This city’s skyline has seen a lot of changes in recent times as office buildings in Austin continue to reach for the sky.
The city is pulling in some of the world’s biggest tech businesses. 12 of the 25 biggest employers in Austin are technology companies, including Google and Facebook. Dell is also the city’s biggest private employer and top real estate owner, with six properties and 2,740,331 square feet of space.
Commercial real estate developers in Austin also have a strong focus on sustainability as 91% of new office space is green. Here are the 10 tallest office buildings in Austin, Texas:
1. Frost Bank Tower
Height: 515 feet, Floors: 33, Built: 2003
Home to the headquarters and insurance division of the Frost National Bank, this Class A+ building also boasts 525,000 square feet of leasable space. The Austin offices of Ernst & Young and Morgan Stanley can also be found in the Frost Bank Tower. The office was once the tallest structure in Austin, but residential buildings including The Austonian, Fairmont Austin and the 360 Condominiums now stand taller than this structure. The Frost Bank Tower was also the first high-rise building to be constructed in the United States following the 9/11 attacks.
2. One Eleven
Height: 397 feet, Floors: 30, Built: 1987
One Eleven is a striking red granite building with a distinctive pyramid design and blue neon accent lighting. With 518,000 square feet of leasable space spread over 30 stories, this Class A building features a below-street-level one-acre plaza with open green spaces, waterfalls and an entrance to the tower’s two-story lobby.
3. One American Center
Height: 400 feet, Floors: 32, Built: 1982
The One American Center resides in the Financial District of Downtown Austin. The building is Class A and offers more than 500,000 square feet of leasable space. The building features an impressive six-story atrium and its elevators are some of the fastest in the city, moving at 1,000 feet per minute. It was the tallest building in Austin throughout the 1980s and 1990s until the Frost Bank Tower was built.
4. 500 West 2nd Street
Height: 397 feet, Floors: 28, Built: 2017
The youngest building on our tallest office buildings in Austin list is home to the regional offices of Google, CBRE and several other firms. 500 West 2nd Street is a Class A+ building with 500,511 square feet of leasable space, spread out over 29 floors. The mixed‐use building is owned by CBRE and claims to offer tenants a “new kind of workday”.
5. Colorado Tower
Height: 397 feet, Floors: 29, Built: 2014
This Class A office tower is located in the heart of Austin’s Central Business District. The Colorado Tower participates in the Austin Energy Green Building Program, which promotes sustainable building concepts, and all 373,334 square feet of the building is leased.
6. Bank of America Center
Height: 335 feet, Floors: 25, Built: 1974
The Bank of America Center is just down the street from the Frost Bank Tower and offers 258,176 square feet of leasable space. The building has undergone a series of renovations, the most prominent of which is an updated ground floor that incorporates a new canopy over the sidewalk, redesigned lobby and a restaurant in the retail space.
7. Chase Bank Tower
Height: 325 feet, Floors: 22, Built: 1972
The Chase Bank Tower offers 389,503 square feet of leasable space and was the tallest building in Austin between 1974 and 1975 until the Bank of America Center opened. It underwent a major refurbishment in 1993 as its original gold facade was highly reflective and the city’s drivers complained that reflections from the building dazzled them. Following a renovation in 1994, the glass was changed to blue and a covered frame was added to the top, raising the height from 315 feet to its current height.
8. 300 West 6th Street
Height: 325 feet, Floors: 23, Built: 2002
Located in the center of Downtown Austin, 300 West 6th Street is a Class A building that offers panoramic views of the city. The building was recently renovated in a collaboration between Facebook and the Gensler design firm. The social media giant has space for 900 employees in the 23-story and 454,225-square-foot property.
9. 100 Congress Avenue
Height: 322 feet, Floors: 22, Built: 1985
100 Congress Avenue is Class A building, owned by CBRE with 411,536 square feet of leasable space. Located in the city’s Central Business District, the building’s bronze-colored facade, gabled roof, and horizontal pyramid shape give it a distinctive exterior.
10. San Jacinto Center
Height: 308 feet, Floors: 21, Built: 1986
The San Jacinto Center is in Downtown Austin and located adjacent to the Lady Bird Lake. This Class A building is clad in Llano Rose granite and Texas Creme limestone, offering 410,248 square feet of leasable space. The office building is one of three buildings in this real estate development, which also includes 32-story Four Seasons Residences and a 10-story Four Seasons Hotel.
