Cambridge Tower
1801 Lavaca St., Austin, TXThe Cambridge Tower is significant because it is a good example of New Formalism, a style of architecture that was popular in the 1960s. It is also significant because it is the only example of New Formalism in Austin.
Cambridge Tower is an excellent representation of a return to urban living in the mid-twentieth century, as well as one of the first examples of New Formalism in the entire City of Austin. The building is significant because it reflects national and local urban renewal efforts in downtown areas. In response to mid-century trends toward sub-urbanization, developer Lindon L. (“Dude”) McCandless’s 1963 purchase of the property for construction of a high-rise apartment building signaled a shift in efforts to increase the residential population of downtown Austin.Subsequent property owner Mayflower Investment Corporation realized McCandless’s efforts, hiring Dallas-based architect Thomas E. Stanley II,building contractor Thomas J. Hayman, and landscape designer George Hunt. The building is an important contribution to the development of Modern architecture in Austin, representing national trends in design, specifically New Formalism. Its landscape features complement the building’s modernism and urban context. While it influenced construction of subsequent New Formalist buildings in the north downtown-Austin area, Cambridge Tower is the only example that features the use of rounded arch forms and brise-soleil characteristics of the architectural style. As a result, Cambridge Tower is significant under Criterion A in the area of Community Planning and Development at the local level, as well as Criterion C in the areas of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the local level. The period of significance spans from 1963 to 1967.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.