Developers celebrated the new Waterline tower on Thursday after it reached its full height of 1,025 feet.
According to Lincoln Property Co., the 74-story skyscraper on Red River Street downtown is the tallest building in the state.
It includes around 2.7 million square feet of space, which is roughly the size of 47 football fields. The tower, which looms over Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake, will be divided into offices, residences, shops and restaurants, all with separate entrances, elevators and parking.
Andy Smith, Lincoln's senior vice president, said this multifunctional building was designed to meet all of Austin's needs in a central location and to connect downtown to Rainey Street.
“We were not planning on making it the tallest building; it just kind of morphed into that,” he said. “We looked at high-end hotels, residentials, offices, and then when you started putting it all together on the size of the site that we had, it just made sense.”
Smith said Lincoln partnered with the nonprofit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, which is installing four pedestrian bridges to connect Rainey Street to downtown. Waterline is responsible for building one of them.
By summer 2026, Austinites will be able to access the Butler Hike and Bike Trail, Rainey Street’s historic district and the University of Texas Dell Medical area directly from the tower.
Smith said the building's potential to draw the Austin community closer is what makes it stand out more than just its height.
“Forget the fact that it's the tallest," Smith said. "It’s just the way it's constructed. The quality of how it interacts with Waller Creek, how it connects to downtown, how it connects to Rainey."
The Waterline has been under construction for four years. It will begin opening in phases, starting with the hotel in early fall of next year.
