AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[N90]

Originally Posted by the Genral

For us Yankxans.

Texkees sounds better.

[starboy92]

T

[Jdawgboy]

I was out DT lastnight and was excited to see new lighting effects on 100 Congress. The triangles change colors and there's different patterns and combinations. It's quite pretty. I took a video of it and may post it on my Twitter account. It's exactly the kind of lighting that I've wanted to see DT for years, however I have a feeling it will revert to a boring solid color after the holidays.
They should leave it like that year round and just change up the colors and patterns according to season or holiday.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

I'm happy if they stay. They are high quality buildings.

Yes, they're quality. I just wish they were a bit taller. Granted, they didn't seem so stumpy and short when they were built given that most of the high rises around them are more recent.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I was out DT lastnight and was excited to see new lighting effects on 100 Congress. The triangles change colors and there's different patterns and combinations. It's quite pretty. I took a video of it and may post it on my Twitter account. It's exactly the kind of lighting that I've wanted to see DT for years, however I have a feeling it will revert to a boring solid color after the holidays.
They should leave it like that year round and just change up the colors and patterns according to season or holiday.

I saw that too on Monday night. I really hope it continues after the holidays.

[OU812]

Any chance we'll ever get a CN Tower / Space Needle / Tower of the Americas type of public observation deck here in our lifetimes? Just a thought................
Seems like this would be the perfect city for one. Lots of things to see. Hills to the west, an ever changing/emerging downtown skyline, crazy beautiful sunsets, winding river, perpetual i35 traffic jams- better to watch from a distance than be in it right?

[clubtokyo]

Originally Posted by OU812

Any chance we'll ever get a CN Tower / Space Needle / Tower of the Americas type of public observation deck here in our lifetimes? Just a thought................
Seems like this would be the perfect city for one. Lots of things to see. Hills to the west, an ever changing/emerging downtown skyline, crazy beautiful sunsets, winding river, perpetual i35 traffic jams- better to watch from a distance than be in it right?

Agree would love for Austin to get somethibg like those.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by OU812

Any chance we'll ever get a CN Tower / Space Needle / Tower of the Americas type of public observation deck here in our lifetimes?

No

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

No

Welp it's settled guys, we're definitely never ever going to get one.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by OU812

Any chance we'll ever get a CN Tower / Space Needle / Tower of the Americas type of public observation deck here in our lifetimes? Just a thought................
Seems like this would be the perfect city for one. Lots of things to see. Hills to the west, an ever changing/emerging downtown skyline, crazy beautiful sunsets, winding river, perpetual i35 traffic jams- better to watch from a distance than be in it right?

I would be very down for this as long as it was nothing like any other Texas observation tower.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Welp it's settled guys, we're definitely never ever going to get one.

It's sad to say, but I think the dirt is too expensive and return wouldn't warrant the expense. This city/labor/materials have gotten very expensive and will continue to do so. I think, it is for those same reasons, we will never see real mass transit. NYC has the only real mass transit in the states, and most of it was built prior to min wage. Imagine what the cost of something like that would be today.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Welp it's settled guys, we're definitely never ever going to get one.

He's not wrong though. Your talking about taking up valuable commercial real estate to build a tourist attraction. Austin is a growing city but the viability of something like that us questionable and most examples of these kinds of towers globally are government funded projects and/or in world capitals like New York, Tokyo or Paris (or in the case of Seattle, San Antonio, Brussels and Knoxville hold overs from the late days of the world's fair)

An observation deck might be a possibility, but even then most cities are closing theirs. Boston has one that hasn't been open since the 2000s. Most revolving hotel restaurants are doing poorly and lots are closing.

Economics point to it being extremely unlikely as the top floors are far and away the most valuable real estate in buildings. So you are asking for the economics of an observation deck to equal penthouse condo sales or a firm opening up an executive floor in an office building.

I mean, I'm a fan of them and make a point to go up to observation points in cities, but it doesn't make it any likelier.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

He's not wrong though. Your talking about taking up valuable commercial real estate to build a tourist attraction. Austin is a growing city but the viability of something like that us questionable and most examples of these kinds of towers globally are government funded projects and/or in world capitals like New York, Tokyo or Paris (or in the case of Seattle, San Antonio, Brussels and Knoxville hold overs from the late days of the world's fair)

An observation deck might be a possibility, but even then most cities are closing theirs. Boston has one that hasn't been open since the 2000s. Most revolving hotel restaurants are doing poorly and lots are closing.

Economics point to it being extremely unlikely as the top floors are far and away the most valuable real estate in buildings. So you are asking for the economics of an observation deck to equal penthouse condo sales or a firm opening up an executive floor in an office building.

I mean, I'm a fan of them and make a point to go up to observation points in cities, but it doesn't make it any likelier.

Sure this could be true for the short term, but how about for the long term? A lot has changed in the last 50 years, what's not to say there will be just as much if not more change in the next 50?

[paul78701]

I've mentioned before that the old bars along the SW corner of 5th and Lavaca have been empty for quite some time. Rebels Honky Tonk was last of these to (suddenly) close. Previously, there were "For lease" signs posted on these spots.

Today, I noticed that those signs are gone. I'm doubting that all of that dilapidated space has been leased all at once. Maybe some entity finally bought all of it for redevelopment?

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by paul78701

I've mentioned before that the old bars along the SW corner of 5th and Lavaca have been empty for quite some time. Rebels Honky Tonk was last of these to (suddenly) close. Previously, there were "For lease" signs posted on these spots.

Today, I noticed that those signs are gone. I'm doubting that all of that dilapidated space has been leased all at once. Maybe some entity finally bought all of it for redevelopment?

Good catch. That corner's high on my "might be developed . . .?" watch list.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Good catch. That corner's high on my "might be developed . . .?" watch list.

With no CVC, it definitely has potential.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Sure this could be true for the short term, but how about for the long term? A lot has changed in the last 50 years, what's not to say there will be just as much if not more change in the next 50?

Sure, anything is possible. But in the current logic of both the world and Austin it's not going to happen, even on the current trajectory.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by paul78701

I've mentioned before that the old bars along the SW corner of 5th and Lavaca have been empty for quite some time. Rebels Honky Tonk was last of these to (suddenly) close. Previously, there were "For lease" signs posted on these spots.

Today, I noticed that those signs are gone. I'm doubting that all of that dilapidated space has been leased all at once. Maybe some entity finally bought all of it for redevelopment?

Yeah, I wonder if Roosevelt Room will go away once their Christmas pop-up closes as well. It doesn't feel like it would be overly difficult to gobble up the rest of the block, assuming this is a development. It's right where the new "business" district seems to be popping up with lots of office buildings proposed.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

Yeah, I wonder if Roosevelt Room will go away once their Christmas pop-up closes as well. It doesn't feel like it would be overly difficult to gobble up the rest of the block, assuming this is a development. It's right where the new "business" district seems to be popping up with lots of office buildings proposed.

The old bar spaces were likely being leased. So I doubt that they had much control over their fate. But I believe that the Roosevelt Room folks own the building that contains it and the Eleanor event space (currently the pop-up).

I'm not sure if they'd want to sell. I read an article about them not long after they opened. They had fairly grand plans. I vaguely remember them wanting to open a full blown kitchen. I want to say they even talked about turning the Eleanor into a restaurant, but I'm not 100% sure I'm remembering that right. They also talked about opening a rooftop bar there.

I don't miss the places that disappeared from that corner, but I would miss the Roosevelt Room. They've done a nice job with it and it sounds as if they have ambitions beyond what they've already done.

[Jdawgboy]

I miss the pedestrian activity that used to be very busy in that area at night. Now it's a noman's land on weekends. For all the progress and new towers that have gone up, I feel that we have also lost, (and continuing to lose) an important part of why DT Austin was popular in the first place, the extensive nightlife. 5-10 years ago, the whole stretch of 5th between Congress and Guadalupe used to be filled with people on Friday and Saturday nights to the point where it was hard to stay on the sidewalks. It's no more than a memory now. Even Colorado between 5th and 3rd is nowhere near as busy as it once was, as they partly relied on the foot traffic from 5th. One by one clubs, bars and restaurants are being replaced by non-entertainment businesses. Noticed last week what used to be an upstairs club on Colorado next to Frank's is being taken over by Wal-Mart... Of all things (not sure if its going to be a store or offices). It's sad because it used to be so much fun in that area. Was much more cosmopolitan with people everywhere. Now it feels like the cosmopolitan vibe is all but disappeared. These vanishing venues have a rippling effect on surrounding entertainment spots. Less people going DT means less business for everyone and at a time when rents are skyrocketing. The city needs to do something about it quickly or it will be lost.