A New Tower for Downtown Austin

Internet job search company Indeed announced its plans to lease the top 10 floors of the new 36-story office tower at 200 West 6th Street, a 1.75-acre site in a prime area of downtown previously referred to as Block 71. Designed by Page with Trammell Crow Company and Partners as the principal real estate investor, the tower will become Austin’s largest office building at 709,000 SF, as well as its tallest at 554 feet. While completion isn’t expected until 2021, the signing of this “anchor tenant” to 307,000 SF of space is a significant milestone, one which underscores the viability and appeal of the project’s progressive development model.

Earlier this spring, Adam Nims, Managing Director and head of Trammell Crow Company’s Austin office, discussed the vision for 200 West 6th Street and the project’s contributions to the City of Austin at Metropolis Think Tank, a design-focused panel discussion hosted by Page and moderated by Metropolis Magazine’s Director of Design Innovation, Susan S. Szenasy. The panel, entitled ‘Architecture, Resiliency and Community’, explored the social dimension of resilient design through the lens of several current Page projects, including 200 West 6th Street.

“As a developer, I have to attract tenants,” said Adam. “Trammell Crow Company develops premium sites, and this one is unique because of its location downtown and the presence of an historic post office.

“To attract the right tenant, we took cues from WeWork and tech companies like Google, which offer spacious community areas loaded with attractive amenities. We challenged Page to develop a unique program for the ground floor—the office lobby, the historic post office, and the space around the buildings—which are the only areas of the site that Trammell Crow Company gets to program.

“Instead of impervious hardscape, the site will have welcoming plaza. The post office will be repurposed and one possibility discussed is a food hall. The office lobby will become an extension of the neighborhood. Pedestrians can pass through or gather on the lobby’s social stairs. We expect people in a six-block radius to come down and enjoy the plaza.

“Normally, developers focus on building out a property. The plaza and repurposed historic space make the project more attractive to the type of progressive tenants we want to appeal to and they are gestures that strengthen the community,” said Adam. “Tenants bring life and vitality to a neighborhood, so when we design a great building where people want to be, we help improve the surrounding neighborhood.

Although it will be several years before Indeed and other tenants occupy space in the building and energize this once underutilized site, the strategy is working. Indeed plans to expand its workforce from 1,600 to 4,500 employees, a move that cements its commitment to Austin and makes it one of the city’s largest tech employers.

See media coverage of the Indeed announcement below: 

Trammell Crow JV to Develop 709 KSF Office Tower in Austin, Barbra Murray, Commercial Property Executive, 05/21/2018

Indeed announces Austin expansion, Paul Schott, Stamford Advocate, 05/21/2018

Indeed Announces Expansion Plans in Austin, Increases Local Workforce to fuel Global Growth , Human Resources Technologist, 05/18/2018

Construction begins on downtown Austin's newest highrise Block 71, Yoojin Cho, KXAN-TV, 05/18/2018

Trammell Crow to Develop Austin’s Tallest Office Tower, Taylor Williams, Rebusiness Online, 05/18/2018

Indeed signs mega-lease for proposed Block 71 skyscraper, Marissa Luck, Austin Business Journal, 05/17/2018

Indeed launches major expansion that will add up to 3,000 workers in Austin, Lori Hawkins and Shonda Novak, Austin American Statesman, 05/17/2018