Lens-Artists Challenge #291: Cityscapes
— I knew I had an intimidating task when I read Patti’s latest Lens-Artist’s challenge about cityscapes. She gave us plenty to work with when she wrote we could focus on “cities, large and small, near and far.” So many choices came to mind, including my hometown of Fortaleza in Brazil. Well, that will be the focus of another post or the ones I already linked here. Instead, I chose to cover my adopted hometown of Austin, Texas. I have seen so much growth in this city since I moved here in 1984. This next photo is the most current Austin skyline. I captured it last week. There are a few cranes on the right side of the image. This image will not be current for much longer.
“Keep Austin Weird” is the motto from 2000, so I thought using it in my post would be appropriate. The motto ties to Austin‘s being a city that celebrates individuality, creativity, and a touch of eccentricity. Maybe Austin’s skyline is an excellent example of keeping it weird.
In the opening photo, I show three buildings that help define the modern Austin skyline. The “Sail” is a Google building. On the left side of the frame, the Jenga or Tetris building is The Independent, a condo tower. Finally, in the shadows of the Jenga building, you can see the Austin Central Public Library, also featured below.
After years of being located on Guadalupe Street, the Austin Central Public Library was moved to its new and more spacious facilities on César Chávez Street, right by the Seaholm EcoDistrict, an area in downtown Austin with residential, business, and community facilities by the Lady Bird Lake. The new central library had its grand opening in October 2017. Construction began in 2013 for the 198,000-square-foot (18,395-square-meter) building. It houses the 300,000 books from the original John Henry Faulk Central Library on Guadalupe, and it was built to hold an additional 300,000 volumes. The second floor has an art gallery with rotating art exhibitions, and the top terrace offers breathtaking views of Lady Bird Lake. The view here is from the bridge over Shoal Creek. The art lighting on the bridge changes colors every few seconds to bring a different feel to the library and area. In the background, to the right of the library, is the old 1951 Seaholm Power Plant, Austin’s former power plant. That old power plant is now a commercial building with restaurants and other businesses.
Next, I’ll show you two views of Austin for comparison with then and now. The first set shows the skyline change in just nine years. The gap to the right of the tall building on the left was nearly covered from 2009 to 2018.
This next set was shot from Zilker Park, a popular city park. The skyline changed dramatically in approximately 34 years.
Using two of the images above with a three-year time difference is even more striking. You can see a significant change in merely three years. The Jenga building was under construction in 2018, and the Google building was still under construction in 2021.
One thing that has become more commonplace in the Austin skyline is the number of graffiti, large murals, and other artwork. When I rode my bike by the location I had photographed the George Floyd mural, I noticed it had been replaced with newer art. That section of the city constantly changes its art displays, with graffiti artists using the walls along a hike-and-bike trail downtown. On the other hand, the mural on the right side of the set below is still there. The piece, titled The Beauty of Liberty and Equality, is a creation by internationally renowned artists Sandra Chevrier and Shepard Fairey. It covers the side of the Line Hotel and is seven stories high. It can be seen from a variety of locations along Lady Bird Lake.
If you’re a Blues music lover, this statue will likely need no introduction. Right along the Lady Bird Lake hike-and-bike trail, visitors and residents can marvel at the statue of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
According to Wikipedia, Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the greatest guitar players of all time, was born on October 3, 1954, and died on August 27, 1990. He is seen as a very influential guitarist responsible for the Blues revival in the 1980s. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he reached fame playing at nightclubs in Austin. His musical career started at the early age of 7, and he was influenced by his famous brother, Jimmie Ray Vaughan. Six-time Grammy award winner and ten-time Austin Music Award winner, SRV (his initials were used to name him sometimes) was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2014. Directly across from this statue and across Lady Bird Lake, one can see the Google building I featured in a couple of previous photos.
Another well-known building art piece on display is on the corner of Brazos and Second Street: Tau Ceti. Austin‘s tallest mural covers ten floors (103 feet or 31 meters). Tau Ceti is the name of a star in the constellation Cetus. Transylvania-born artist Josef Kristofoletti created the art display. You can see other views of this art piece here.
I would be remiss if I did not include the State Capitol in this post. As the state capital of Texas, Austin has many government buildings. The most famous is, of course, the State Capitol. Believe it or not, the Texas State Capitol is the biggest in the United States by square footage, boasting over 360,000 square feet (33,445 square meters). It is also taller than the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The Texas Capitol stands 302.64 feet (92.2 meters) tall, while the U.S. Capitol is 288 feet (87.7 meters) tall.
Last week, Ann-Christine challenged us with the fantastic theme of circular wonders. Your images were creative and beautiful. You always come up with amazing photos and clever responses to the challenges. This week, Patti asked us to show our cityscapes. Please leave a comment on the host’s original challenge post, and make sure you use the hashtag “lens-artists” in your post.
Join us next week when Tina introduces a new Lens-Artists challenge. We look forward to your participation. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.
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Anne Sandler
Wonderful post Egidio, both in photography and information. Love that sail building.
Egídio Leitão
Thank you, Anne. The Google building is my favorite in the Austin skyline. I have photographed it so much and can’t get enough of it. 🙂
Brad
This is a wonderful tour and commentary on Austin. I love the first image Egidio and that curved building. Austin sure has grown since I was there in the early 2000s.
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Brad. Yes, there have been lots of changes in the skyline. Thanks for the feedback.
Wind Kisses
Always stunning photos, Egidio. You showcased Austin with such wonder. And there seems to be so much to do. My husband loved the city when he visited for Formula One. I need to go back with him one of these days.
Egídio Leitão
Donna, I was glad I found some old photos. The oldest was analog and had to scanned. I hope you and your husband will come back. We can meet for coffee or lunch.
Wind Kisses
Love that. Of course.
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Donna.
JohnRH
Great photos, great perspectives. Outstanding.
Egídio Leitão
Thank you so much, John. I appreciate the feedback.
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Grazie per la condivisione di queste magnifiche foto. Non conosco assolutamente Austin. Buona giornata!
Egídio Leitão
Grazie per le gentili parole.
margaret21
You’ve showcased what looks a dynamic and exciting city. The street art humanises what could otherwise seem rather too large scale a city to be comfortable for humans, however striking. That’s Country Mouse talking!
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the feedback, Margaret.
Leya
Wow, keeping it weird! I love that idea, and I love your cityscapes, Egidio, Your photography is always amazing, and you never disappoint!
Egídio Leitão
Ann-Christine, thank you for the encouragement and support.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Such high quality photos, and rather striking skyline also with tha sail building, but my favorite shot was State Capitol
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Ritva. The Capitol Building is indeed quite an interesting building inside and out.
Toonsarah
Austin sounds like a great city to settle in! I love the slogan and the variety of modern architecture. And that Tau Ceti mural is amazing!
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah. I’m glad you liked the post.
philosophy through photography
Beautiful!
Love the, Austin clicks!
Egídio Leitão
Thank you, Philo.
philosophy through photography
You are welcome, my friend.
Good morning from India.
boromax
Fantastic!
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Ed.
Tina Schell
A beautiful ode to your beautiful adopted city Egidio. I’ve spent quite a bit of time there thanks to some good friends who’ve since moved here. It’s a wonderful place, just quirky enough to be fun but not too over the top! we’ve even done some concerts there so your image of the Vaughan statue was fun as I’d not seen it before. Also really loved your image of the capitol building which is terrific. Well done for the week!
Egídio Leitão
Thank you so much for your kind words and feedback, Tina. So, you play music!
Rebecca Cuningham
At least Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Capitol look the same. : )
Egídio Leitão
Some good things never change. Thanks, Rebecca.
photobyjohnbo
Egidio, I’ve never visited Austin, but your views make me want to put it on my wish list. Your night shot of the library is gorgeous, and that photo of the state house has such an expressive sky!
By the way, on our transatlantic cruise from Brazil last year, we were originally scheduled to stop at Fortalesa. After boarding the ship, we received notice that our stop in Fortaleza was canceled, therefore so was our excursion. We docked in Recife, instead and had to find a different excursion on short notice.
There was no announcement as to the reason for the change, but I suspect it was economic. Looking at where Recife and Fortaleza are located, I can see the cruise line probably saved a lot in fuel costs by avoiding the jog north and west and instead headed across the Atlantic after our stop in Recife.
Egídio Leitão
John, I hope you’ll take that next exit where you’re headed this way. I’ll be glad to show you around. As for the Recife stop, it did make sense based on what you said. Thanks.
Leanne Cole
Austin looks like a great city. You have really showed it off. Looks like there is some incredible architecture there Egidio.
Egídio Leitão
Leanne, the city has grown a lot and is now the tenth largest city in the US. With that, we have had issues with traffic and escalating housing costs.The architecture is indeed nice around here. Thanks for your feedback.
Photos by Jez
An amazing city, Egidio 👏 Truly unique & exceptional 😃
Egídio Leitão
Jez, thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed reading about Austin.
solaner
Wow. What’s that sailboat shaped building for? It looks amazing!
Egídio Leitão
You might have missed my text. It’s a Google building. It’s my favorite Austin building. Thanks for the feedback.
solaner
Oh, yes, I overlooked it. Sorry.
pattimoed
Fantastic post, Egidio! Now it’s my turn to say…the city of Austin should hire you to do PR! I love your architectural shots…especially the Google building and the Capitol. This is a wonderful portrait of a city you love.
Egídio Leitão
LOL… I set myself up for that, didn’t I. Thank you! I should do more architecture photos. I enjoy that but don’t shoot architecture often.
pattimoed
Yes, you should do them more often. I enjoyed them.
Egídio Leitão
A photographer friend is coming to Austin in April. I know we will do more architecture shooting then. Right now, wildflowers are in everyone’s mind in Texas. They are blooming like crazy.
Anonymous
Cool looking city!
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the feedback.
Dawn M. Miller
Cool looking city!
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the feedback, Dawn.
restlessjo
Great photos, Egidio! It looks like a city that’s going places. Like Country Mouse I’m not crazy about high rise and development but it seems to go hand in hand with cities. The street art amazes me though. I wonder, do people have to seek permission for these large scale projects?
Egídio Leitão
Jo, thank you so much for the compliment. Those large art projects were commissioned by the city.
Sofia Alves
Your eye for natural landscapes is wonderful and now you show us you have the same sensitivity for cityscapes. Excellent post, Egídio!
Egídio Leitão
Sofia, your words gave me the best feeling there is about my cityscape attempts. Thank you very much.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Wow, Egidio, your cityscapes of Austin are breathtaking. I read you are a local which explains the many intimate perspective your lens shows us! I have deep Texas roots, but have only been to Austin once, back in 2006. I LOVED it! We took a tour of the aquatics facilities and I was amazed to see Barton Springs park. So cool. I think Austin is a lovely city, if you’re going to live in Texas, this is the place. I chuckled at the “Keep Austin Weird” motto. Portland, OR has the same one, LOL! They both win!
Egídio Leitão
Terri, I’m happy you liked the photos. Thanks for the compliment.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Sure! I added your post to my roundup, if you don’t mind 😊
Egídio Leitão
For my own education, what is a roundup? I follow your blog, but I’m not familiar with the term.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Oh! Sorry. I share the links of others’ posts on my post each week. Other readers can click the link and be taken to yours for example.
Egídio Leitão
That is very kind of you, Terri. Thank you so much for the shout-out.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Happy to share!
Debbie D.
Austin looks like a fascinating city. Love the architecture! Also, Stevie Ray Vaughan. 🙂 Thanks for this historical tour.
Egídio Leitão
Debbie, thank you for your feedback.
Kirstin Troyer
I enjoyed the tour of your city.
Egídio Leitão
Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.