William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building
William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Government |
Location | 333 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas, U.S. |
Coordinates | 30°16′00″N 97°44′46″W / 30.26664443385169°N 97.74622051283204°W |
Construction started | 1983 |
Completed | 1986 |
Cost | US$54 million |
Owner | Government of Texas |
Height | |
Roof | 177 ft (54 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 13 9 5 |
Floor area | 378,000 sq ft (35,100 m2) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Rosetti Architects Holt-Fatter-Scott WZMH Architects |
Developer | Watson-Casey Companies |
The William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building - formerly known as Republic Plaza - is a three-building government office complex located in the Warehouse District of
Architecture
The complex contains three distinct
History
The complex, originally named Republic Plaza, was developed by Austin developers Watson-Casey Companies, originally envisioned as the first phase of a 60-acre urban renewal project for Austin's Warehouse District.[1] The unbuilt redevelopment's master plan, designed by urban planner Denise Scott Brown, would have included a new city hall for the city of Austin and a new location for the Laguna Gloria art museum, designed by architect Robert Venturi.[3]
The complex was originally built for private offices with ground-floor retail but had trouble attracting leases following the late-1980s
In 2019, it was revealed that the complex was in need of up to $50 million in repairs and contained a rat infestation.[6] The Texas Facilities Commission spent over $14 million since 2008 on repairs including new fire alarms, electrical systems, a new emergency generator, renovated elevators, and a new HVAC system.[7] Texas State Senator Kirk Watson and Representative Gina Hinojosa proposed a bill to allow the complex to be auctioned off.[6]
In August 2023, the Texas General Land Office and the City of Austin Mayor Kirk Watson announced a plan to redevelop the Hobby complex into workforce housing. The complex would ideally include a housing resource office, a childcare facility, and retail space. The government procurement bidding process for this project began in August 2023 and a review process will take place after November 15, 2023. [8][9]
Reception
Upon the completion of the complex, Austin American-Statesman architecture critic Michael McCullar criticized the buildings' mismatched designs, saying that "bringing in three separate architecture firms to produce three separate "identities" for the complex may have diluted its architectural impact", and comparing the outdoor water feature to a "punctured radiator".[1] During a Texas Senate Finance Committee meeting in 2019, then-Senator Kirk Watson said that the complex “is an embarrassment (and) it’s a joke — in any other universe it wouldn’t exist.”[6]
References
- ^ a b c McCullar, Michael (June 7, 1986). "3 buildings, 3 designers, and 1 project; Some ideas work at Republic Plaza". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
- ^ "William P. Hobby Plaza". GSC Architects. October 18, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Tyson, Kim (April 19, 1984). "Redevelopment proposal for warehouse district". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Tyson, Kim (October 13, 1987). "Republic Plaza foreclosure posted". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Tyson, Kim (March 30, 1992). "State becoming force in city office market". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c Sechler, Bob (March 28, 2019). "Sale plan could make 'terrible' Hobby state office building a hot property". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Marfin, Catherine (April 29, 2019). ""Be aware, there's rats": Workers in a state office building describe a constant pest infestation". Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Norton, Hannah (August 15, 2023). "Hobby Building in downtown Austin to become affordable workforce housing". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
- ^ "Press Release: Commissioner Buckingham Announces Historic Workforce Housing Redevelopment of Hobby Building". Texas General Land Office. August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.