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Jude Galligan

This Is Bull

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This is the Castleman-Bull house on Red River Street in Downtown Austin.   Located just east of the Convention Center, most of us have driven past this curious property at some point in recent years.

It currently serves no purpose except as a popular spectacle of wonder for the hungover Moonshine brunch crowd. The blighted chain link fence and “keep out” signs hint at something ominous, but daring us to to get close as possible. I’ve always found it to be creepy in the coolest way possible.  Time for some urban exploration! [Read more…] about This Is Bull

Downtown Austin Condo Sales Show Growth

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Downtown Austin condo sales continue to reflect strong fundamentals as resale data from February shows increases year-to-year, and from month-to-month.

I’m continuing to tinker with some new statistics, including the effect of the average age of square footage sold. Values of downtown Austin condos tend to be highly correlated with age. This “age/area” metric is useful when comparing monthly data, and I can quickly tell if the data set is skewed towards older or new buildings.  In February, the [Read more…] about Downtown Austin Condo Sales Show Growth

[Stop] Signs Of Progress In Rainey Neighborhood

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I was expecting the City to share with stakeholders a draft of an “in the works” plan for Downtown Austin’s Rainey neighborhood. There’s not much to report. Instead, stakeholders were met with City staff taking notes on what the stakeholders had to say.

Staff from several City departments were in attendance, including: Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Austin Energy, Transportation, Planning & Development, Austin Police. Also present was perennial sustainability advocate and Austin City Council member Chris Riley.

What’s next? Each department will organize their feedback and report to…. nobody is sure. I’ve asked the City to create a dedicated web presence for Rainey Street (e.g. www.cityofaustin.org/raineystreet) to better organize and distribute information. Here is pdf scan of the handouts. And, I’m glad to share that there is real progress to report. [Read more…] about [Stop] Signs Of Progress In Rainey Neighborhood

Tribute To Tejano Culture Coming To Capitol Lawn

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The gently sloping hill of the historic south lawn of the Texas Capitol grounds will soon host a monument that recognizes the legacy and contribution of Tejanos to Texas Culture. This monument will cover slightly more than 500 sq. ft. and will be the largest monument on any state capitol grounds in all 50 states.

There was a ban on new monuments on the south lawn, but an organized and persistent group of legislators helped push legislation which would mandate that the Tejano Monument be constructed on the South Lawn of the Capitol Grounds and [Read more…] about Tribute To Tejano Culture Coming To Capitol Lawn

Varsity Theatre

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I enrolled at the University of Texas in 1995… when Tower Records was the SPOT!  I was buying Wu-Tang CDs like Ol’ Dirty Bastard was having kids.  The building was originally the Varsity Theatre.  In recent years it’s been vacant, after a poorly timed retail attempt by a bookstore, Intellectual Property Capital.  The ABJ’s Jacob Dirr scoops what’s next for one of the most desirable retail sites in Austin, along with some history of the building.  We found some old photos to share with you. [Read more…] about Varsity Theatre