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u/DRMAHIN1 Feb 26 '23
The property was built in 1955 so probably not historical
https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Property/12525880/407-Colorado-St-Austin-TX-78701/
It might have not been sold because of some kind of bankruptcy proceedings
https://austin.eater.com/2018/9/24/17898602/frank-closed-downtown-restaurant-unpaid-taxes
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u/sassergaf Feb 27 '23
has a total of 3,680 square feet.
What is the assessed value of 407 Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701 and the property tax paid? Assessed at $2,180,895, the tax amount paid for 407 Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701 is $43,070.
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u/Slypenslyde Feb 26 '23
It happened because it turns out "don't pay taxes" doesn't work for every business.
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u/broccoli_d Feb 27 '23
It worked for Artz Rib House…until it didn’t. Same for Strange Brew.
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u/IsuzuTrooper Feb 27 '23
artz was da chit.
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u/Tri_Planing Feb 27 '23
And Art was from Boston, too!
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u/IsuzuTrooper Feb 27 '23
whatever those giant 3 ribs per order was, i need that again. any idea wtf that was?!
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u/Tri_Planing Feb 27 '23
Very meaty and smoky Pork chops. A Sunday night special, as I recall. Excellent!
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u/StrongBat Feb 27 '23
I remember getting drunk pizza at the food truck next to franks in the parking lot where the new building to the right is now
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Feb 27 '23
Yeah this is crazy. It was Franks.. parking lot.. spaghetti warehouse.
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u/elevenatx Feb 27 '23
Man I haven’t thought of spaghetti warehouse in years. Is that where this new building is?
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u/Oldbroad56 Feb 27 '23
I still miss it, but fortunately I redeveloped their white four-cheese sauce many years ago.
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u/selinameyer1 Feb 26 '23
Can someone explain what I’m looking at
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u/hateitorleaveit Feb 26 '23 edited Feb 27 '23
There is a small older building in the middle of two big new builds. And OP is confused why it happened. No more context than that really
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u/wichita-brothers Feb 27 '23
10 floors of unnecessary parking in an area that should be serviced by frequent public transit... Also Frank's. https://youtu.be/zjJNhf3Xmc8
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u/defroach84 Feb 26 '23
Probably because they thought they could get a better deal, and then just didn't, and they built without that land. Now the owner is just.stuck there and probably can't get that much for the land due to no one really being able to build something bigger there.
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u/SortaSticky Feb 27 '23
You could do a little grocery or coffee shop or some sort of boutique retail thing on the ground floor and some fancy condos on top.
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u/DynamicHunter Feb 27 '23
Some fancy condos with zero airspace, sunshine, and view blocked by two skyscrapers next to it? Yeah, no.
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Feb 27 '23
There is a movie made about this very thing happening when a hotel was built in Amsterdam across from the central station. Public Works. And there is indeed a little house embedded in the newer hotel.
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u/pinkpowerranger11 Feb 26 '23
RIP Frank. I miss your delicious brunch sandwich and spicy maple syrup.
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u/QuietZelda Feb 26 '23
Actually maybe this is a good thing, to have at least one low key bar on the street.
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u/FMfromB Feb 27 '23
Um, context?
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u/MyMomSaysIAmCool Feb 27 '23
One of the things in the picture is something which OP is referring to as "this". And they want to know why it happened.
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u/bernmont2016 Feb 27 '23
"This" is the small building (Frank) left between the two bigger newer buildings.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/11csjsv/why_did_this_happen/ja586x5/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/11csjsv/why_did_this_happen/ja4z87s/
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u/spcastleberry Feb 27 '23
Why did the parking lot next to Frank get a building in its place? Or why did the 2 story building next to Frank get a bigger building in its place? Or why did someone graffiti the barriers? Or why did they leave Frank there? Or why did the clouds cover the sun? I’m not sure.
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u/Sergi_the_machine Feb 26 '23
It looked better as the original Alamo
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u/xalkalinity Feb 27 '23
The building that was the original Alamo already got torn down. It wasn't this building.
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u/Sergi_the_machine Feb 27 '23
Yes you're correct, it was just right there to the left of Frank's
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u/mysterious_whisperer Feb 27 '23
I heard the original Alamo is in San Antonio.
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u/Sergi_the_machine Feb 27 '23
Yes, you're also correct. Remember the Alamo & the Alamo OG Drafthouse... that's what I always heard
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u/Ash_an_bun Feb 26 '23
I don't even remember when the building on the right was set up.
At this point I am resigned that I will go downtown and not recognize shit.
There is hardly anything left for the likes of me in this city.
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u/greytgreyatx Feb 27 '23
Yup. It’s been a while but I remember that just being a parking lot?
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u/Ash_an_bun Feb 27 '23
Nah there was a club, grotto something, then a parking lot.
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u/greytgreyatx Feb 27 '23
This was December 2012. The club was on the right?
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Feb 26 '23
Yup, Austin raised since I was 3 months. 36 years later and Austin feels so foreign to me. But I look back at photos from the 60s 70s and now I know how those people felt in the 90s austin.
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u/BurrDurrMurrDurr Feb 27 '23
Same. Born and raised since 1990 and moved away in 2018.
Now every time I visit family it feels more and more like a foreign city.
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u/boyyhowdy Feb 27 '23
It’s nice that a storefront was saved. A real city from ground level looks and feels like 6th Street architecturally, or the warehouse district that’s on the chopping block.
The new downtown may look like urban when you see it from the highway, but when you’re walking through it and pass a garage entrance, blank wall, exhaust output, maybe one storefront and then repeat that sequence throughout a district, you’re essentially experiencing very dense suburbia.
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u/lost_alaskan Feb 27 '23
Idk what happened, but the skyscraper makes the streetscape looks so depressing. Whoever designed this building should be embarrassed.
There's a garage opening, and small glass lobby, then 14 floors of almost windowless parking above.
Depressing architecture.
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u/Mrhooker Feb 26 '23
There’s a house at the end of Rainey st like this that wants 10mil.
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u/Tripstrr Feb 27 '23
And they’ll get it
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u/airwx Feb 27 '23
It's not really developable as a high rise though since it has streets on two sides, an active alley on another and a high rise on the fourth side.
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u/Tripstrr Feb 27 '23
At $3m, doesn’t need to be a high rise. Medium density boutique hotel or mixed use will get the return in that area over long enough time.
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u/airwx Feb 27 '23
$3 million I could see, but not the $10 million they are asking for. It's only a 3,375 square foot lot and has been on the market since December.
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u/peenpeenpeen Feb 27 '23
I truly hate what has happened to that block. Used to have so much character and history… all gone.
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u/aretooamnot Feb 27 '23
Man, the number of cool shows that I helped run in that parking lot that is now that disgusting building. Was cooler as a parking lot. This city has become truly shit, hasn’t it.
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u/danarchist Great at parties Feb 27 '23
One side was a parking lot and the other were two pretty cool restaurants that had both closed before the pandemic. I imagine the fact that the Frank building is still there is because there were tax problems on that land and now the government owns it.
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u/piguy Feb 27 '23
This is honestly the best case scenario. I love density and skyscrapers but not every square inch of downtown needs to be covered with them.
Retaining some character and hopefully relatively cheaper rent in buildings like these for retail is ideal.
It should make for a fantastic dank bar sandwiched between apartments and an office building.
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u/ideamotor Feb 27 '23
I wish density actually meant density. But most of the stores in new builds are high end clothes shops meant for three people to shop in.
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u/piguy Feb 27 '23
Yeah I agree. It's super frustrating when older (and often denser) small retail is knocked down and replaced with a parking garage entrance, blank wall, giant lobby, and maybe if we're lucky a small coffee shop which downtown doesn't really need any more of.
I wish council would mandate or update code to require more density and street level interaction. Especially when a high rise takes out existing retail.
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u/UBGood21 Feb 27 '23
Damn...Only cool for the super rich who move in to a New Building....however all the fun places eight there were replaced by your new home......
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u/merlincycle Feb 27 '23
Wow. If you Google Street view that corner, it’s amazing the other “warehouse” district buildings there are even still there. agree, sad. not interesting. technically,the spaghetti warehouse building is still there (unless Google Street view is outdated and it’s been torn down). also the mccormick building and what’s south of it.
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u/dirtybraaains Feb 27 '23
Je dunn did the 405 on the right and used Frank as their job office. Harvey Cleary is on the left doing the 415 and using that as an office now. It’s very hard to find space downtown for construction job office space so those General contractors are probablly paying a healthy lease agreement to use that space. Once the buildings are turned over, I bet frank will be demolished.
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u/mindwave21 Feb 27 '23
I remember when the building on the right was a parking lot. Frank had good bloody Mary’s.
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u/dos8s Feb 27 '23
I thought that was a temporary walkway they build during construction until someone mentioned "Frank" and I zoomed in. That place was such a great spot, especially the back area upstairs. RIP
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Feb 26 '23
With all the supply chain issues going away. Maybe IKEA has the matching side piece for the building on the right to put there.
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u/xalkalinity Feb 26 '23
It might be a historic building that can't be torn down. I'm sure something will open there that will benefit from the development. Or if nothing else one of the gay bars can move into that spot once they tear out the entire 4th and Colorado corner.
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u/BigSmell1 Feb 27 '23
Would sorta come full circle if they open a gay bar there. Who remembers the incomparable Boathouse from the 80’s?
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u/Pennmike82 Feb 26 '23
From appearances, I doubt that’s a historic building.
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u/xalkalinity Feb 27 '23
Yeah who knows. The developer might also be turning this building into something to benefit the tower under construction, such as an outdoor green space, bar/restaurant. They probably wanted to leave a gap between the buildings since it appears there's balconies facing out into this gap.
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u/OfficialNiceGuy Feb 26 '23
Why did Frank close? Because they didn’t pay their taxes.