Las Manitas Quickly Demolished
December 21, 2008 21:04 Filed in: News
No downtown Austin project is more controversial than
the mammoth Marriott complex between 2nd and 3rd
between Congress and Brazos. The massive and
thoroughly unispiring project has many enemies across
the city for many reasons. First, the project is
large and architecturally mediocre. Second, the
project lacks a plan to extend the retail streetscape
on a critical downtown block. Finally, it displaced a
number of beloved local businesses including the
restaurant Las Manitas, the folk art store Tesoros
trading company, as well as a downtown daycare
center.
Although the global economic crisis has delayed the $275 million 1,000 room project, the existing storefronts were demolished this week. Now, the critical block at the intersection of Congress Avenue, the Second Street District, and the Convention Center district will lay empty. The Marriott compex has managed to eliminate three core businesses from Congress street with no future project in site. Fortunately, Tesoros has reopened on South Congress, the day care center is moving, and Las Manitas is expected to open at some point in the future in a different building on the same block.
Las Manitas Demolition (Photo by Paul D’Arcy)
An Early Version of The Congress Avenue Marriott
Here is additional information on the Marriott project from a recent Statesman article:
Citing the sharp economic downturn, the developer of the 26-story, 1,000 room Marriott convention hotel project planned for Congress Avenue says the project is on hold.
“This is the most difficult time in recent memory to crystal ball the upcoming year due to the unparalleled severity of the economic downturn and the fact that the financial community remains in a “holding” pattern,” Deno Yiankes, president and chief operating officer of investments and development for White Lodging Development Corp., wrote in an e-mail.
“This is likely to continue for several months until they fully understand what new federal rules & regulations they will be facing as the industry deleverages itself from the last several years of excess. We will not be in a position to comment on our downtown projects until after the new year.”
The last word was that construction on the $275 million Marriott, to be built on Congress between Second and Third streets, would start sometime in 2009. Yiankes gave no new projected start date.
The project, which would be Austin’s largest hotel development, has been controversial because it led to the displacement of several local businesses, including the Las Manitas Avenue Cafe. Las Manitas closed in August but is scheduled to reopen in a new location the restaurant owners own in the same block.
The Tesoros Trading Company folk art store next door to Las Manitas has already moved to South Congress, and Escuelita del Alma, a bilingual day care in the same block, found a new site in East Austin.
White Lodging has said the Marriott project would generate more than $7 million annually in property taxes and hotel occupancy taxes and employ 600 people. The latest plans had called for a 1,000-room hotel with 85,000 square feet of meeting, banquet and exhibition space.
Hotel industry consultants say 2009 is expected to be an extremely difficult year for hoteliers. However, the consultants expect a strong recovery for the Texas and Austin hotel markets in 2010 because of the relative strength of their economies.
Although the global economic crisis has delayed the $275 million 1,000 room project, the existing storefronts were demolished this week. Now, the critical block at the intersection of Congress Avenue, the Second Street District, and the Convention Center district will lay empty. The Marriott compex has managed to eliminate three core businesses from Congress street with no future project in site. Fortunately, Tesoros has reopened on South Congress, the day care center is moving, and Las Manitas is expected to open at some point in the future in a different building on the same block.
Las Manitas Demolition (Photo by Paul D’Arcy)
An Early Version of The Congress Avenue Marriott
Here is additional information on the Marriott project from a recent Statesman article:
Citing the sharp economic downturn, the developer of the 26-story, 1,000 room Marriott convention hotel project planned for Congress Avenue says the project is on hold.
“This is the most difficult time in recent memory to crystal ball the upcoming year due to the unparalleled severity of the economic downturn and the fact that the financial community remains in a “holding” pattern,” Deno Yiankes, president and chief operating officer of investments and development for White Lodging Development Corp., wrote in an e-mail.
“This is likely to continue for several months until they fully understand what new federal rules & regulations they will be facing as the industry deleverages itself from the last several years of excess. We will not be in a position to comment on our downtown projects until after the new year.”
The last word was that construction on the $275 million Marriott, to be built on Congress between Second and Third streets, would start sometime in 2009. Yiankes gave no new projected start date.
The project, which would be Austin’s largest hotel development, has been controversial because it led to the displacement of several local businesses, including the Las Manitas Avenue Cafe. Las Manitas closed in August but is scheduled to reopen in a new location the restaurant owners own in the same block.
The Tesoros Trading Company folk art store next door to Las Manitas has already moved to South Congress, and Escuelita del Alma, a bilingual day care in the same block, found a new site in East Austin.
White Lodging has said the Marriott project would generate more than $7 million annually in property taxes and hotel occupancy taxes and employ 600 people. The latest plans had called for a 1,000-room hotel with 85,000 square feet of meeting, banquet and exhibition space.
Hotel industry consultants say 2009 is expected to be an extremely difficult year for hoteliers. However, the consultants expect a strong recovery for the Texas and Austin hotel markets in 2010 because of the relative strength of their economies.