On August 1, the 1,025-foot-tall mixed-use tower reached the construction milestone and now stands as the tallest building in the state and Austin’s first supertall.
Designed by KPF for Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential, Waterline has transformed the Austin skyline and has surpassed the JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston as the tallest building in Texas. The topping out ceremony, hosted by DPR Construction, brought together hundreds of construction workers and project team members, including the KPF design team, many of whom signed the final beam before it was lifted into place. Since construction began in 2022, more than 4,750 people have contributed to the project, which is scheduled to open in late 2026.
In comments delivered at the event, KPF President and Design Principal James von Klemperer said, “Our design for the building aims to capture the sense of energy and variety of urban life that we associate with the spirit of Austin. The architecture brings together the landscape of Waller Creek with office, hotel, residential, and spa functions to create a truly ‘vertical city.’”
Located at 98 Red River Street, Waterline sits on a 3.3-acre campus at the intersection of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake. The mixed-use tower consists of 352 luxury apartments, 700,000 square feet of office space, a 251-room 1 Hotel Austin, and 24,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space overlooking the creek and the Waterloo Greenway. Designed for integration with its surrounding public amenities, Waterline is poised to become a new icon of vertical urbanism and a vibrant destination for downtown Austin.
