Downtown Austin Blog

O. Henry Pun Off at Brush Square Park in Downtown Austin May 19th

amber gugino — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:15:23 +0000

Yes. Yes, O. yes. It’s that time again, folks. Time for the 35th annual O. Henry Pun Off. Taking place this Saturday (May 19th, 2012) at the O. Henry Museum (adjacent to Brush Square), this delightful competition celebrates the pun with two separate competitions – Punniest in Show and Punslingers. However, a video is worth [...]

O. Henry Pun Off at Brush Square Park in Downtown Austin May 19th

BY THE NUMBERS: Downtown Austin Highrise Sales

Jude Galligan — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:23:40 +0000

In light of the recent Statesman article highlighting new construction sales, I thought this would be a good time to update our trending chart for downtown condos. Combined sales of new construction and resales of downtown Austin condos delivered a seasonally strong 46 transactions representing $26,720,149 total sales volume in March. Currently there are 95 resales and [...]

BY THE NUMBERS: Downtown Austin Highrise Sales

New Oil & Vinegar Retail Concept Opening Across from The W in Downtown Austin

amber gugino — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:26:18 +0000

A unique boutique is opening its second location on May 10th, 2012, right across the street from The W Hotel and Residences on Lavaca (the first location is in The Arboretum, and opened in 2009) in Downtown Austin. No, it’s not another fancy dress store or whimsical gift shop. This time, it’s a niche retail [...]

New Oil & Vinegar Retail Concept Opening Across from The W in Downtown Austin

Bar Louie: Eat, Drink, and Be Happy in Downtown Austin

amber gugino — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:22:18 +0000

There’s something you should know. And that is, Bar Louie in downtown Austin is a bar / restaurant chain. There’s something else you should know. And that is, it’s okay that it’s a bar / restaurant chain. Now, before you stop reading – hear me out. I think it’s a good sign that select franchises [...]

Bar Louie: Eat, Drink, and Be Happy in Downtown Austin

Sutton Company Proposes Towers In Rainey Street District

Jude Galligan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:59:36 +0000

The Statesman broke the story publicly yesterday that the Sutton Company intends to build a multi-tower 40+ story mixed-use project at the north end of the Rainey Street District. The assemblage includes 9-10 lots wrapping Rainey Street, Driskill Street, and East Ave. We’ve mocked-up a footprint of the site (below). The renderings show two point [...]

Sutton Company Proposes Towers In Rainey Street District

2012 Downtown Living Tour – Showcasing Downtown Austin

amber gugino — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:55:39 +0000

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 [...]

2012 Downtown Living Tour – Showcasing Downtown Austin

Artwork By Mike Johnston (The Day I Found Treasure At Austin Java)

Jude Galligan — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:46:42 +0000

On Saturday, I walked into Austin Java on 2nd Street, ’bout to get my omelet on. Chillaxin. There I was, standing in line, just looking around, and I realize that every piece of art work on the walls is making an impact on me. A flyer taped to the wall explained most of the artwork was [...]

Artwork By Mike Johnston (The Day I Found Treasure At Austin Java)

Thursday CASH MOB @ Congress Avenue Card & Gift Shop

Jude Galligan — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:21:34 +0000

A Cash Mob is the same premise as a flash mob, but people all show up at a local business and spend money. It’s a simple and fun way to encourage people to support small local businesses by spending their money en mass. How can I participate? Just show up! Bring $20.00 to spend, a [...]

Thursday CASH MOB @ Congress Avenue Card & Gift Shop

Wanderlust LIVE – Open House on April 13th

amber gugino — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:30:35 +0000

We wrote about the changing face of the Railyard district not too long ago, and one of the new establishment mentioned was Wanderlust, a new Yoga Studio and Live Music Venue that’s opening soon on the northeast corner of 4th and Brazos. Well, we’ve recently learned a bit more about the concept and wanted to [...]

Wanderlust LIVE – Open House on April 13th

Virtual Flyover Of The 3rd & Brazos Apartment High Rise

Jude Galligan — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:44:20 +0000

Not much info has been released about the design of Riverside Resources’ 20 16-story apartment building under construction at 3rd & Brazos (in the newly monikered Railyard District). The video below is a virtual flyover of the building, and provides more insight into the design. (update: the video settings have been changed to private) Virtual [...]

Virtual Flyover Of The 3rd & Brazos Apartment High Rise

DAB Stats: Downtown Austin Sales

Jude Galligan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:00:51 +0000

February delivered strong numbers for sales of downtown Austin condos. I count nine new construction sales and 14 resales (compared to six and 10 in January respectively). The 14 resales averaged $397 per square foot – the highest monthly average for resales that I can remember. Don’t mistake this for accelerating appreciation, though. Included in [...]

DAB Stats: Downtown Austin Sales

Recent History: An Original Railyard Condos Marketing Flyer

Jude Galligan — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:08:24 +0000

This piece of real estate ephemera fell into my hands only a day ago. I didn’t set out to publish two consecutive posts about the Railyard, but this was too interesting not to share! Most of you know the Railyard condos were converted from apartments in the late ’90s. This flyer was intended to lure renters of [...]

Recent History: An Original Railyard Condos Marketing Flyer

Coming Soon: The Changing Face Of The Railyard District

Jude Galligan — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:10:02 +0000

Let it be known as the Railyard District, that part of downtown Austin, south of 5th Street and sandwiched between Congress Ave and the Austin Convention Center. You could straddle the convention center and include the area east, around Moonshine, too. It’s an interesting mix of conventioneers and locals, both feeding on chicken and waffles [...]

Coming Soon: The Changing Face Of The Railyard District

How cool it is to live downtown?

Jude Galligan — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:02:47 +0000

This picture captures so much of the vibrancy of our growing downtown. The photographer, friend David Gottlieb, has one of the best vantage points in the city: Spring condos. The influx of people for SXSW – traffic be damned – reminds me of what a 24/7 vibrant city looks and feels like. And, we’re getting [...]

How cool it is to live downtown?

Street Patio Experiment: Congress Ave @ Royal Blue Grocery

Jude Galligan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:47:15 +0000

I love this idea for downtown Austin. Convert two duck-in parking spaces in front of Royal Blue Grocery on Congress Ave, in order to improve the pedestrian experience and create a retail destination. “Street patios” have been implemented before in other cities, successfully, under the badge of “parklet” or “pop-up” cafe. Upon approval by Council, later [...]

Street Patio Experiment: Congress Ave @ Royal Blue Grocery