Austin - W Hotel / Block21 getting underway - Page 2

KevinFromTexas · #21 Posted **Jul 31, 2007, 6:06 PM**

^ Where is that listed?

Speaking of The Austonian, check this out.
http://theaustonian.com/AustonianFly08.wmv

That's from their website.

ATXboom · #22 Posted **Jul 31, 2007, 6:11 PM**

Wow!! That's cool... thanks for the link Kevin!

JDSII · #23 Posted **Jul 31, 2007, 6:44 PM**

I like the design. Very SOM/ Mies Van der Rohe. Why is a W important to our city you ask? It's an informal indication of a highly cosmopolitan city.

paulsjv · #24 Posted **Jul 31, 2007, 7:25 PM**

Thats an awesome video! Just think how Pillar's is going to look with all the buildings and all the texture! Ohhhh.

jmanh · #25 Posted **Jul 31, 2007, 8:20 PM**

Quote:

I like the design. Very SOM/ Mies Van der Rohe. Why is a W important to our city you ask? It's an informal indication of a highly cosmopolitan city.

True, but I'm more excited about the other elements of Block 21, i.e., the ACL venue, the Children's Museum, and the outdoor plaza. Hotels exist for the hotel guests; occasionally, if one is willing to fork over the dough, you can choose to dine at a hotel restaurant. Block 21 has been a big gaping hole in the middle of the 2nd street area, and I'm hoping that its development succeeds in bringing all of the pieces together. I realize that the district needs more foot traffic, and the hotel plus the condos will help in this regard. But I'm really hoping that the other elements result in luring more Austinites downtown and creating a true public gathering point.

priller · #26 Posted **Aug 1, 2007, 1:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

^ Where is that listed?

Speaking of The Austonian, check this out.
http://theaustonian.com/AustonianFly08.wmv

That's from their website.

That's pretty nice. Good water! Hmm, flyover movies. Gives me some ideas.........

Complex01 · #27 Posted **Aug 1, 2007, 2:50 PM**

At least they kept the balconies. I love balconies...

Mopacs · #28 Posted **Aug 1, 2007, 4:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by priller

That's pretty nice. Good water! Hmm, flyover movies. Gives me some ideas.........

I was just thinking the same thing...Go for it!

MichaelB · #29 Posted **Aug 1, 2007, 5:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDSII

I like the design. Very SOM/ Mies Van der Rohe. Why is a W important to our city you ask? It's an informal indication of a highly cosmopolitan city.

Yes and yes.... I hope the design qualities come thru in the materials.

Kev: That is such a cool video!!!!! I am very glad to see they updated theire info and put Altavida in there!

ATXboom · #30 Posted **Aug 2, 2007, 6:53 PM**

http://www.austintowers.net/Austin_Downtown/index.html

W Austin Condo Update
August 01, 2007 17:12 Filed in: News | Development Watch

The W Hotel & Residences continues to make progress. They are now actively selling units ad have completed nearly 200 meetings for the 206 planned units in the 36 story tower. Supposedly, they have taken firm reservations for somewhere between 20-35% of the units.

The W is offering 19 different floor plans ranging in size from 644 to 3,779 square feet. They have launched a new website which includes all of the floor plans: http://www.block21residences.com/plans.asp. The project is located in the heart of the second street district directly behind city hall. The modern W brand is popular and should fare well with a young, affluent audience.

Here is a new image of a model of the planned building:

GoldenBoot · #31 Posted **Aug 2, 2007, 10:10 PM**

^^^Don't take that info for fact until the austintowers.net representative can provide us with his/her source of the information. I have my reservations about the information provided at austintowers.net...Too much of it is incorrect or out-of-date

I've heard that the numbers are a bit higher - but I have not posted that info because I have not been able to confirm it yet. Heck, the W has yet to open a sales center. The one thing I do know, a friend of the family and his wife reserved one of the penthouses in March 2006.

Kevinb · #32 Posted **Aug 2, 2007, 10:43 PM**

The "new image" of the W model on the Austin Towers website is a capture from this forum. I took it with my camera phone and have only posted it here.

priller · #33 Posted **Aug 3, 2007, 3:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevinb

The "new image" of the W model on the Austin Towers website is a capture from this forum. I took it with my camera phone and have only posted it here.

I noticed that, too.

ATXboom · #34 Posted **Aug 24, 2007, 9:27 PM**

http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

W Hotel sales center to open in Oct.
Austin Business Journal - 1:38 PM CDT Friday, August 24, 2007
Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed
The W Austin Hotel & Residences is building a sales center at Block 21 in downtown Austin.

In addition to the W hotel, Block 21, located north of the new City Hall, will house cultural venues, retail and residential units.

Stratus Properties, the hotel's developer, says it plans to open the sales center Oct. 1.

That marketing and sales office will feature model homes and multimedia displays.

So far, Stratus says interest in the condominiums has surpassed expectations. About three-fourths of the 196 condo units have been reserved with a deposit.

Condos will be priced at between $350,000 to $1.4 million.

Plans call to begin construction on the hotel and condo project in October.

JAM · #35 Posted **Aug 24, 2007, 10:28 PM**

Great news on the W! Really looking forward to this one.

Am I seeing that flyover correctly? It appears Hotel Van Zandt will be south of the Shore Condos? I always imagined it north of them?

GoldenBoot · #36 Posted **Aug 25, 2007, 3:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAM

Great news on the W! Really looking forward to this one.

Am I seeing that flyover correctly? It appears Hotel Van Zandt will be south of the Shore Condos? I always imagined it north of them?

No, if built, the HVZ will be directly to the north of the Shore. Take the structures in the flyover with a grain of salt. The designers don't spend a whole lot of time researching other developments in DT Austin. They usually just guess as to location and size - then insert placeholders in those spots.

GoldenBoot · #37 Posted **Aug 25, 2007, 3:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATXboom

http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

W Hotel sales center to open in Oct.
Austin Business Journal - 1:38 PM CDT Friday, August 24, 2007
Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed
The W Austin Hotel & Residences is building a sales center at Block 21 in downtown Austin.

In addition to the W hotel, Block 21, located north of the new City Hall, will house cultural venues, retail and residential units.

Stratus Properties, the hotel's developer, says it plans to open the sales center Oct. 1.

That marketing and sales office will feature model homes and multimedia displays.

So far, Stratus says interest in the condominiums has surpassed expectations. About three-fourths of the 196 condo units have been reserved with a deposit.

Condos will be priced at between $350,000 to $1.4 million.

Plans call to begin construction on the hotel and condo project in October.

I think there is may be typo in that brief article (which wouldn't surpirise me)...I'm pretty sure that the penthouses of the W will not be a mere $1.4 million; more like $4.1 million.

paulsjv · #38 Posted **Aug 26, 2007, 2:38 AM**

Anyone know where they moved that huge tree? I know it's some where around Lady Bird Lake but where?

priller · #39 Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 6:52 PM**

Dropped by the W sales office today during lunch, mainly to look at the model and some new renderings they had on the wall. One looked very nice and photo-realistic, also showing AMLI next to it. It was misty outside so I didn't take my camera, unfortunately. While talking to a salesperson there, she let out a few details:

-- Scheduled completion date is 1st quarter 2010.
-- The ACL auditorium will host concerts and speakers and other events during the year when ACL is not taping. Residents get first chance at tickets.
-- Street level retail tentatively includes a high-end grocery store (kind of like Dean and DeLuca, but I can't remember the name) that will occupy 3 floors; they are trying to get the Uchi Japanese restaurant to move there; they will also have a "W signature restaurant".
-- Separate pools and amenities for hotel guests and condo owners (although owners can use the hotel stuff, if they want). Separate elevators for condos. Things like that.
-- Everything was "high end", "top of the line", "luxury", "exclusive", etc. $$$$$$$$$

GoldenBoot · #40 Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 7:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by priller

Dropped by the W sales office today during lunch, mainly to look at the model and some new renderings they had on the wall. One looked very nice and photo-realistic, also showing AMLI next to it. It was misty outside so I didn't take my camera, unfortunately. While talking to a salesperson there, she let out a few details:

-- Scheduled completion date is 1st quarter 2010.
-- The ACL auditorium will host concerts and speakers and other events during the year when ACL is not taping. Residents get first chance at tickets.
-- Street level retail tentatively includes a high-end grocery store (kind of like Dean and DeLuca, but I can't remember the name) that will occupy 3 floors; they are trying to get the Uchi Japanese restaurant to move there; they will also have a "W signature restaurant".
-- Separate pools and amenities for hotel guests and condo owners (although owners can use the hotel stuff, if they want). Separate elevators for condos. Things like that.
-- Everything was "high end", "top of the line", "luxury", "exclusive", etc. $$$$$$$$$

A Dean & DeLuca would be really nice!!! But, wishful thinking. A have a hard time thinking a Dean & DeLuca would open a 3-story location in Austin (at least in the next 5 to 10 years). A smaller version, yes...But, a three level one, no.