English Podcast (Frost Bank Tower)

    

         You're driving on the highway, a few miles out of the city. On the horizon you see various buildings stretching hundreds of feet into the sky. You're looking at one of the most iconic locations of any city; downtown. The downtown of cities are constantly full of various aspects of peoples' lives. From going to work, to chilling at a coffee shop, downtown has it all. 

      

          Nearing arrival to Austin, one can look across the horizon and see a downtown much like many others, but the differences are plentiful. For example, the Frost Bank Tower is one of the more unique towers in downtown Austin, and is considered to be one of the most recognizable of buildings. The tower is located right in the heart of downtown, and is easily accessible to people. Surrounding the tower are various other establishments, ranging from other towers, to cafes, to restaurants and shops. The atmosphere around the building is always populous and social. Upon visiting the site, I observed many people strolling around downtown Austin, whether it was in a car, on a bus, on foot or bike.

                             

          Construction of this monumental tower began on the 27th of November, 2001. This made it the tallest building to be constructed in the US proceeding the 9/11 attacks. Frost Bank was founded here in Texas in 1868, and is to this day, the largest privately owned banking company in all of Texas. During the Great Depression, Frost Bank was one of the very few banking companies that remained open in order to help people financially recover from the depression. It has historically been known that Frost Bank has always been one of the more supportive banks, treating each customer in a "personal and efficient" manner. In a way, these attributes parallel Austin's community, being close-knit and socially active. 

                                                                                    

                                           

           

Architecturally, the Frost Bank tower has many interesting aspects to it. The base of the tower has a cube-like shape, as this is the appropriate foundation to almost all skyscrapers. However, as you ascend up the Frost Bank tower, you find a very uniquely shaped top section. Some have seen this section to resemble a crown, while others have seen it to resemble an owl.  People are quick to assume that the crown might represent the banks dominance, instead of seeing the crown as a prize for the city as a whole and its success. In both cases, the peak of the tower is in a sense "rebelling" from the usual expectations of a business related skyscraper. The peak of the tower also helps maintain Austin's "characteristically weird" personality by being different and unique. On special occasions such as UT football games, the building lights up in different colors in order to show support to Austin's spirit.  The building won the best new building award in Austin in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008. It's apparent that before constructing the Frost Bank tower, architects took in mind Austin's uniqueness and how they might match  it.  

           

                            

              

              Buildings such as the Frost Bank tower ultimately represent the successful development of Austin, TX. While some might say that structures such as the Frost Bank tower are diminishing from Austin's traditional personality of being laid back and "weird", others argue that development doesn't necessarily have to get in the way of the cities roots. This viewpoint is supported by the establishment of the Frost Bank tower because while it does represent development and advancement, it successfully maintains a little piece of Austin's weirdness, and conforms to the traditional Austin persona. Instead of "degrading while upgrading", as mentioned by Connor, I believe the tower is instead represents the idea of "upgrading while integrating".