Planned Seaholm Development puts retired power plant to different use

Planned Seaholm Development puts retired power plant to different use

By Mark Collins Friday, 10 April 2009

AUSTIN — For nearly 40 years the Seaholm Power Plant on Cesar Chavez provided energy for residents. Now on the verge of a major transformation, the power plant will serve Austin in a completely different capacity.

“It is a magnificent building, it is an iconic symbol and it is one of the most interesting spaces I’ve ever been in,” said local architect Sinclair Black, who founded the group Friends of Seaholm to ensure the plant would be protected.

In 2004, the city completed an eight-year, $15 million cleanup of the site and began accepting bids from developers, eventually accepting the $117.2 million bid from Seaholm Power, LLP.

“We were very intrigued by the power plant and spent a tremendous amount of time there,” lead developer John Rosato said. “That has been the main purpose of our design team — figuring out how we take an industrial site and convert the building into retail and offices while maintaining its character.”

Rosato said the art deco style of the plant will remain throughout.

“We want to build two buildings on the site that relate to the power plant and aren’t just appendages, but have some relation to the site,” Rosato said. “We are relying a lot on the plaza to knit the three buildings together.”

The City of Austin will pay for $18.6 million of the total cost, which will cover street and utility projects, public parks and a parking garage to the west of the development.

“To repurpose an industrial site like this is extremely costly and generally does not support itself financially, which is part of the reason for the city’s involvement,” Rosato said. “The main goal here is preserving some heritage that provided all the power for Austin at one point in time.”

Black is pleased with plans for surrounding buildings, but thinks the plant itself could be used for something more civic.

“Imagine the plant filled with art and sculptures,” he said. “Saving the building is job one, but I wish it could be the home for the Austin Museum of Art or something of that nature.”

Power Plant No. 2

Power Plant No. 2, as it was originally called, was built in two phases in the early ’50s and provided power for the entire city of Austin for some time. The plant was posthumously renamed Seaholm Power Plant in 1960 in honor of Walter E. Seaholm, who served the city for 33 years in roles such as city manager, director of utilities, and superintendent of water and light.

Seaholm was the last power plant in the country to be built as a multi-use building with offices and space for ancillary public works functions, local architect Sinclair Black said.

The technologically obsolete plant officially shut down operations in 1989, and in 1991 Austin City Council passed a resolution protecting the site.

“It is one of the most interesting spaces I’ve ever been in, and I’m a 69-year-old architect that has traveled the world and seen a lot of spaces,” Black said. “I’ve never seen a space more interesting than the inside of that building; it really is a magnificent thing inside.”

Seaholm Development

Seaholm Power lead developer John Rosato said he hopes to begin construction one year from now, but that the start date depends on the economy. Construction will take 30 months, so Seaholm could be complete by the end of 2012.

A — The Seaholm Power Plant will maintain its art deco style and will contain 15,000 sq. ft. of office space, 65,000 sq. ft. of restaurants and retail and a 20,000 sq. ft. event center to host weddings and other similar events.

B — This two-story building falls within a Capitol View Corridor, which restricts the height of buildings from certain capitol viewpoints. The structure contains 30,000 sq. ft. of retail and 30 condominium units on the second floor. Lead developer John Rosato said he has been in discussions with several locally owned businesses interested in anchoring the retail.

C — The 22-story Seaholm Plaza Hotel will have 160 guest rooms and condo units on the top floors. Condos will be priced in the mid-level range.

D — The 1-acre plaza in the center of Seaholm is designed to tie the three buildings together through lighting, flora and seating. Rosato said he envisions the center as a meeting place for the surrounding residents, as there are 3,400 residential units within a five-minute walk of the development.

E — Previously approved city bonds will extend Second Street to the Seaholm Development so people can stand in the development and see to the Austin Convention Center.

F — The City of Austin is paying for $18.6 million of the total project’s cost, which will cover street and utility projects, public parks and a parking garage. The parking garage will be underground due to the Capitol View Corridor.

G — Austin City Council selected the architectural team of Lake/Flato Architects and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott to design the new Central Library. The design will be complete in April, with citizen input meetings to be scheduled for May.

H — Opened in 1925, Austin’s first water treatment plant was named in honor of Thomas C. Green, the plant’s first head chemist. The plant will be decommissioned starting in 2009, and planning stages for the redevelopment are in progress.

Sources: Seaholm Power, LLC and City of Austin