Among the many new buildings rising to join Austin’s downtown skyline is the SXSW Center. Located at 1400 Lavaca, this 13-story tower, which will house the operations of SXSW, opened at the beginning of June.
Since its founding in 1987, SXSW has been housed in various locations, moving as the size of its staff has outgrown the spaces. Most recently, operations were spread among different central Austin office locations, including the main office at W. 5th and Bowie. In 2015, the company purchased the site at 1400 Lavaca, where the two-story former office of the Texas Restaurant Association stood. That building was demolished in 2017, and construction on SXSW Center, which consolidates SXSW operations under one roof, began.
The new building was designed by the esteemed New York City-based architecture firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, which was co-founded by the late I.M. Pei. It contains 147,000 square feet of office space on 11 floors and was constructed to meet LEED Gold certification standards. SXSW will be located on two floors, with the remaining space available for lease. Meanwhile, The Rooftop Deck at SXSW Center features a 2,000-square-foot covered patio along with extensive landscaping and stunning views of the Texas Capitol building. This space will be available to building tenants to use for special events.
The ground floor offers access to the general public. This includes outdoor spaces and seating under the trees and in the lobby, which contains the SouthBites coffee bar, as well as a coworking lounge. Stop by and take a look!