I was recently fortunate enough to get an advanced tour of the uncompleted Austonian Condos on 2^nd and Congress in Downtown Austin.  Anyone living in Austin these days only has to look up to see this magnificent building.  Consisting of 56 floors, this building is over 600 feet high and houses 188 units.  To see our video blog of this building, click here.  Before we go any futher, if you have any questions about this building that is not covered below or you would like to arrange a showing of the model unit, click here.

  

Before I get to the building, let me go over the model with you.  We stopped by the showroom on W. 6^th street where we were shown the model unit and all the available finishes for buyers to select from.  The kitchen of the unit has Scavolini Italian cabinetry and, natural granite, marble or limestone countertops.  The refrigerator is a Sub Zero that blends in with the cabinetry to create a cool, slick looking urban kitchen.  The range is a high-end Wolf appliance.  The dishwasher of the unit is a Miele appliance that also blends in with the rest of the cabinetry, so much so, that if you didn’t know where it was, you wouldn’t be able to spot it.  Residents get their choice of either a wine cooler or a Miele espresso maker as a standard or they can upgrade to have both. 

In the living room, occupants can upgrade to an entertainment center to house their plasma television and sound systems.  There is a control panel on the wall that basically controls the entire room, as well as lighting, temperature, contact with the concierge and more.  As an upgrade comes a hand held control panel that does everything the wall panel does and much more, including notify the valet to get your car, check and reserve movie times and make a reservation at a restaurant.  You can reserve the theatre room, check the weather and just about anything you can think of from the control the unit.  This is technology at its finest.  VERY cool!

Shades come standard on the windows or as an upgrade you can get them motorized and controlled from the control panel.  The lighting in the living room is comprised of plenty of can lights, which are all adjustable.  This allows you to highlight any area of the room or a particular piece of art.  The flooring is engineered wood and if buyers are pre-purchasing, they can take their pick of several different styles and colors. 

The balconies are inset for wind protection and privacy.  The builders sell an electric grill for outside use and the common areas also have gas grills. 

The master bathroom has a walk-in shower with your choice of a rain shower head or a hand held.  The larger units come with a separate Waterworks soaking tub.  The bathrooms are finished out with Scavolini Italian cabinetry which comes standard.  There are also double vanities and marble floors and countertops.  A customized California Closet is available as an upgrade.

Now the building itself is amazing.  Not only is it the tallest building in the downtown Austin condo market, it is the tallest residential building in the western United States.  We were able to see the halfway finished common areas and got a sneak peak at the dog grooming areas and luxury spa areas for their residents.  The Austonian is partnering with Milk and Honey Spa to provide services to their human residents, as well as Dirty Dog for their canine residents.  Near this area are four guest suites that residents can reserve for their guests.  We are told that the plan is to get a basic rate of what downtown hotels are charging and then provide a 25% discount for guests of the buildings residents. 

We also got a peak at the pool area, but there is still much to be completed.  Here is what we know is going to happen here: the pool area is located on the 10^th floor of the building and is comprised of a 75 foot long pool with fountains and an in-water sitting area for lounging.  Also on this floor is a hot tub, reflecting pool, private luxury cabanas complete with plasma TVs, an outdoor kitchen, outdoor fireplaces, wi-fi access, sunset viewing terrace, 600 square foot outdoor dog park and dog washing station.  Also, the dog park has synthetic grass that is said to have been tested and proven to be liked by most pets.  There is a draining system underneath the synthetic grass that connects to the sewer system. 

Next on our tour, we took the construction elevator up to the 54^th floor penthouse.  That was an experience in of itself.  Rickety steel cages attached to the outside of the tallest building in Austin going up right before a storm.   Needless to say, the future resident of the 54^th floor will have private access to his floor from an interior elevator.  This unit is roughly 6,000 square feet and is dedicated to one sole resident.  The views from this floor are astounding.  I can’t tell you how weird it is to look DOWN at the Frost Bank building.  From this floor there are 360 degree views to nearly every spot in Austin.  Talk about a Kodak moment; check out the views of the capital, UT Stadium, LadyBirdLake and South Congress.  The place was far from done, and there were several spots where the only thing separating myself from a long, fast fall were three wooden two by fours attached to concrete.  You can very clearly hear the wind whipping through all the metal in the unit.  I am told that they will only finish it to a certain degree and then will allow the buyer to determine room placement, etc.

We didn’t get to see it, but right above this floor on the 55^th and 56^th floors are the Austonian Club and fitness center.  This 6,000 square foot spot dedicated to residents includes 500 square feet of protected outdoor terrace, as well as catering kitchen, buffet and bar equipment.  This area is available for the residents to use as they please or to reserve for private parties.  The views are spectacular.  Finally, the 56^th floor houses the fitness center which will be co-managed by a local Austin gym.  It will include state of the art gym equipment such as the cardio equipment equipped with personal TVs and ipod docks, as well as a large aerobic and yoga studio.  Regularly scheduled classes will be held here. 

I am also told the 11^th floor of the building is nearly finished out.  I am going to try to arrange a sneak peak at that as soon as possible.  Residents can begin moving into their units in about 7 months time.  Prices for units at this building start at $586,000 for just over 1,200 square feet and go up to just over 4.1 million for 4,129 square feet.  The pricing is not available for the four penthouse units, but if someone wants one, I am sure I can arrange a price quote.  The condo association fees are 61 cents per square foot.

I can’t wait to see this place once it’s finished.  I definitely think this building will take its spot as the best condo building in Austin for years to come.  One final piece of information that I acquired during the tour: contrary to the urban myth that is circulating Austin and that I have personally heard at least three times, Kanye West has not bought any penthouse unit or any other unit in the building.  To see our video blog of this unit, click here.

Spyglass Realty and Investments is a full service brokerage that specializes in downtown Austin real estate and investment property.  For more information or to schedule a showing of this or any other downtown Austin unit, please click here.