Austin Centre

The Austin Centre is a 16-story mixed-use hi-rise in Downtown Austin, Texas. The building, notable for its large enclosed glass atrium, contains office space, retail space, an Omni Hotel, and condominiums; the hotel component of the complex contains a rooftop pool and bar. The building is headquarters to companies like LIN Digital and the Capital Factory, a startup incubator. The building's lobby is home to many large events, including the South by Southwest Startup Crawl.

Austin Centre
View of the Austin Centre from the corner of 8th Street and Brazos Street
General information
TypeCommercial
Location701 Brazos Street, Austin, Texas, United States
Construction started1984
Completed1986
Height
Roof226 ft (69 m)
Technical details
Floor count16
Floor area600,000 sq ft (56,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators15
Design and construction
ArchitectHKS, Inc.

History

The ground was broken for the Austin Centre in August 1984; the land once contained the home of Mirabeau B. Lamar, although the house burned down in 1847.[1] To accommodate the 700-space underground parking garage, builders had to drill through a solid chunk of limestone and "quarry" their way 55 feet to the bottom. The building opened in September 1986; the opening was marked with a series of lavish parties and an all-expense-paid tour for 35 writers from various trade publications.[2] Upon its opening, the building touted innovative technological features such as computerized communications, energy management, and its very own on-site telephone company called "EntelCom".[2] In 1988, a chemical reaction in the exterior glass paneling caused panes to break and fall to the street below, prompting a $2 million replacement.[3]

The hotel component, which was originally a Radisson Plaza, became an Omni Hotel in June 1992. On the top five floors of the hotel are condominiums; the residences were initially added to accommodate corporations needing "business entertainment headquarters" or temporary living accommodations for visiting executives or clients, or for government lobbyists while the Texas state Legislature was in session.[4]

In July 2016, two men were killed by gunfire inside the lobby of the Austin Centre. Conrado Guadalupe Contreras was shot and killed by Michael Holt; Holt was then killed by a police officer who responded to the initial shooting.[5]

Architecture

The Austin Centre was designed by famous Modernist architect Victor A. Lundy and HKS, Inc.[2] The complex consists of two separate hi-rises connected by a 200 foot atrium[6] containing 1 acre of glass. The complex does not have any street-facing activity, instead, the building's ground floor tenants are accessible from the inside.[2] The exterior of the building contains 150,000 square feet of granite from Adoni, India, which was cut in Italy, then boated to Houston before being trucked to Dallas and Austin.[7] The red granite is contrasted by bands of light-grey glass and accents of lighter, flame-finished granite. The building's north face features a full-height space frame and glass wall, providing a view of the Texas State Capitol from inside.

The Austin Centre's lobby and glass elevators were featured in the 2001 film, Spy Kids.[8]

  • Austin Centre entrance on 7th Street and Brazos Street
  • Inside the Austin Centre/Omni Hotel atrium
  • Atrium looking toward the corner of 8th & Brazos
  • Austin Centre exterior

References
  1. Vlerebome, Peggy (April 24, 1988). "Marking what's left of history". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  2. McCullar, Michael (January 17, 1987). "A glimpse of glory in glass". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  3. Tyson, Kim (June 23, 1988). "Leasing agent gets the go-ahead for Austin Centre". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  4. Knighton Jr., James T. (June 16, 1986). "Mixed-use centers meet variety of needs". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  5. Bien, Calily (July 6, 2015). "Victim, gunman identified in Downtown Austin Omni shooting". Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  6. "Atlanta real estate broker making a name for himself in Austin". Austin Business Journal. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  7. Tyson, Kim (February 26, 1986). "Austin Centre scheduled for September completion". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  8. "Spy Kids". Movie-Locations.com. Retrieved August 5, 2018.

The Austin Centre - Emporis

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