Indeed Tower Explained

Indeed Tower
Alternate Names:Block 71
Building Type:Office
Address:200 W. Sixth St.
Location City:Austin
Coordinates:30.2687°N -97.7446°W
Groundbreaking Date:May 18, 2018
Est Completion:March 2021
Destruction Date:-->
Floor Count:36
Architect:Larry Speck
Architecture Firm:Page Southerland Page
Developer:Trammell Crow
Unit Count:-->

Indeed Tower is an office skyscraper located at 200 West Sixth Street in Downtown Austin, Texas. The tower is the eighth tallest in Austin at 542 feet. It is the second largest office tower in Austin at 709,000 total square feet as well as the second tallest, behind Block 185. Indeed Tower is made up of a 683,000-square-foot Class AA office tower with two rooftop terraces and ground floor retail, a historic 1914 post office repurposed as a 25,000 square-foot retail and restaurant destination, and a 20,000 square-foot urban greenspace.[1] There are five levels of underground parking and 12 floors of above-ground parking as part of the structure.[2]

History

Block 71 was a 1.75-acre downtown site owned by the University of Texas and bordered by West Seventh, Colorado, West Sixth and Lavaca Streets. It contained Claudia Taylor Johnson Hall, which was built as a post office in 1914 and later converted to university office space. The building was renamed for President Lyndon B. Johnson's wife in 1970. The nine-story Ashbel Smith Hall was constructed on the site in 1974 as administrative offices for the University of Texas System.[3] Ashbel Smith Hall was replaced by a new UT System Headquarters Building at 210 West Seventh Street, and was then demolished in the largest implosion in Austin history on March 25, 2018.[4]

Beginning in 2015, the University of Texas sought plans from developers for a new office tower on the Block 71 site and decided on Trammell Crow Company.[5] Trammell Crow and architect Page came up with a design for a new 36-story office tower and complex that integrates the historic Claudia Taylor Johnson Hall. The glass street-level design on the south side of the tower is intended to maximize views of the former post office from all angles, with a large setback that doesn't obscure the original building. The two structures are connected through the post office's former loading dock on its eastern side, leading into the office tower's large open lobby.[6]

On May 17, 2018, Indeed announced that it had signed a lease to occupy the top 10 floors as part of its plan to hire an additional 3,000 employees in Austin.[7] It was later announced that Indeed had purchased the naming rights to the building, giving it the official name of Indeed Tower instead of Block 71.[8]

Construction of the Indeed Tower concluded in May 2021 and was purchased by Kilroy Realty on June 16, 2021, for $580 million.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Indeed Tower. Trammell Crow.
  2. Web site: Here's a Fresh Look at Block 71, an Austin Tower Worth Remembering. January 28, 2019. TOWERS.
  3. Web site: Requiem for an Ugly Building: Ashbel Smith Hall at Block 71. November 9, 2017. TOWERS.
  4. Web site: Falcon . Russell . Largest implosion Austin has ever seen goes off without a hitch . Kxan.com . 2018-03-26 . 2019-09-25.
  5. Web site: Trammell Crow JV to Develop 709 KSF Office Tower in Austin. www.cpexecutive.com. 21 May 2018.
  6. Web site: Getting to Know Block 71, Downtown's Most Fascinating Mixed-Use Plan. November 30, 2017. TOWERS.
  7. Web site: Indeed signs as anchor tenant in Block 71 skyscraper, plans to hire 3,000. Austin Business Journal.
  8. Web site: Yes Indeed, Downtown Austin's Block 71 Tower Has a New Name. May 21, 2019. TOWERS.
  9. Web site: Kilroy Realty to Expand into Austin, Texas and Grow Its West Coast Footprint with Three Strategic Acquisitions. 16 June 2021.