Austin | Historic Images & Postcards

[KevinFromTexas]

Oct 1981 view of the Austin skyline from Oak Hill looking northeast

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oz4cast...n/photostream/

[JoninATX]

Seems like yesterday that frost broke ground. As a matter of fact Frost Tower is one of the first buildings that got me into skyscrapers.

[gmsalpha]

Any chance of getting current day photos from the same vantage points as the ones posted above of the Frost Tower to compare before/after? Frost was just starting construction when I left Austin, so a lot has changed, but thanks to all the updates, I almost feel like I'm there. Lol.

[LoneStarMike]

On the City's website, there is a index page of old photos of Barton Springs Pool. There's around 50 or so photos, but you have to click on each hyperlink to view each photo.

And from Youtube, a 50-second excerpt from a 1969 fil about Austin called To Market To Market in Austin, Texas. There's not much to the skyline, back then (Capitol, Castillian, and UT Tower) and the end there's a quick shot driving south on Congress Avenue away from the Capitol.

• Video Link

[Mopacs]

Here are some of my old scans of magazine ads from the mid-80s.

One Congress Plaza... Too bad they didn't build the small extension to the left. Would have stood flush against portions of Congress and 2nd Street.



This tower never saw the light of day. Lamar Savings went down in flames a year or two later. (would have gone up at the current site of 300 W 6th).



Proposed Austin City Hall complex in the mid-80s, at the current W Hotel site.





Wyndham Hotel at the Arboretum (now a Renaissance)



Baller

[wwmiv]

I am so glad that City Hall complex was not built AND I am so glad that that hideous Lamar Savings tower was canned.

[KevinFromTexas]

I wonder if there had been any plan to have retail in that portion of One Congress Plaza that stepped down to Congress. It no doubt would have added a lot of space, too. One Congress Plaza is already the 2nd largest office building in downtown with 534,191 square feet. With that addition it surely would have pushed it past Frost Bank Tower which has 546,000 square feet. It would probably be close to 600,000 square feet.

[MichaelB]

Notice. ON the second photo of the city hall complex ( which I am also glad was not built) The lower right had corner.... there are two views of "Laguna Gloria"... i.e., the frist design for the Austin Museum of Art Downtown. That was to be were the AMILI building on 2nd west of the W is now. Looks like that was the Robert A.M. Stern version. Not that one was a "too bad".It was very 80s, but the good kind ( yes, all eras have there highs and lows) I liked some of the later designs better, especially the Gluckman. But Alas, none happened.

[KevinFromTexas]

I've been pouring over old photos lately trying to get an accurate list of what years building's started construction. Anyway, I noticed in one photo that was taken in 1959 that showed the Brown Building, that it looked like two floors were under construction. The building today has 10 floors, but I also found some old photos that showed the building with only 8 floors. The Brown Building was built in 1938.

This photo shows it with only 8 floors.

Does you 'member when? Austin, Texas Version - via Facebook

The date on this photo says October 1, 1959. It clearly shows 2 floors being added on the building.

http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/675...ustin,%20texas

[Armybrat]

That's what Austin looked like when I got here (January, 1959)

[KevinFromTexas]

More here: - http://blog.austinkids.org/2010/10/2...ol_restoratio/

[The ATX]

Best Austin picture ever posted.

[lzppjb]

Nice!

[BevoLJ]

What Hill Country said. Cheers for sharing that Kevin.

[KevinFromTexas]

There's another one at the link, too. It's neat because it gives you an idea of the scale of the statue.

[KevinFromTexas]

jpmacmillan - http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinm...an/3518621957/


jpmacmillan - http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinm...ol-811623@N21/


Five Element Ninja - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fiveele...38951/sizes/l/


wblj - http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagecl...n/photostream/


dasgogo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dasgogo...ool-hard_hats/

[KevinFromTexas]

May 4, 1922 tornado damage of Holy Cross Hall at Saint Edward's University. It was the same tornado in that famous photo with it around the Capitol dome.

http://omeka.stedwards.edu/items/show/114

[the Genral]

The construction methods don't appear to have changed much over the last 70 plus years, but thank goodness the exterior designs have. I'm guessing they were designed to keep out the heat and the sun. Also, its nice to see posts that pre- date me...

[AustinBob]

That picture of the old Statesman building above is interesting. I never realized that the UT System Colorado Building had originally been built as a three story building and then had three more floors added at later some point in time.

[KevinFromTexas]

All photos are from the South Austin Memories Facebook page

Congress Avenue from sometime in the 50s.



Check out the old Austin National Bank building. Notice that the Bank of America Center hadn't even started yet. This photo was probably taken around 1972.







The caption says it was taken from the Stephen F. Austin Hotel in 1973.



City Coliseum being torn down. Butler Park and the Long Center replaced it of course.









The caption says 1976.