West 49th Street
Adaptive Reuse Meets Thoughtful Infill
Austin, TX
Designed by Mark Odom Studio, now part of Cline, West 49th Street brings together adaptive reuse and new construction to create a thoughtful Austin office environment shaped by strategic site design, connective outdoor spaces, and sensitivity to neighborhood scale. Despite being commercially zoned, the site had long been considered unbuildable due to compatibility setbacks triggered by adjacent single-family homes, with buildable area constrained on all four sides. Through a thoughtful entitlement strategy, the team secured a city variance allowing parking within the compatibility setback—transforming a perceived hardship into an opportunity for a more connected and functional workplace environment.
The West 49th Street building form takes cues from the residential neighborhood surrounding it — we wanted to be mindful of scale, vernacular, and materiality of the neighborhood. Materials used are timeless, sustainable, and will last for hundreds of years to come.
Mark Odom
Austin Office Director
In addition to the new construction, the site takes advantage of an existing stone house on the corner of the lot. This adaptive reuse project expanded the existing footprint with a similar language and design aesthetic. The one story Grover Office is naturally lit on all sides, and its interior was entirely rebuilt. The exterior stone, however, was preserved in order to maintain its context within the neighborhood.
