AUSTIN | Whitley | 196 FT | 16 FLOORS | COMPLETE

[KevinFromTexas]

http://downtownaustinblog.org/2011/0...-new-neighbor/

Downtown Austin’s Railyard District Getting A New Neighbor?
2011 APRIL 19

by Jude Galligan

No, we’re not talking about the news of a rekindled T. Stacy building. Last month it was reported that Riverside Resources was under contract to buy the Whitley Building at 301 Brazos St. The downtown Austin development site is zoned Central Business District (CBD) with no Capitol View Corridor restrictions. According to reporter Jacob Dirr’s Twitter feed, the local development firm is planning a 20-story residential redevelopment of the site. Dirr’s tweet also links to a rendering of the building where we can see what is envisioned.

http://twitdoc.com/view.asp?id=7578&...&usr=JacobDirr

[Armybrat]

I remember when the Capital National Bank building was the tallest commercial skyscraper in Austin at 189' & 15 floors.

Can't even see it any more.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Armybrat

I remember when the Capital National Bank building was the tallest commercial skyscraper in Austin at 189' & 15 floors.

Can't even see it any more.

?

What name does it go by now? You aren't talking about Norwood Tower are you? It hasn't been the tallest commercial office building in Austin since 1971. 823 Congress was the first commercial office building to break the 200 foot mark that year.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

?

What name does it go by now? You aren't talking about Norwood Tower are you?

Yes, he's talking about Norwood Tower, which originally was known as the Norwood Building when it opened in 1930

From Norwood Tower History

In January of 1934, Capital National Bank opened as a “New Deal” bank in the ground level of the Norwood Building.

Purchased by Rust Properties in late 1970s, the building underwent a five million dollar renovation in 1982-83 to bring it up to contemporary standards while preserving its character and original style. The building, which had come to be known as the Capital National Bank Building, was renamed the Norwood Tower

With regards to the proposed building, it's ok, I guess - certainly better than what's there now. My problem isn't so much about the height, but rather the possible colors used on the facade. You can't tell much from a black & white rendering, but it seems as though it may have the same general color scheme as the Ashton and I think we have too many brown buildings in that area already. I'd rather see it done in a color scheme like Spring.

[KevinFromTexas]

I did a mock model of this building today in my LEGO model of downtown. I also included the proposed Hyatt Place hotel across the street. Man, that is going to be one dense little pocket of downtown. Hampton Inn and Hyatt Place side by side on their block, then across the street will be this building. And then just to the west of this building is 301 Congress and to the east and caddy corner is the Marriott. Not to mention whatever gets built at 2nd & Congress with the convention center hotel plan.

This building actually looks fairly tall compared to 301 Congress. The main roof of this building will only be 99 feet shorter than 301 Congress across the street, and the penthouse will be just 86 feet shorter. I wish it would be taller, too, but I don't think it'll be too horrible. The difference in height between it and 301 Congress and all the surrounding buildings will be less dramatic than that of AMLI on 2nd which is surrounded by the W, Ashton and The Austonian - The Austonian being more than 3 times as tall as AMLI on 2nd.

[BevoLJ]

Sorry for a bit of off topic... but do you have any pictures or photo thread or anything of your lego models Kevin?

[cvalkan]

I thought that looked pretty cool until I realized the concave facade and white art deco rounded edges were artifacts of the way the paper was curving.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

?

What name does it go by now? You aren't talking about Norwood Tower are you? It hasn't been the tallest commercial office building in Austin since 1971. 823 Congress was the first commercial office building to break the 200 foot mark that year.

Yes, it's now the Norwood Tower. My Dad did a brief stint as the personnel director of the Capital National Bank after he retired from the Army in 1959. The primary bank business space & offices by that time were located in the recently converted parking garage attached to the west side of the tower.

It's the lower structure to the left in this link:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_D_iEOTIGzv...Headliners.jpg



BTW - the Austin Club was located on top of the bank. The penthouse on top of the Norwoood Tower has been renovated more than once - most recently by the LBJ family.

Sorry for the hijack.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://downtownaustinblog.org/2011/0...-new-neighbor/



http://twitdoc.com/view.asp?id=7578&...&usr=JacobDirr

That rendering vaguely ressembles the "old" Cambridge Tower building at Guadalupe & MLK.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...town-soon.html

Apartment tower to rise downtown soon

Austin Business Journal by Cody Lyon , ABJ Staff
Date: Friday, September 16, 2011, 5:00am CDT - Last Modified: Friday, September 16, 2011, 9:48am CDT

Riverside Resources LLC is poised to build an 18-story apartment tower in downtown Austin at the northeast corner of Third and Brazos streets.

The former Whitley Printing Co. building will be razed in about a month, according to real estate sources, and will be replaced with:

• 275 multifamily units

• 10,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space that could be used for office or retail

• and a 6,000-square-foot restaurant

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/business/do...y-1874060.html

Downtown Austin apartment tower to replace old Whitley building

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 10:47 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011
Published: 7:47 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011

Demolition work has begun on the former Whitley Printing Co. building at East Third and Brazos streets in downtown Austin to make way for a 16-story tower with 277 luxury apartments planned by Austin-based Riverside Resources.

Riverside Resources' tower will take a year and a half to complete, with the building ready for tenants by spring 2013, said John Needham, a principal with the firm.

"We're moving forward," Needham said, adding that City of Austin officials have approved a site plan for the project. "We will be breaking ground within the next two weeks."

[Jdawgboy]

16 floors??? BOO!!!! So it went from 18 floors to 16 floors on a block that could hold a supertall. This project has keeps making me more upset. Get ready because we are going to have that part of Downtown look just like Downtown just south of the Capital. All the same height, boring designs.

[The ATX]

That's a crappy black and white photo copy, so it's difficult to tell what it will really look like. You'd think that there would be a better rendering out there since it's breaking ground in October. The fact that it's so short is a huge disappointment though.

[KevinFromTexas]

The elevation drawing above shows its height at 18 floors as being 220 feet tall. The 18th floor is at 185 feet. And the 16th floor is at 165 feet. So assuming the design stays the same (minus those two floors), then the building will be 200 feet tall. The main roof would only be 187 feet tall though.

[JoMo]

Walked by the site on my lunch break today and looks like they have Demo about half of the old Whitley Printing company building so far.

[priller]

Current status:

[spw1965]

[wwmiv]

Newest rendering. I actually like it.

[migol24]

btw, is it gonna take up that entire side of the block?

[JoninATX]

That looks alot better.