W Austin Hotel & Residences is a 37-story hotel and residential skyscraper in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 that opened in December 2010. Standing at 478 feet above the ground and 37 stories, it is the fourth tallest building in Austin. It is a residential building that sits behind the Austin City Hall. It holds 250 hotel units, managed by W Hotels and 159 condominiums. Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...

's investment company Canyon Johnson Urban Fund II is the primary investor and he also attended the opening ceremony.

Moody Theater

The W Austin houses Moody Theater, the new theater and studio for Austin City Limits Live

Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...

, which was completed in February 2011. The Moody Foundation

Moody Foundation

The Moody Foundation is a charitable foundation incorporated in Texas and based in the island city of Galveston. It was chartered in 1942 by William Lewis Moody, Jr...

 of Galveston granted $2.5 million to KLRU

KLRU

KLRU is the local Public Broadcasting Service member public television station in Austin, Texas, in the United States of America.-History:...

, the largest single gift ever received by the PBS station, to help equip the new home of “Austin City Limits” on Second Street downtown with high-definition production equipment. In recognition, the new venue is called Moody Theater. The new theater/studio holds 2,750 fans, up from the capacity of 320 at its current space north of University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

 campus, and hosts an estimated 120 shows a year in addition to the “ACL” tapings. KLRU gets 45 days a year, rent-free, to produce each season of the longest-running music series in American television history.

June 2011 incident

In 2011, three incidents involving glass falling from the balconies of the hotel forced the building to close its doors. The first occurred on June 11 when 2 glass panels from the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth floors fell into the pool area, injuring 4. The second happened 16 days later on June 27, when 3 more panels fell onto Third and Lavaca Streets. Following the incident, a thousand panels would be replaced. The third and latest glass falling incident occurred on June 29.

See also

• The Austonian
  The Austonian
  The Austonian is a residential skyscraper in Downtown Austin, Texas. At tall with 56 floors, the building is the tallest in Austin, overtaking the 360 Condominiums. The tower is also the tallest all-residential building in the state of Texas and Texas' tallest building outside of Houston or...
  
  
• 360 Condominiums
• Frost Bank Tower
  Frost Bank Tower
  The Frost Bank Tower is a skyscraper in Austin, Texas, United States. Standing 515 feet tall with 33 floors, it is the third tallest building in Austin, behind The Austonian and the 360 Condominiums. It was developed by Cousins Properties from November 2001 to December 2003 as a class A...
  
  
• List of tallest buildings in Austin