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What’s Next For Agora?

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Agora is closed.

It was a rocky start and a quick ending to the sports bar on East Ave.  Agora’s massive footprint, copious parking, and out-of-place architecture raised questions about what the concept would be really be.  “Is it a strip club?” was an all-to-common refrain.

Turns out it really was just a sports bar, albeit one out of place in downtown Austin’s burgeoning Rainey Street neighborhood.

Perhaps the final blow to the struggling venue was last month’s decision by the City of Austin Music Division to revoke Agora’s Outdoor Music Venue permit, after receiving too many noise complaints.

What’s next?  Our intel has it that the 18,000 sf CBD-zoned site is now for sale.

Agora OMV permit was revoked in December (pdf)

 

 

Another Rainey Street Bar Pops Up – AGORA

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1/2/2013: We just heard a rumor from a reliable source that Agora is closed for good and owners are planning to sell.  We’ll continue to update as we have new information.

A new bar/lounge (guess) called “Agora” is readying their new space at 84 East Avenue in Downtown Austin’s Rainey Street neighborhood.  This is just few steps down from East Avenue Lounge (aka Rainey Manor). Picture of Agora and updated Rainey Street Map after the jump.

I also noticed some groundwork being done at [Read more…] about Another Rainey Street Bar Pops Up – AGORA

Downtown Austin Alley Activations – Open House for Rainey Alley

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A little over two years ago today, we wrote about a very cool Alley Activation project done by Art Alliance Austin.  In the article, we said that many cities around the world are starting to embrace alleys as more than just loading / unloading and trash dumpster zones.  We think that for certain alleys, the concept of revitalization and activation makes a ton of sense.

One such alley in the Rainey district of downtown Austin is getting a second look, compliments of the City’s recent acquisition of funding to pave what’s currently little more than a dirt passage littered with dumpsters behind all of your favorite Rainey Street bars. The alley goes from River Street to where the construction for the Millenium Rainey apartments begin (Millenium Rainey received an alley vacation so they were able to build right over the alley).

downtown-austin-rainey-alley-map

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Rainey Alley today, looking north
Millenium Rainey Dead-ends Rainey Alley
Millenium Rainey dead-ends Rainey Alley

We think this is very exciting for the neighborhood not only in the broad sense of representing “out-of-the-box” thinking to maximize public space within the limited confines of an urban area, but more practically and specific to the location – we think this activation may have the effect of “bringing in” the businesses on East Avenue that currently face I-35, encouraging more serviceable and integrated uses to make them fit into the neighborhood they inhabit, rather than being hunkering warehouses with chain-link fences, or out of place and isolated highway bars like the ill-fated Agora.**

The establishments on East Avenue are technically part of the Rainey Neighborhood, but many couldn’t feel more incongruous with their surroundings.

We encourage those interested in upgrading the alley to come to the Mexican American Cultural Center at 600 River Street on On April 7, from 9am-7pm. The City is inviting the public to come and give input on current uses of the alley and solicit constructive ideas for future uses that also preserve the “essential service functions” of the alley.  Feel free to share constructive ideas in the comments below, too.  We’ll be dropping by the Open House and are happy to share any cool ideas on our readers’ behalves!

More info here.

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**Legacy leather bar Chain Drive is currently residing in part of the structure at 84 East Avenue today.  It was formerly tucked away and hidden in plain sight on Willow Street off of Red River before being pushed out – likely due to parcel consolidation for the Waller Park Place / Waller Center.  Even though it’s not a bar we personally visit, we’d actually like to see it stay around for posterity, if nothing else.