The Austonian, which commissioned the Ray Perryman downtown condo study discussed earlier, is currently rising from the ground at what is arguably downtown Austin's premier location. Topping out at 56 stories, it aims to push downtown Austin up a major notch or two in terms of high-rise, "ultra-luxury" condo living.
Quick facts include 188 units (starting on the bottom few stories with one-bedrooms at around $550,000 and going straight up to "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" for the 52nd floor), and an estimated completion date of late 2009 or early 2010.
The master-planners behind the master plan are Second Congress Ltd., an affiliate of Austin-based Benchmark Development. They're kicking around a budget in the neighborhood of $200 Million for the 500,000 square foot project (which, if you're a math geek, too, comes out to somewhere around $400 per square foot).
Once finished, it will tower over the rest of downtown. How much? Well, have you ever stood right underneath the Frost Bank Tower and noticed how much taller it is than you are (hint: 33 stories)? Well, clocking in at 55 stories, the Austonian will be nearly that much taller than the Frost Bank Tower.
And the joke is actually on the developers of the Austin's 360 condominiums, who, were it not for the gargantuan proportions of the Austonian, would probably be the subject of this post. The 360 topped out in November, and when completed, it will immediately supersede the Frost Bank Tower as the tallest building in Austin, and immediately become the tallest residential building in Texas.
But when the Austonian opens, it will immediately supersede 360 Condominiums as the tallest building in Austin and the tallest residential building in Texas.
If you're thinking of moving in, you might want to get your finances in order. There are only going to be 155 condos sold, and sales are already starting to happen. So, to help you decide, let's take a look at what you get for your half-million per bedroom.
Well, you can start with built-in cappuccino machines. :
The bathrooms will have marble walls; the kitchens will have Italian cabinets and built-in cappuccino machines, and the 54th-floor lounge will have a catering kitchen. A 10th floor "urban garden" will include a lap pool, billiard room and outdoor movie screen. It also will have a dog park with a scented, self-cleaning doggie toilet - just the thing for pampered high-rise pooches.
"We knew what the standard was, and we wanted to blow it out of the water," said Laura Gottesman, whose firm, Gottesman Windham Real Estate, is marketing the units.
You can add to that a 24/7 concierge, the highest rooftop pool in Texas, meeting rooms, party rooms, game room, optional valet parking, housekeeping, and-because this is Austin-bicycle storage and rainwater collection.
Comments(0)