Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2008 > September > 06 > Entry
Rare Open House at Bel Air Phase II
I’ve been dying to see the interiors of the lofts at Bel Air, located on South Congress Avenue south of Ben White Boulevard across from Bob Cole’s Hill’s Cafe. We’d heard about the generous light, the stripped-down modernist finishes and the sturdy steel-and-concrete construction (contrast that with the balloon-wall skeletons of other such recent projects).
Jim Wang, Alex Lee
Plus, it just sounded like a cool place, close enough to downtown to attract urbanistas, but definitely Old South Austin in the way it borders the unimproved fringes of South Congress.
Amanda Brown, Rachel McDaniel, Kristy Freeman
So the Rare Magazine open house event gave me an excuse to check them out. I lingered in a three-story model with a vast rooftop deck and view of a (sad) little park to the north. Everything pointed vertically, with the excitement building as one ascended each stairway. I definitely could see living there, although it’s more matched to a single person’s needs and tastes. (No lack of closets, that’s for sure.)
Poisonberry, Sam Chang
I caught up with several revelers including roller derby gal Poisonberry and scoreboard operator Sam Chang, certainly a contrast in height and personality. Ms. Berry lives in my ‘hood and we discussed the advantages of lower property values south of Ben White.
Matt Mathias, Karen Kolb, Will Steakley
We also mixed with a clutch of beauties from Salon Blue, software developers and bartenders, DJs and journalists, plus Bel Air developer Matt Matthias, a buddy of retired Statesman columnist Mike Kelley. Matthias grew up in Austin and recognized the potential staying value of these lofts. He’s a thoughtful guy, not always the first phrase that comes to mind when discussing developers.
Comments
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By tommy collins
September 8, 2008 8:24 AM | Link to this
Your description of the interior I thought was the best part of this post. Phrases like "generous light, the stripped-down modernist finishes and the sturdy steel-and-concrete construction" really started to draw a picture in my head of the interior. You commented on the view of a 'sad little park' which I though was great but I really wanted to know more about it or even see a picture. Then you shifted from description of the aesthetics to observing and analyzing the people, as your posts usually do.
By Celeste Diaz
September 7, 2008 6:51 PM | Link to this
It looks like the second phase of Bel-Air was better constructed than Phase I. Not to completely discredit Phase I, because Bel-Air definitely has a good concept, but it seems as if the first phase was built to quickly. Then again, when building with a lot of concrete, there are bound to be flaws.
Overall, I think the pictures really capture Bel-Air's unique seperation from the posh downtown lofts: it's the variety of residents that make them great.
By Claire Cella
September 7, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
I have frequently passed the lofts at Bel Air and have also been very curious about the interior. I wish you could have given a little more description, but I am sure you were limited to where you could venture as a guest of the Rare Open House. The rooftop deck sounded delightful, despite the sad little park and I am intrigued by the simple, modernist feel you gave the place. I would definitely consider them, if I could afford them.
By Sam
September 7, 2008 2:04 AM | Link to this
Poisonberry's tall, but don't forget, she's got skates on! Those are an easy four inches plus she gets to tack on :)