Westgate Tower
In 1962, the internationally-acclaimed architect Edward Durell
Stone (1902-1978) of New York City and local firm Fehr & Granger
designed the Westgate Tower, named for its location adjoining
the west edge of the Texas State Capitol grounds. Designed for the
Lumbermen's Investment Corporation of Austin, the Westgate
Tower was the tallest building constructed in Austin during the
1960s at 261 feet in height. Under the leadership of Julian H.
Zimmerman and in coordination with Stone, Austin's first
residential high-rise opened in 1965 with apartments, parking,
restaurant and social club.
The mixed-use building is of poured-in-place, monolithic
reinforced concrete clad in brown brick sourced from the
locally-based Butler Brick Company, with full-length windows and
individual balconettes between brick-faced columns. Decorative
masonry solar screens, a distinctive characteristic of Stone's mid-
Twentieth-Century modern architecture, allow light to enter the
parking garage and top two floors while offering privacy and
shade from the Texas sun. The 26-story tower is arranged around
a central core of elevators and a staircase, and all residential
units open to expansive views of the Capitol grounds and city of
Austin, a key element of Stone's design.
Intended to serve as a prototype for other apartments and office
Towers in Austin, the westgate tower has historically been home
to many State Representatives and Senators, state employees,
political activists and lobbyists, and local business leaders.
Combining residential and commercial space, the Westgate Tower
significantly contributed to the urban planning and development
of downtown Austin.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2012.