Texas officially has a new highest tower. The title moves from Houston, for the JPMorgan Chase Tower, to Austin, for Waterline at 98 Red River St. The new tower will contain mixed-use spaces including apartments, offices, a hotel, restaurants, and retail. It is scheduled to open in full in 2026.
Waterline had a “topping out” ceremony on Friday, when the final beam was added to the top of the tower. It now reaches 74 stories and 1,205 feet, which is just 23 feet taller than the JPMorgan Chase Tower. (The Texas Capitol is only 14.64 feet taller than the White House, so chalk it up to Austin tradition.) According to KVUE, it takes 45 seconds to reach the top in an elevator.
Waterline is also 185 feet taller than the Austin runner-up, simply called Sixth and Guadalupe. The same developers, Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential worked on both properties. Waterline was designed by KPF, which also designed the so-far uncompleted One Lady Bird Lake…