80-story tower plan unveiled in downtown Austin

Original plans called for Wilson Tower to stretch 1,035 feet into the Austin skyline. That would have made it the tallest high-rise in the city and all of Texas. (Courtesy: HKS INC. via Austin Business Journal)

by: Cody Baird – Staff Writer, Austin Business Journal

Posted: Nov 15, 2022 / 09:05 AM CST

Updated: Nov 15, 2022 / 09:05 AM CST

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — Construction recently started downtown on what will be the tallest tower in Austin and all of Texas — but a new plan just emerged that would reach even higher.

Local developer Wilson Capital announced on Monday plans for Wilson Tower, a multifamily high-rise at the site of Avenue Lofts on Fifth Street. With construction expected to start next summer, Wilson Tower would include 450 apartments and rise 1,035 feet — topping the 1,022-foot height planned for the Waterline tower, currently digging down at 98 Red River St. and being co-developed by Lincoln Property Co. and Kairoi Residential LLC.

Wilson Tower would more than double the 515-foot height of nearby Frost Bank Tower and top Texas’ current tallest building — Houston’s 1,002-foot JPMorgan Chase Tower — by 33 feet.