Greystar Real Estate Partners has proposed a mixed-use development called Symphony Square at 1117 Red River St., currently home to the Austin Symphony Orchestra and Velocity Credit Union. Austin City Council voted April 11 to approve a zoning change requested by the firm, which upgraded the lot from commercial to central business district. The current 5,000-square-foot building will be replaced with one or two new buildings, which will house the symphony as well as office, multifamily and hotel spaces, per the zoning application.
30-story addition to historic building gets preliminary city green light
The city of Austin Historic Landmark Commission voted 6-4 to approve a certificate of appropriateness—a prerequisite for building permits on historic sites—for a roughly 30-story addition to the Royal Arch Masonic Lodge at 311 W. Seventh St. at an Oct. 28 meeting. Built in 1926 and designated a historic landmark in 2000, the Arch Masonic building is operated by the local chapter of Freemasons. Stone Development and architecture firms Rhode Partners and Clayton & Little proposed a three-story glass atrium and high-rise tower atop the existing building, which will be restored during the construction process. “We want to see the building go up, “ said Carl Sizemore, guard for the local chapter, explaining that otherwise the building is likely to fall into further disrepair.
New downtown Marriott tops out; set to open in July 2020
Austin Marriott Downtown—a new hotel with 613 guest rooms, a rooftop pool, three bars, two locally-inspired restaurants and over 60,000 square feet of meeting space—will open in July at 304 E. Cesar Chavez St. It will also feature an exterior elevator for street access to the rooftop pool and bar.
Hotel property-management company White Lodging broke ground on the 31-story building in January 2018 and celebrated its topping out—the completion of its structural framework—in late September.
$344M county courts facility goes vertical
Construction began on the new Travis County civil and family courts facility over the summer, after a groundbreaking ceremony May 31. When completed in 2022, the $344 million, 430,000-square-foot facility will include 25 courtrooms; a law library and self-help center; a community plaza; and separate secure entrance, holding and circulation areas for individuals in custody.
The building—bordered by 17th, San Antonio, 18th and Guadalupe streets—will replace the Heman Marion Sweatt courthouse, which was built in 1931 and now is deteriorating and overcrowded, according to a county fact sheet.
Forthcoming KMFA radio studio named for Draylen Mason, victim of Austin bombing
KMFA, Austin’s classical radio station, will debut an 18,000-square-foot media center at 36 Comal St. in June. It will include the 135-seat Draylen Mason Music Studio—where audiences can attend live broadcasts, concerts and community events—which is named for the 17-year-old bassist who was killed during the March 2018 Austin bombings.
The freestanding KMFA building will also host station staff and operations. It will be a part of The Hatchery, a forthcoming 17.8-acre mixed-use development at 21 Waller St., Austin. Once the site of a former federal fish hatchery, the development will include 23,000 square feet of retail and office space; the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, which provides affordable senior housing; and 800 market-rate multifamily units. The first phase will open in June.
This article ran in the Nov. 2019 issue of the Central Austin edition. Read the full e-edition here.
