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The Marriott debacle

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Proposed Marriott on Congress Ave in Downtown Austin
Proposed Marriott on Congress Ave in Downtown Austin

The inopportune demolition of the Las Manitas restaurant and neighboring buildings has sparked some discussion in the blogosphere. On December 5th, it was announced that the 1,000 room Marriott hotel development was put on hold. Chris Bradford over at Austin Contrarian suggests we charge developers a fee if they delay development of blighted block.

Time will tell how long it takes Marriott to develop to sell the site. One reason to be optimistic that Marriott may still have sincere interest in developing the hotel is that Downtown Austin hotels routinely reach full capacity. Meanwhile, wrapping a block in chain link fence and leaving it to sid idly will not be taken kindly by local stakeholders. I would like to see City Council implement maximum development timelines for projects like this and begin to revoke concessions initially granted to the project.

AustinTowers has some photos of the demolished block.

Austin Fog

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Fog over Downtown Austin
Fog over Downtown Austin

This morning Austin is covered in a thick blanket of fog.  This is the best fog I’ve seen in years, and a quick search through Google images queues up some picturesque photos that comes with a fog like this.  (link)

/it’s a slow news week.
//and, I didn’t want to jump on this bandwagon.

Required reading

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How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand

Last year I purged my book shelves by giving away hundreds of books that I’ve collected over the years.  I kept a dozen, or so, that were too significant to give up.   Since it’s been a slow news week for Downtown Austin, I thought I would use this time to recommend a couple of books that you can read over the holidays.  After reading these books it will come as no surprise why hundreds of thousands of people across the country are retreating back to the cities after 50 years of suburban growth.

  • “How Buildings Learn” by Stewart Brand
    This book is interesting to me, not only because it has lots of pictures of old architecture, rather because Stewart Brand attempts to follow how the greatest buildings change use over the course time.
  • “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs
    Long considered the urban planner’s bible, this book should be required reading for our elected officials (City Council and staff, County Commissioners, CAMPO board)

Extra credit
I encourage you to check out another book by Stewart Brand “The Clock of The Long Now“.  This book is about many things including how civilizations evolve, how the digital age changes the way we archive and access our collective knowledge, and more.  Throughout the book is a story about the design of a 10,000 clock that will be installed in the side of a mountain.  Great read.

Lake/Flato will design new Central Library in Downtown Austin

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Site of Downtown Austins new Central Libary
Site of Downtown Austin's new Central Libary

Lake Flato has been awarded the design contract for Downtown Austin’s new Central Library.  They’ve got $90MM to work with to build 250,000 square feet by 2013.

Below is an estimated timeline for the new Central Library project:

  • May 2009 ~ Citizen/Stakeholder input meetings –Co-sponsored by Library Commission and Library Foundation June 2009 ~ Design phase begins
  • Spring 2011 ~ Design development completed
  • Winter 2011 ~ Construction begins
  • Fall 2013 ~ Construction complete
  • Spring/Summer 2014-Grand Opening

The site sits partially within a capitol view corridor, so the future building can only be mid-rise and will likely only by three stories.  In that regard I like this choice of location.  Still, I think this is a poor choice of location in terms of accessibility.  I’ve seen plenty of proposed transit maps for ‘future’ Austin, and not a single one shows rail stopping near the library.  The people that would benefit the most from this new Central Library are, in my opinion, going to benefit the most from mass transit that can get them to the library!   It was an easy choice for the City because they own the land; however, the city could have used condemnation to select a better site that would be more accessible.  I expect the building will be beautiful.  I just hope it gets used.

Jude Galligan

Farewell Gallery Lombardi

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Say farewell to Gallery Lombardi
Say farewell to Gallery Lombardi

Generally, I’ve never been the kind of person that really enjoys art shows.    But, I really like living in a neighborhood where the arts are appreciated and supported.   I like knowing that there are art shows going on.   So, it is with that sentiment that I am saddened to learn that Gallery Lombardi will be closing it’s doors next month.   From the announcement which was emailed to a friend of mine…

“Proprietor Ron Prince opened Gallery Lombard in 1996 on 3rd & Bowie, his motto has always been, ‘everyone is an artist’.  Ron Prince says “If you are a creative person, and you have an opportunity to be creative, consider yourself blessed.  The rest is window dressing.”  I have been lucky to work in this creative, supportive environment since 2000.  I just made a quick count, it seems I’ve directed and/or curated 144 group art shows at Gallery Lombardi.  wow.”


SOLD! Plaza Lofts #1208

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Downtown Austins Plaza Lofts
Downtown Austin's Plaza Lofts

LP: $320,000
SP: $310,000
SF: 1,194

Top floor at Plaza Lofts for $260psf is a very good deal.  From Kumara Wilcoxen’s listing… “Top floor condo located in the most desirable location downtown. 13ft ceilings, floor-ceiling windows, polished concrete floors, granite, travertine marble baths. Walk to dining, entertainment, town lake etc.”

311 w 5th st, austin, tx 78701

[map]

Gang Of Female Bandits Preying On Men

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A buddy of mine just sent me this link to an article about a “Gang Of Female Bandits Preying On Men” on 6th street.   The title roped me in and it just got better from there.

“At this point, it’s 5:30 in the morning. I know who I am. So I hitchhike all the way back to my apartment, about three miles. And I’m going into my building and, because it was such an obscure hour, I needed my building ID, so I get my wallet out and I realize it’s been completely rifled through. And so that was really my heads-up.”

link

Pics of commuter rail at downtown station

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by jude galligan

This past Sunday I caught an impromptu glance at the Commuter Rail Train parked at the downtown station.  Up close, the trains are beautiful.  Compared to a subway train, or if you’ve ever seen the NJ-transit trains, Austin’s commuter rail looks like a Mercedes.  When I arrived, there were about 25 CapMetro workers milling about.  I tried to discretely walk into the train but was cut off by an official looking guy.  Still i managed to grab some pics where you can see the interior.  Looks pretty cool!

Austin Commuter Rail - Downtown Austin Station
Austin Commuter Rail - Downtown Austin Station

One thing I am disappointed with is the gazebos.  They’re small, don’t protect from the elements, and are fire-engine red.  We spend millions of dollars on a train and get these crummy gazebos. The service won’t officially start until March, but it’s good to see this thing moving.  From my window, I can see it going by and it is very quiet.

More pics after the jump!

[Read more…] about Pics of commuter rail at downtown station

Paradox and Planeta are SHUT DOWN!

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by jude galligan

Bye bye Paradox! Dont let the door hit ya!
Bye bye Paradox! Don't let the door hit ya!

For months there have been rumors that Tim Finley would not renew the leases for night clubs Paradox and Planeta.  According to the Austin Police Department Downtown Area Command, Tim Finley officially terminated their leases yesterday.

[update] Through the grapevine, I’m being told that Finley is not in a big rush to find a replacement tenant, and he is not inclined to install another bar.  The building is actually pretty nice once all of the black plexiglass peels off.  This weekend I’ll try to find some old photos of the building and hopefully put together some history.  The intersection of 5th (formerly Pine St) and Trinity is one of the very few instances in Austin where each building, on each corner, was built before 1940.