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9th Annual Downtown Living Tour – May 19th, 2013 – Reserve Your Tickets
amber gugino | May 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment

9th Annual Downtown Living Tour – May 19th, 2013 – Reserve Your Tickets

DLT 2013 Header

The 9th Annual Downtown Living Tour is a couple of weeks away.  Produced by the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA), the tour is a great way to tour downtown living, at your own pace, all in one day!

Get your DLT tickets now

This year, although the tour will still be self-guided, the tour will also have shuttle service to facilitate access to each tour stop (nice!), and will showcase the following buildings:

  1. The Whitley Apartments
  2. The Shore Condos
  3. Park West Residences
  4. 360 Condos
  5. Avenue Lofts (one of the few Art Deco buildings downtown)
  6. The Four Seasons Residences -RECEPTION – (VIP only, and only open from 4pm-5pm)
  7. Brazos Lofts (check out the history, formerly Capital Chevrolet)
  8. Towers of Town Lake (Penthouse, VIP only, only open from 1-4pm)
  9. Capital Studios (to-be-built Foundations Communities project designed by Dick Clark Architecture)
  10. LBJ’s apartment at JJ Pickle Building (VIP only, only open from 1-4pm)
  11. More stops to be announced!

There are some stops of particular note, primarily the official office suite of President Lyndon Baines Johnson at the JJ Pickle Building, an office suite he used during his presidency and the site of such landmark meetings as the Cold War discussions on December 6, 1966, which culminated in the first agreement with the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons, known as the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT).

The JJ Pickle building itself is part of a two-block complex of Federal Buildings in downtown Austin, and was designed by Texas Firms  Page-Southerland-Page and Brooks & Barr, and is textbook 1960s high-rise design.

Here are a few exclusive pictures of the interior of the office suite, which is remarkably intact.

The LBJ Suite is only open to VIP ticket holders, and there a very limited amount of VIP tickets – so we would recommend…

Get your DLT tickets now

 

Filed Under: austin apartments, austin condos, austin history, austin lifestyle, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, Downtown Austin lofts, condos, apartments, high rises, life in austin, office, Real Estate
87 Rainey Street Downtown Austin Update: NO VA (not NOVA) to Open End of 2012 (Hopefully).
amber gugino | November 5, 2012 | 2 Comments

87 Rainey Street Downtown Austin Update: NO VA (not NOVA) to Open End of 2012 (Hopefully).

nova-rainey-austin-tx

Remember that mega post I did on what’s happening on Rainey Street?  In the post, I talked about 87 Rainey Street located in the Rainey Street District of Downtown Austin, and how I had not heard any updates on just what exactly was going on in that space.  Well, that must have hit Brad Sorenson‘s (the head chef of the new concept, perhaps more widely known for his stint on The Next Food Network’s Star) Google Alerts, because he promptly posted a comment on the Blog saying things were still a go for the restaurant concept.

Which was great, but I wanted more info – so I emailed him and asked if we could meet.  I was actually very surprised when he said okay.

So we met.  Last week.  And, let me just say this – the guy OOZES affability. He’s also real, real tall.

I was absolutely charmed, I will admit – but not only by him as a person, but also by what he told me about NO VA.

First off, NO VA is the name (there’s a space in between “O” and “V”, 2 words), not NOVA, as it’s previously been reported.  There’s actually a cute little story behind the name, too, Brad tells me.  ”No va” is what the owner of the business said when he looked at the house at 87 Rainey Street when he initially purchased it, in late 2009.  He said “No va”, because, at the time, [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin bars, austin condos, austin lifestyle, austin neighborhoods, austin restaurant reviews, austin small business, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, downtown austin, Railyard District, small business
Partying for a Cause – Ghoulwill Ball at The W Tomorrow Night
amber gugino | October 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Partying for a Cause – Ghoulwill Ball at The W Tomorrow Night

Screen shot 2012-10-25 at 2.46.55 PM

I have been honored to have served on the host committee for Goodwill Industries of Central Texas’ 2012 Ghoulwill Ball event, being held at The W Hotel in downtown Austin tomorrow evening. Helping promote a very worthy cause (GICT’s mission is to generate lifelong connections to work) has been rewarding.  All proceeds of this event will go to GICT.  Free food, free drinks, a killer DJ, at one of the swankiest downtown hot-spots, AND you get to dress up in a Halloween costume.  I couldn’t think of a better time!

And, if you live in The Residences at The W – you can literally just stumble home after the party.

Buy your tickets here.

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, austin bars, austin condos, austin lifestyle, austin lofts, austin recreation, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, downtown austin, high rises, life, life in austin
ZOMG – Topfer Theatre at ZACH Theatre Brings Austin Theatre Back to the Forefront of Austin Culture
amber gugino | September 19, 2012 | 1 Comment

ZOMG – Topfer Theatre at ZACH Theatre Brings Austin Theatre Back to the Forefront of Austin Culture

Be on the lookout for performance of famous balcony scenes to happen at this exterior, front-facing balcony of the theatre. I'm also told that the balcony will actually end up being made of glass, rather than the metal pictured here.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a personal tour of ZACH Theatre’s new mainstage, The Topfer (pronounced top-fur) Theatre earlier this week.  This theatre allows ZACH to truly make the jump from a small professional theatre to premiere regional theatre by providing a new, state of the art performance facility as part of downtown Austin’s already growing culture and arts scene. Downtown Austin needs a real regional theatre, and this structure and the excitement it will bring to the theatre and arts community is a huge step in the right direction.

Per an article in the Austin Chronicle (link) – ZACH Theatre had been contemplating building a third theatre in its complex as early at 1985, when they held over some funds from that year’s bond election to help fund building a third theatre.  In 2000, the economy stalled, putting the project on hold, but,  through a kick-start of funding of $10 million through the 2006 City of Austin bond election, and then fueled by direct private donation – the project was revived in 2007.  Overall, it’s a $22 million project, and they still need to raise about $2 million for completion.

The ZACH Theatre compound falls within the Zilker Neighborhood Association, but it is easily accessible to downtown Austin condos and homes and, really, feels like a part of downtown to many. I was told the ZNA was supportive the variances Zach Scott needed to build the Topfer Theatre.

As a college Theatre Major and all around theatre nerd, I was soooooo impressed with the Topfer Theatre and Kuykendall Stage.

Some tidbits:

  1. Celebrated Austin actress Karen Kuykendall has her ashes kept under the stage, isn’t that crazy?! (What’s even crazier is that there are no “r”s in “Kuykendall”!)
  2. The Topfer Theatre has a LEED Silver Certification
  3. Over 70 new parking spots have been added to the ZACH Theatre compound
  4. 40 new trees were added to the lot, as well
  5. The AC and other mechanical components of the theatre have a separate foundation from the stage – this is to minimize any possibility of noise and rumbling during performances.
  6. The theatre’s design is taken from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago (the house is a little narrower)
  7. The theatre house seats ~420
  8. The theatre was designed by the same architects who did The W – Andersson-Wise Architects
Now, for the good stuff – the pictures (please note that the theatre is still having final touches done to it – not fully finished yet)!

For more incredible pictures and theatre fun facts – check out Bryan Kosarek’s Gay in Austin Texas Blog.

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Interested in searching for Austin homes for sale in or near Downtown Austin?  Be sure to check out our property search to view Austin homes for sale.

Additionally, here are some condominiums in Downtown Austin that are near the theatre – to learn more about these individual buildings, visit their pages:

 

Filed Under: austin art, austin condos, austin lifestyle, Austin photos, images, austin recreation, austin small business, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, development, downtown austin, high rises, urban family
Hotels in Downtown Austin: Girls’ Night at the Omni Downtown
amber gugino | July 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

Hotels in Downtown Austin: Girls’ Night at the Omni Downtown

omni logo

I already live, work, and play in downtown Austin, which means that I know a lot about this area.  However, one element that I’m not really that familiar with is the hotels in downtown Austin.

Recently, I was lucky enough to receive a complimentary stay at the Omni downtown.  I decided to take advantage of the free stay and do a mini stay-cation with a couple of fun girlfriends.  I figured this would be a different way to get to know the city, and have [Read more...]

Filed Under: 6th Street Historic & Entertainment District, austin bars, austin history, austin retail, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, downtown austin, entertainment district, high rises, retail
The Best Pedicure in Austin (that I’ve had so far….)
amber gugino | July 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

The Best Pedicure in Austin (that I’ve had so far….)

Hiatus Spa Austin

This past Sunday, I had the best manicure / pedicure that I’ve ever had.  I had the service at Hiatus Spa + Retreat, a spa concept headquartered in Dallas, but with a location on the ground floor of the Gables on West 5th – just a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from Downtown Austin.

The whole experience there is top-notch from beginning to end, actually – but the actual service is just different enough from the other places that I think it deserves to be called the best.

There are two things that make it different than any other manicure / pedicure I’ve every had.  The first thing is [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin lifestyle, austin retail, austin small business, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, downtown austin, life in austin, retail, small business
2012 Downtown Living Tour – Showcasing Downtown Austin
amber gugino | April 15, 2012 | 4 Comments

2012 Downtown Living Tour – Showcasing Downtown Austin

DLTlogo

Next Sunday, April 22, 2012, from 11am-5pm, is the 2012 Downtown Living Tour.  The Tour is a showcase of homes located in Downtown Austin, and is put on by the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (it’s DANA’s only fundraiser, and helps keep the organization chugging throughout the rest of the year).  A portion of proceeds this year will also go to The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM).

The 2012 Downtown Living Tour has [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, 6th Street Historic & Entertainment District, austin condos, austin neighborhoods, austin news, austin open houses, austin retail, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, Congress Avenue District, downtown austin, Downtown Austin lofts, condos, apartments, high rises, life in austin, Railyard District, Rainey Street District
Bremond – A New Downtown Apartment Building Is Proposed
Jude Galligan | December 3, 2010 | 4 Comments

Bremond – A New Downtown Apartment Building Is Proposed

the bremond downtown austin

Bremond site

A new site plan has been submitted to the city by developers Mike McGinnis and Rick Hardin for a new 70 unit downtown Austin apartment building.  Called the “Bremond,” the name is clear a nod to its unique proximity to the Bremond Block Historic District.  The 0.41 acre site, if built, would use the address 807 Nueces St.  The written application calls for 12 stories, four to be used for parking.  There is no retail component, which is not surprising given the area.

The site is currently an asphalt parking lot.

UPDATE 12-6-2010:

Check out the rendering.  Note, none of the buildings along 8th will be razed.  The development will not need any variances or public hearings.

the bremond downtown austin

Filed Under: austin apartments, austin condos, austin lofts, austin towers, downtown austin, Downtown Austin lofts, condos, apartments
Fred Schmidt | June 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

FREE Electric Car Charging Stations Available!

EVERY Downtown Austin condo tower and parking garage should apply to get one of these.  FREE while supplies last!

From the June 2nd Statesman story:  “Electric vehicles aren’t yet common on Austin roads. But recharging stations could start showing up on local streets and in home garages later this year.  A Silicon Valley-based company has received a $15 million federal stimulus grant to provide, for free, nearly 5,000 charging stations in Austin and eight other areas across the country. Businesses and homeowners alike can apply to receive one of the stations. Austin is one of nine regions serving as a kind of pilot for the charging stations.”  READ MORE HERE

Filed Under: austin towers, austin towers and high rises, austin transit, downtown austin