9 Luxury High-Rise Towers in Austin That Prove Texas Does Skylines Now
Nobody moved to Austin for the skyline. People came for the music, the tacos, the tech jobs, the weird. But somewhere between SXSW 2010 and the pandemic land rush, downtown Austin quietly assembled one of the most ambitious residential skylines in the South — and almost nobody outside Texas noticed.
The numbers are absurd. In 2008, Austin's tallest residential building was 45 stories. By 2024, they'd built a 66-story mixed-use tower taller than anything in Dallas or Houston. The city now has nine residential towers above 30 floors, most completed in the last six years, several designed by globally recognized firms. Lady Bird Lake, Congress Avenue, and the Rainey Street District became the anchors of a vertical neighborhood that didn't exist a generation ago.
Here are the nine towers worth knowing — ranked not just by height, but by the quality of living inside them.
1Austin · West 6th StreetResidences at 6G
267 m66 floorsCompleted 2024GenslerAustin's tallest building and, since 2024, the tallest in all of Texas at 875 feet. Gensler designed it for Lincoln Property — 66 stories of mixed-use with luxury rentals starting on floor 34. The pool deck on 66 is the highest in the city. Studios to 3BR from $2,633 to $31,750/month. The penthouses get Thermador kitchens and private rooftop access.
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2Austin · West AvenueThe Independent
212 m58 floorsCompleted 2019Rhode PartnersThe Jenga Tower. The Tetris Tower. Whatever you call it, Rhode Partners' staggered cantilever design is the single most recognizable building in Austin. 58 stories, 363 condos, and the tallest all-residential building west of the Mississippi when it topped out in 2019. Units from $500K to $6M — and the pool deck views of Lady Bird Lake explain why.
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3Austin · Congress AvenueThe Austonian
208 m56 floorsCompleted 2010Ziegler CooperThe original. Ziegler Cooper's 56-story tower held the tallest-in-Austin crown for a full decade (2010–2019) and still commands the top of Congress Avenue. Scavolini cabinets, Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances, American walnut floors — this was ultra-luxury before Austin knew it wanted ultra-luxury. $1.5M to $15M.
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4Austin · Downtown415 Colorado
193 m50 floorsCompleted 2025Page Southerland PageLincoln Property's second entry on this list — 50 stories mixing 328 luxury rentals with Class AA office space. The drone photography of this building is spectacular: a crisp, modern tower that photographs better than almost anything else on the skyline. 19th-floor pool deck, co-working spaces, and fire pit terraces.
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5Austin · Rainey Street DistrictThe Travis
171 m50 floorsCompleted 2025GDA ArchitectsThe tallest rental-only tower in the city, parked right in the middle of the Rainey Street District — Austin's bar-hopping epicenter turned luxury canyon. Genesis Real Estate's 50-story, 423-unit tower with rooftop pool, trail access, and ground-level retail. A second phase with hotel and condos is planned.
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6Austin · West Avenue360 Condominiums
177 m45 floorsCompleted 2008RTKL AssociatesThe building that started it all. When 360 Condos topped out at 45 stories in 2008, it was Austin's tallest building period — and the idea that people would live above the 30th floor downtown was still novel. The rooftop pool and sky lounge set the template that every Austin tower since has copied.
View tower →- 7Austin · Rainey Street District
Northshore
129 m39 floorsCompleted 2016PageSoutherlandPageAustin's tallest apartment building at 39 stories, and one of the first towers to really claim the Lady Bird Lake waterfront. Greystar's Rainey Street rental with sky pool, panoramic lounge, and direct lakefront access. The amenity deck alone would be the envy of most NYC towers.
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8Austin · Second Street DistrictW Austin Residences
145 m36 floorsCompleted 2010Andersson-WiseHotel-branded living in Austin's Second Street District — condos stacked above the W Hotel with full access to the pool scene, spa, gym, and Living Room lounge. Andersson-Wise designed the tower; Stratus Properties built it. The social cachet of the W brand matters here. $800K to $8M.
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9Austin · Seaholm DistrictSeaholm Residences
107 m30 floorsCompleted 2016Pelli Clarke PelliThe most architecturally interesting entry on the list. Pelli Clarke Pelli put 30 stories of luxury condos next to the restored 1950s Seaholm Power Plant — now a food hall and community anchor. The adaptive reuse context gives Seaholm a texture that pure glass towers can't touch. $600K to $4M.
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Frequently asked
- What is the tallest residential building in Austin?
- Residences at 6G (Sixth and Guadalupe) at 875 feet and 66 stories, completed in 2024. It surpassed The Independent (694 feet) and is now the tallest building in all of Texas.
- Is Austin's skyline really comparable to other major cities?
- In terms of pure residential tower density, Austin's downtown now rivals cities like Miami's Brickell and San Francisco's SoMa. The scale of construction since 2019 is staggering — more than a dozen towers above 30 floors in a city that had essentially none before 2008.
- How much does it cost to live in a luxury high-rise in Austin?
- Rentals start around $2,500/month for a studio and climb to $6,500+ for a 2-bedroom with views. Condos range from $450K at 360 Condominiums to $15M for penthouses at The Austonian. The sweet spot for quality living is $3,500–5,500/month rental or $600K–1.5M purchase.
- Which Austin neighborhood has the best high-rise towers?
- The Rainey Street District has the highest concentration — Northshore, The Travis, and several more towers are clustered on the lakefront. But Congress Avenue (The Austonian), West Avenue (The Independent, 360 Condos), and Sixth Street (Residences at 6G) each have standout buildings.
- Why did Austin's skyline grow so fast?
- A perfect storm: no state income tax drew high-earning tech workers from California, downtown zoning allowed tall residential, and Lady Bird Lake provided a natural amenity that justified premium pricing. Austin added more people in the 2010s than any comparably sized US city.
Austin's skyline is still being written. Waterline — a 74-story supertall under construction — will top 1,000 feet when it completes, making it the tallest building in Texas by a wide margin. The city that used to be famous for keeping things weird is now famous for building things tall.
Browse every Austin tower in the city index, or suggest a building we should add.