Manchester, president of Manchester Texas Financial Group, released new details Friday about the project. He also released a new market study highlighting how much convention business Austin is losing annually because it doesn’t have enough hotel rooms downtown, an issue local convention officials and other experts have talked about for years.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/r...irmont-austin-developer-selects-dwg.html

Jul 9, 2013, 6:00pm CDT
Fairmont Austin developer selects dwg. for landscaping assignment

Jan Buchholz
Staff Writer-
Austin Business Journal

Dwg., an Austin-based landscape architectural firm, has been selected to handle landscaping for the new Fairmont Austin Hotel, which will be built at the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez and Red River streets.

Developer Manchester Financial Group LLC announced the selection Tuesday. Manchester is planning to break ground on the $350 million, 50-story hotel in November with completion by summer 2016.

[ahealy]

any news or info?