[KevinFromTexas]

It was mentioned in another thread that we should get a list going of the former names of some of Austin's buildings. Here's what I got. I'll list the addresses too to help with the obscure ones. Feel free to add to the pile if you know of any. Also if anyone has any construction photos to add, please do post them!

I was trying to remember some older names for 823 Congress. It was originally a bank, but I can't remember the name. Some city bank name. I also thought there was at least one other name for 816 Congress.

Office buildings

Frost Bank Tower>Congress at Fourth
(401 Congress)

One Congress Plaza>Norwest Plaza>Franklin Plaza
(111 Congress)

Bank of America Center>NationsBank Tower>Interfirst Bank Tower>Austin National Bank Tower
(515 Congress)

Chase Bank Tower>Bank One Tower>NationsBank Tower>American Bank Tower>MBank Tower
(221 W. 6th)

JPMorganChase Bank Tower>Texas Commerce Bank>Capital National Bank
(700 Lavaca)

Norwood Tower>Capital National Bank Building
(114 W. 7th)

301 Congress>Temple-Inland Building

816 Congress>Frost Bank Plaza

823 Congress>First City Bank

William P. Clements State Office Building>One Capitol Square
(300 W. 15th)

Wells Fargo Tower>Norwest Bank Tower>Texas State Bank Tower>First State Bank Tower>United Bank Tower
(400 W. 15th)

William J. Hobby State Office Building>Republic Plaza
(333 Guadalupe)

Ernest O. Thompson State Office Building>Austin Tribune Building
(920 Colorado)

ACC Pinnacle Campus>The Pinnacle
(7128 US Highway 71)

Dewitt C. Greer State Highway Building>State Highway Building
(125 E. 11th)

Thomas Rusk State Treasury Building>First Federal Plaza
(200 E. 10th)

Lakeshore Tower>Greater Chamber of Commerce Building
(210 Barton Springs)

Ashbel-Smith Hall>UT Systems Administration Building
(200 W. 7th)

Waller Creek Center>Avante Plaza
(625 E. 10th)

Capitol Tower>Two Commodore Plaza
(206 E. 10th)

Hotels

Omni Hotel Downtown/Austin Centre>Radisson Hotel
(701 Brazos)

Stephen F. Austin Hotel>Intercontinental Hotel>Bradford Hotel
(701 Congress)

Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown>Capitol Place Hotel>Crowne Plaza Austin Hotel>Sheraton Austin Hotel>Waller Creek Plaza Hotel
(500 N. I-35)

Doubletree Austin Guest Suites>Guest Quarters Hotel
(303 W. 15th)

Sheraton Austin Hotel>Marriott at the Capitol
(701 E. 11th)

Radisson Hotel & Suites>The Radisson Crest Inn>Sheraton Crest Inn>Crest Inn
(111 E. Cesar Chavez)

Omni Hotel Southpark>Wyndham Hotel
(4140 Governor's Row)

Radisson Hotel Austin North>Park Plaza Austin North>Hilton Austin North & Towers
(6000 Middle Fiskville)

Renaissance Austin Hotel>Stouffer Hotel>Wyndham Hotel
(9721 Arboretum)

Residential buildings

The Plaza on Republic Square>The Plaza Lofts
(311 W. 5th)

University Towers>Tri Towers
(801 W. 24th)

Brazos Place>800 Brazos>One Commodore Plaza>Commodore Perry Hotel
(800 Brazos)

The Sabine>Waller Creek Executive Center>Waller Creek Plaza
(507 Sabine)

[LoneStarMike]

I was trying to remember some older names for 823 Congress. It was originally a bank, but I can't remember the name. Some city bank name. I also thought there was at least one other name for 816 Congress.



The older name for 823 Congress was the First City Bank.

For a few years (in the 1980's I think) the Stephen F. Austin Hotel was called the Bradford Hotel.

When Austin Centre (701 Brazos) opened, the hotel part was a Radisson (Now Omni)

I believe 1005 Congress was originally called the Texas American Bank Building.

[Mopacs]

Great list!

Couple of additions........ The Renaissance Hotel at the Arboretum was known as the Stouffer Hotel (same as renaissance I believe) for a year or two, following the original Wyndham name.

Also, the former Hilton/Park Place hotel at Highland Mall is now a Radisson Hotel. http://www.radisson.com/austintx_north

[arbeiter]

That's pretty comprehensive!
I was thinking of the Stouffer too. I stayed at that hotel once with my grandpa who was in town on business - even though I grew up 10 minutes down the road. I thought the fancy continental breakfast was soooo coool.

I don't know what it's called now, but the brown high-rise on Arboretum Blvd. used to be Dell's offices.

[KevinFromTexas]

^ Yeah, Dell had its headquarters in the building for a while. It's now known as Aboretum Plaza D. I've always liked that building. For being a suburban office building it's not too bad.

Thanks for the additions guys. I had remembered 823 Congress had another name, city bank something, but couldn't remember exactly. My uncle had some money pouches that he used to put tools in. They were just 10 inch long canvas bags with heavy duty zippers. Worked perfect for keeping wrenches in. Anyway, on the side it had a picture of 823 Congress and had their name, but I couldn't remember what it was.

I was also trying to remember the name of the other Chase Bank Tower in downtown. The one at 700 Lavaca, that trapezoidal tower. I know Chase Bank took over Bank One, but I don't think Bank One had offices there before the merger. Could that have been JPMorganChase?

I also added ACC Pinnacle Campus. The original name of the building was simply "The Pinnacle". Originally the building was a commercial office building. Supposedly the developer had a private condo on the top floor. In fact that's where the student lounge and cafeteria is. One of the bathrooms up there is decorated with marble counter tops and brash fixtures.

[arbeiter]

You always seem to know the most obscure little tidbits about old Austin. I think you just have to have been an old-school Austinite to know. I pride myself on remembering some things from the late 80's when I moved to Austin the first time (had a break in between), and I was really good at keeping up with things during my high school years (not that we built much then), but the Frost Bank was the was last building constructed while I lived there.

I remember that the bank we went to was "Bank of the Hills" which had its headquarters built right at 183 and Lake Creek Parkway. Not sure what exists in the current building, but it is the tallest thing around for miles (or was until the 45-183 stack.)

I also remember 183 being converted into a freeway and the long waits at the traffic lights. I remember when 183 and 360/Mopac were finished as an interchange, then I remember the main lanes ending before Duval (where Landmark Ford used to be). It seemed to take years for it to be extended to Spicewood Springs, and I moved away right before it was extended to 620.

I remember Spicewood Springs and 183 being the main intersection of the area - and I remember 'Galleria Oaks'. Back in those days, traffic was so bad we would routinely go down Pond Springs Road, which is a kind of oddly dingy road that I believe was the original 183.

[LoneStarMike]

I was also trying to remember the name of the other Chase Bank Tower in downtown. The one at 700 Lavaca, that trapezoidal tower. I know Chase Bank took over Bank One, but I don't think Bank One had offices there before the merger. Could that have been JPMorganChase?

When I moved here, it was the Texas Commerce Bank.

From Wikipedia:

The Texas Commerce Bank was a bank that merged with Chemical Banking Corporation of New York in May 1987. The price tag: for $1.2 billion, the largest interstate banking merger in history at the time. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions Chemical Bank bought Chase Manhattan Bank and then JP Morgan finally changing it's name to JPMorgan Chase & Co.. In 2003, it acquired Bank One.

I don't think the building was ever called the Chemical Bank Tower, but I think it may have also been named Chase Bank Tower, and JP Morgan Tower for a time.

[arbeiter]

My aunt worked for Texas Commerce Bank, off of Anderson Lane! ;)

It's funny how many names changed during the S&L bust days. My mother had an account at Allied Bank, First Interstate Bank, Wells Fargo, and it was all the same account! Then there was NCNB and then NationsBank. I think Bank of the Hills became BankOne. Not sure what Texas Commerce Bank merged into - maybe Compass?

[KevinFromTexas]

You always seem to know the most obscure little tidbits about old Austin.

Thanks! I'm never shy to point out that I was born in San Antonio, but I've never lived anywhere but Austin. And as much as this sounds like a homer, I plan on keeping it that way. I wouldn't have known that about Pinnacle Campus had Greg not told me. He had to go up there one day to meet a counselor for school. We headed up to the 10th floor for the view before we left. I later read that the developer of the building also developed the parking garage that the convention center uses. Supposedly the guy's company went out of business because of bankruptcy, and he had to sell off a lot of his property cheap.

I remember that the bank we went to was "Bank of the Hills" which had its headquarters built right at 183 and Lake Creek Parkway. Not sure what exists in the current building, but it is the tallest thing around for miles (or was until the 45-183 stack.)

Could that have been Tower of the Hills? 183 up around Anderson Mill/Jollyville? Bank One later moved in, now though since the merger Chase Bank occupies it. Just down the road from Pond Springs Road near that giant water tower?

[QUOTE=LoneStarMike]When I moved here, it was the Texas Commerce Bank.


That sounds right. It's still called Chase Bank Tower as far as I know. They have their sign on it anyway. I do remember the JPMorganChase name now on the building, but had forgotten about Texas Commerce Bank occupying it. Texas Commerce Bank was taken over by JPMorganChase, now though it's just Chase Bank.

[LoneStarMike]

That sounds right. It's still called Chase Bank Tower as far as I know. They have their sign on it anyway. I do remember the JPMorganChase name now on the building, but had forgotten about Texas Commerce Bank occupying it. Texas Commerce Bank was taken over by JPMorganChase, now though it's just Chase Bank.

The Tower on Sixth is called Chase Bank Tower, but the trapezoidal building on Lavaca still has the signage for JP Morgan Chase. Here's a photo I took of it back in November:

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff158/LoneStarMike/11-27-2007/DSC_0036.jpg

I think they left the names separate so people wouldn't get confused as to which buiilding was which.

[KevinFromTexas]

Ah, I haven't been close enough to it (or at the right angle) to see the sign.

By the way, that shot reminds me. For a while back when they were developing and building 300 West Sixth, they were simply calling it the Carr America Building, referring to the developer. For a while that was even the name they went with tied to the original renderings.

[arbeiter]

Could that have been Tower of the Hills? 183 up around Anderson Mill/Jollyville? Bank One later moved in, now though since the merger Chase Bank occupies it. Just down the road from Pond Springs Road near that giant water tower?


Yes, it was called Tower of the Hills because of Bank of the Hills. I always found Austin's use of "hills" and "lake" over near there to be kind of funny, since you can't see either until you hit the drop in the escarpment. It should have been called Plateau Savings Bank.

It's past Pond Springs, it's north of Lake Creek Parkway and 183 just before Pecan Park (one of the arterial routes for Lakeline Mall). I didn't really consider it to be next to the Pond Springs water tower but honestly if you think about it the only thing between them is Lake Creek Festival. This is very near where I grew up - I lived off of Spicewood Springs Road for a while, but Anderson Mill was my subdivision of childhood.

I can vaguely remember the intersection of 183 and 620 back in the day. Some of you wouldn't even believe it. Kevin, you've always been a southsider right? I think Mopacs is the most likely to remember it. Just like I can't remember how Ben White looked pre-freeway submerge and can just vaguely remember going to a D-rated Star Trek convention at the old Westgate Mall.

Anyway, 183/620 had empty pasture between the Tower of the Hills and I don't believe anything at the southeast corner. The northwest corner where Lakeline Plaza is today had an entire shopping center that used to occupy its space - a fairly large one, in fact. It had a K-Mart, then a bunch of stores I can't remember, then a Yaring's (I think), which is a defunct Austin department store, and then an H-E-B. One of the late 70's-era white 'rounded off' designs. I still remember shopping in that H-E-B - my aunt worked there in high school and it roughly had the layout of the Koenig location, with the "judge's booth" style customer service center, the low-slung open freezer cases, and the very weird deli area that I always avoided. I still have this memory of going there right before a typical summer thunderstorm, trying to haul the groceries into our car before it rained, and then we had to stop off to wait for it to pass. Back then, the back of H-E-B roughly faces where Applebee's is now, and was a pasture all the way up through Cedar Park.

The other side has the North Fork Plaza which has in my life never once been fully occupied by tenants - it never seemed to be anything but a second banana shopping center. The AppleTree supermarket shut down only a few years after it opened, then sat empty for a long time and then eventually became a Michael's. The other units have been everything under the sun - it was the location of the relocated Olan Mills portrait studio where my family's tacky photographic memories were made. I forget where the first was, but I went there a lot, too - I think Spicewood Springs and 183.

The site that is now I believe Strait Music used to be a London Fabric, and then for a while it had a really large independent video store called the Video Station. We were very active patrons of the Video Station - it was during that short period of the late 80's-early 90's where there was a bumper crop of VHS demand. I seem to recall an area with leather recliners, with a nook for Nintendo games, and then a long hallway backward to several rooms.

I have no idea what's in the shopping center today, although I can't imagine it's been a money tree. There was a farm dirt road that used to run to one side of it, I believe, and across the street where IHOP is now had a Citgo or 7-11 station for a while - I think, but I am not too sure. The southwest corner still has the horse ranch that has always been there - rumor has it that they sold the adjacent parcels which now have Olive Garden, McDonald's, and the mini-shopping center with UFCU and are very, very rich. My family friends owned land off of Anderson Mill and 620 and were offered millions and millions of dollars for years to develop their land until they caved in towards their old age and the result was the Volente Oaks center you see today with HEB.

Before Lakeline was proposed, there was a proposal for a mall called Copper Creek Mall which would have been located at roughly Hymeadow Drive and 183 (b/w Pond Springs and Lake Creek today). They got as far as building out the foundation and even constructed several sections of wall before the economic bust of the late 80's stopped whoever the developer was in its tracks. For almost 10 years, the plot of land sat there with weeds growing between the steel frames, it was quite an ugly sight. I always wondered what was going to be located in that mall - the only thing that exists from that developer I think was the International Residence apartment buildings (which I lived in for 6 months while we were waiting to move into a house). They were these god-awful rectangular boxes plastered with unimaginative hodgepodges of fake continental cupolas, awnings, tudor insets, you name it. I always wanted to live in one of the beige-and-blue Haussmanian style buildings but I think we lived in a hideous orange-and-yellow unit.


I also remember the sign for Lakeline Mall pre-litigation/protest era - it was blue on white with a serifed font, I think - they had signs announcing its completion in something ridiculous like 1991 (I think it was 95 or 96 before it actually got finished). During the beetle disputes or whatever the hell they were called, they just sat there growing over with weeds until finally some kind of compromise was reached. That tiny bit of scrub land that has been fenced off next to the mall was their compromise - one of the lamest ideas ever. It succeeded in doing nothing to protect the environment and the mall's size shrunk by 1/3 - a lose lose situation! Eventually Lakeline got built and it aged about as quickly as cheese. Its pink and green hues and whimsical wall designs looked out of date as they held their grand opening.

Other things I remember distinctly were billboards for Steiner Ranch, before it was built out, and for Brushy Creek (which was already nearing build-out). They both had distinctive logos, as did Block House Creek in Leander too I think.

[G Lee]

The JP Morgan building at 700 Lavaca was the Capital National Bank when built. The bank moved from the Norwood building. After several mergers and name changes it became Chase. The bank has now moved out of the building since it was so close to the new Chase location in the former Bank One tower(built as American National Bank Bldg.) The JP Morgan signage has been removed.

[KevinFromTexas]

The JP Morgan building at 700 Lavaca was the Capital National Bank when built. The bank moved from the Norwood building. After several mergers and name changes it became Chase. The bank has now moved out of the building since it was so close to the new Chase location in the former Bank One tower(built as American National Bank Bldg.) The JP Morgan signage has been removed.

You're absolutely right about Capital National Bank occupying the Norwood Tower. I hadn't added it yet because I wanted to check the exact name. But yeah, I remember seeing some old promotional type postcards showing the building with their name on the back.

I can vaguely remember the intersection of 183 and 620 back in the day. Some of you wouldn't even believe it. Kevin, you've always been a southsider right? I think Mopacs is the most likely to remember it. Just like I can't remember how Ben White looked pre-freeway submerge and can just vaguely remember going to a D-rated Star Trek convention at the old Westgate Mall.

Yep, always been a south sider. We used to live on South First Street between Congress & William Cannon until I was 4. We live a few blocks west of there now.

I can remember Ben White before it was a freeway. At the time that's where most of our stores were that we shopped at. For years the grocery store at Ben White and Manchaca was the farthest south grocery store (It's a Randalls now). Back in the day it was a Safeway. My dad even worked there in his 20s. I remember when they ripped up a lot of the businesses along Ben White to build the freeway. I also remember when they put Stassney through to I-35. It used to dead end at Congress. My folks lived "out here" back when this was all out in the country still, at least on the edge of the city. Stassney was a 2 lane road. William Cannon hadn't been built yet. Crockett High School was at least 7 years away. My family moved into this neighborhood about 1963, just a year or so after the houses were built.

[Mopacs]

Wow, where have I been! I will read up and chime in. And yes, I know the 183 NW corridor extremely well. One tidbit.. there used to be a Bojangle's chicken (fast food) restaurant just N of Spicewood Springs (now and insurance office). THey were there for about 1 year and left. Its a big chain in the southeast. I guess they didnt last long in TX http://www.bojangles.com/

I shall return once I read up...

[Will Land]

It was mentioned in another thread that we should get a list going of the former names of some of Austin's buildings. Here's what I got. I'll list the addresses too to help with the obscure ones. Feel free to add to the pile if you know of any. Also if anyone has any construction photos to add, please do post them!

I was trying to remember some older names for 823 Congress. It was originally a bank, but I can't remember the name. Some city bank name. I also thought there was at least one other name for 816 Congress.

Office buildings

Frost Bank Tower>Congress at Fourth
(401 Congress)

One Congress Plaza>Norwest Plaza>Franklin Plaza
(111 Congress)

Bank of America Center>NationsBank Tower>Interfirst Bank Tower>Austin National Bank Tower
(515 Congress)

Chase Bank Tower>Bank One Tower>NationsBank Tower>American Bank Tower>MBank Tower
(221 W. 6th)

JPMorganChase Bank Tower>Texas Commerce Bank>Capital National Bank
(700 Lavaca)

Norwood Tower>Capital National Bank Building
(114 W. 7th)

301 Congress>Temple-Inland Building

816 Congress>Frost Bank Plaza

823 Congress>First City Bank

William P. Clements State Office Building>One Capitol Square
(300 W. 15th)

Wells Fargo Tower>Norwest Bank Tower>Texas State Bank Tower>First State Bank Tower>United Bank Tower
(400 W. 15th)

William J. Hobby State Office Building>Republic Plaza
(333 Guadalupe)

Ernest O. Thompson State Office Building>Austin Tribune Building
(920 Colorado)

ACC Pinnacle Campus>The Pinnacle
(7128 US Highway 71)

Dewitt C. Greer State Highway Building>State Highway Building
(125 E. 11th)

Thomas Rusk State Treasury Building>First Federal Plaza
(200 E. 10th)

Lakeshore Tower>Greater Chamber of Commerce Building
(210 Barton Springs)

Ashbel-Smith Hall>UT Systems Administration Building
(200 W. 7th)

Waller Creek Center>Avante Plaza
(625 E. 10th)

Capitol Tower>Two Commodore Plaza
(206 E. 10th)

Hotels

Omni Hotel Downtown/Austin Centre>Radisson Hotel
(701 Brazos)

Stephen F. Austin Hotel>Intercontinental Hotel>Bradford Hotel
(701 Congress)

Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown>Capitol Place Hotel>Crowne Plaza Austin Hotel>Sheraton Austin Hotel
(500 N. I-35)

Doubletree Austin Guest Suites>Guest Quarters Hotel
(303 W. 15th)

Sheraton Austin Hotel>Marriott at the Capitol
(701 E. 11th)

Radisson Hotel & Suites>The Radisson Crest Inn>Sheraton Crest Inn>Crest Inn
(111 E. Cesar Chavez)

Omni Hotel Southpark>Wyndham Hotel
(4140 Governor's Row)

Radisson Hotel Austin North>Park Plaza Austin North>Hilton Austin North & Towers
(6000 Middle Fiskville)

Renaissance Austin Hotel>Stouffer Hotel>Wyndham Hotel
(9721 Arboretum)

Residential buildings

The Plaza on Republic Square>The Plaza Lofts
(311 W. 5th)

University Towers>Tri Towers
(801 W. 24th)

Brazos Place>800 Brazos>One Commodore Plaza>Commodore Perry Hotel
(800 Brazos)

The Sabine>Waller Creek Executive Center>Waller Creek Plaza
(507 Sabine)
Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown>Capitol Place Hotel>Crowne Plaza Austin Hotel>Sheraton Austin Hotel
(500 N. I-35)--This was Was Waller Creek Plaza Hotel - Part of Waller Creek Plaza ( ref http://www.mikhailengineering.com/Projects.htm)
I helped open it. Had a nice Brass and Glass restaurant on top ( Lloyd's of Austin). Opposite side of the development was a lower collar sort of sports bar/family restaurant which I think was just called 'Lloyd's'

[KevinFromTexas]

Wow. I had no idea that building had a steel skeleton. That's rare in Austin. Most of our buildings have concrete skeletons. Thanks, I'll add the name to the list.

[jordan]

I remember when the JP MORGAN Chase building formally TX. Commerce bank. was under construction. I use to catch the Greyhound to Marble Falls. The Greyhound bus station use to sit at what is now. The current Frost Tower @ 4th and Congress next to what use to be the Oscar Snowden T.V. and Appliances store. This was around late 1970 early 80's. I never could understand why the bus station was moved all the way out to North Austin, which is now considered Mid Austin.

[priller]

^ Yeah, Dell had its headquarters in the building for a while. It's now known as Aboretum Plaza D. I've always liked that building. For being a suburban office building it's not too bad.

I agree, it's a nice looking building.

When my wife and I very first started dating, I took photos of her -- with buildings in the background, of course!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/28/65691030_5ca9ffbbb5.jpg

Little did she know what she was getting into.

[KevinFromTexas]

Bump. This thread was inspired along with arbeiter's last reminiscing thread about retail centers. I thought it would be fun to bring it back since arbeiter's recent one.

So besides what's been listed already, does anyone have anymore?

[LoneStarMike]

What's now called 1011 San Jacinto was originally called the VFW building according to their website (http://www.1011sanjacinto.com/)

What's now known as 815 Brazos was originally called the International Life Building when it was completed in 1952.

Old aerial photos of the International Life Building were posted in post 5106 (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4121328&postcount=5106)

Thanks to G. Lee - post 5115 (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4123814&postcount=5115) for the original building name.