Finally, Intel decided to get off the toilet vs. actually finish their building in downtown Austin. Shortly before I moved to Austin during the tech boom, Intel started construction on a large building on 5th street between Nueces and San Antonio. Then the tech bust happened. Intel got cold feed and never finished the construction leaving a 5 story steel frame to scar the area for the next 6 years.
During that time, there were attempts to use the unfinished frame as a installation for art. There were design contests and UT art students were covering up portions, albeit small portions, of the building with their works. Those efforts, although noble, didn’t exactly thrill anyone as much as seeing the whole thing either finished or torn down.
The irony is, had they finished the building at the time, they probably would have been at least able to sell it for an enormous profit if not a great asset for the company. I assume Intel wasn’t even able to break even considering the demolition costs that will make way for a new federal courthouse.
Times are always a changin’ in Austin and it’s sad to see the city becoming “less weird”. Of all the Austin landmarks, however, this is one I’m glad to see go: