Downtown plaza to be transformed
Work on Fareground at One Eleven Congress to begin in the fall.
The plaza and lobby of a downtown office building are to become an urban park, public space and food marketplace.
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Plans are in the works to transform the plaza and lobby of a downtown Austin office building into an urban park, civic space and food marketplace that is expected to draw locals and tourists alike.
Dubbed Fareground at One Eleven Congress, the project will feature a food court with local vendors, outdoor eating areas, green space, and a small amphitheater under heritage oak trees for live music and events.
Officials involved with the project say it will create a vibrant hub in the plaza at One Congress Plaza, a tiered office tower at Second Street and Congress Avenue.
Fareground is due to break ground in the fall, with completion set for spring 2017. The project will be funded by Parkway Properties Inc., which owns One Congress Plaza, a fixture on Austin’s skyline since 1987.
Parkway is not disclos- ing what it will spend on the project, which it envisions as a destination spot with dining, coffee and happy hour options, as well as live music and other events. The space will be designed to serve tenants, downtown professionals, visitors, families and the community at large, Parkway officials say.
Parkway is teaming with two Austin-based designers on the project, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture and dwg. (Daniel Woodroffe Group), an urban landscape architecture firm.
Michael Fransen, senior vice president and managing director of Parkway Properties, said the new project afforded Parkway an opportunity to “creatively update the plaza and ground-floor presence of the building to transform the space into something that benefifits the whole Austin communit y.”
“We’ve collaborated with two of the best design teams in Austin ... to design a dynamic and diverse space that is open and available to the public, and pays homage to the history of the space, while bringing it into the future,” Fransen said in a statement.
Parkway said that the project will have minimal impact on traffiffic and its downtown neighbors, because it will take shape within the boundaries of the existing space.
“One of the things we’re most excited about with Fareground is that this space will continue to serve the downtown community for years to come,” said Austin Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo. “It will set an innovative example of how we can leverage existing, outdated structures in our downtown and re-create a sense of activity and openness to the public, with the wants and needs of Austin families in mind.”
Michael Hsu’s fifirm will renovate the indoor lobby of the office building into an area with upscale food and beverage vendors, along with meeting space and co-working spaces. The beverage offerings are expected to include alco - hol, although the team has not currently applied for a liquor license.
The existing outdoor plaza will be redesigned by dwg. into an urban park and public gathering place. It will have family-friendly features, out- door seating, an amphitheater and a signature water feature that dwg. expec ts to become an iconic piece of art for downtown Austin.
“To say that I am excited about this project would be an understatement,” said Daniel Woodroffe, founder and president of dwg. “It is a one- of-a-kind.”