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True Stories Can Be Stranger Than Fiction [Extra Extra ]
The Austonian is a residential skyscraper currently under construction in Austin at the corner of Congress Avenue and Second Street. Upon completion in 2009, the building will be the tallest in Austin at 683 feet tall with 56 floors. When these photographs were taken, construction was up to the 33rd floor. The interior shots were taken on the 25th floor.
These photographs were provided by Steve Hopson. Austinist thanks Bob Albanese and Maria Bergh for the tour.
If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.
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Won't somebody please think of the surface parking lots that had to die to allow this skyscraper to live?
Does no one else see the irony of the name "The Austonian?" We are a city based on individuality and personal freedom from commercialism. This is just a huge piece of steel and concrete. Unlike the Frost Bank Tower, which is beautiful, the only thing this adds to our city is a giant pimple on the face of Austin's integrity. I, for one, hate the building and I loath it even more because it is claiming to be Austin. A building like that would fit in easier in Dallas or Houston, or any city that has already sold its soul.
Zademann, what color is the sky in the world you live in? It sure ain't blue. :-)
***removed for violating our comment policy -- ed. note***
We are a city based on individuality and personal freedom from commercialism.
This would be funnier on April 1st, but it still made me laugh for 12 seconds today!
We are free from commercialism. Don't buy a condo in the Austonian. Bam, freedom!
Zademann must be a fan of the development of Buda and the attempt to attach it to Austin the the great cities of Round Rock and Cedar Park. Nothing like wiping out all vegetation and replacing it with single story concrete for as far the eye can see. And Cram's comment sums up my feeling about that quote as well.
I think one thing that is clear is that Zademann does would NOT support the "development of Buda and the attempt to attach it to Austin."
Perhaps before blindly attacking him based on our assumptions of what he is a "fan" of, perhaps we should focus on what he supports: Austin.
And, Austin is something that we ALL support; something that our comments (and our choosing to live here) clearly support. It's a testament to this city how varied our opinions are (although, perhaps the responses to his comment could be called anything BUT varied).
No city can escape growth, and growth will inevitably lead to commercialism. This is not a flaw or a fault, but a consequence of living in the country (and the city) we do. I for one, support said growth, though not especially unimaginative, behemoth architectural endeavors.
Although I do agree and disagree with many aspects of all the comments above one thing is certain: Our individual beliefs are what will maintain this city's spirit, Austonian or no Austonian.
Great photos, Steve. I can't help but think of this as a disaster movie in the making as I look at these images.
Seth
If you don't agree with the building as an accurate representation of our city, then the name "Austonian" is probably pretty fitting, as I've never heard this term before the creation of this project. I've only ever met Austinites, and no one is referring to the building by that name.
Is there still enough real estate downtown for someone to build the 128-story Armadillo World Headquarters retail/residential complex? I've got $640,000 saved that I'm just dying to spend. Its worth it not to have to buy a lawnmower.
I wasn't a fan of the design when I first saw it (I think round is funny), but I've gotten used to it and like it now. The roundness is a nice counter to the jaggedness of Frost and 100 and 101 Congress. I think steel, concrete and glass are appropriate skyscraper materials (as opposed to stacking limestone and bricks 500 feet high).
Plus, I care a lot more about how the city looks from the middle of downtown than how it looks from the upper deck of I-35, and I think the Austonian is going to be a big improvement to the streetscape. The entire side facing Congress is retail space. The side facing 2nd is a small retail space and the resident entry. Cars enter from the back. The fact that the primary resident entry is pedestrian oriented instead of car oriented says a lot about the building (I would be a much bigger fan of the Marriott planned across the street if they left the alley in place as a car entrance instead of turning a full block of 2nd Street into a driveway).
Upon completion of the Austonian, the W and the Alta Vida (plus the two already complete AMLIs), I think that stretch of 2nd Street will have enough residents to turn the corner and become a real neighborhood instead of a destination shopping area.
I have a feeling you're right Shilli. Although 2nd needs to have more affordable homes (perhaps green treatment site) with the new extension of the district.
I like 2nd, and I think it's is growing nicely into a diverse residential area.
If the only place in town we really allow to get even moderately dense is downtown, where the most expensive land in the city is, it's going to be hard to get a lot of inexpensive urban homes, ain't it?
You can thank Jeff Jack, Laura Morrison, and the rest of the ANC crowd for that.
On the plus side, Mike, installations like the Austonian will take a lot of people with $400k+ mortgage qualification letters out of the market. This will reduce the incentives for spec builders to knock down the classic homes in my Hyde Park neighborhood and replace with boxy McMansions. I know you could give two shits about that, but I'm glad to see these people get stacked up in a downtown filing cabinet.
Seth
That's funny. "Downtown filing cabinet". I can't wait for downtown to turn back into the ghetto.