History of The Westgate

“In 1852, noted Austin architect Abner Cook (1814-1884) built a home [where The Westgate is now located] for Dr. Samuel Garner Haynie (1806-1877), who was elected Mayor of Austin four times (1850, 1851, 1863, and 1864). Cook, who was also working on the 1852-1854 Texas State Capitol around the same time, built the house with a federal design, containing Greek revival elements. The front façade featured a two-story portico with a pair of fluted ionic columns flanked by outer doric piers.

Because of financial difficulties, Haynie was forced to sell the house to Cook shortly after its completion. The Cook family moved into the home by 1860 and lived there until Cook’s widow, Eliza (Logan), sold the property to former Austin Mayor Leander Brown in 1885. Brown occupied the home until he subdivided and sold the block in 1889. The Haynie-Cook house was eventually rolled on logs to the southern half of the block; Fanny M. Andrews operated a shop out of it from 1910 until 1953. the northern half of the block was obtained be businessman Joseph Nalle around 1903; his son, Ernest, built a home on the site and lived there until World War I. Nelson Philips, Associate Justice of The Supreme Court of Texas, lived in the house from 1914 until 1920, when Nalle returned to the home. In 1933, Judge John H Sharp, Associate Justice of The Supreme Court of Texas, bought the property. By 1953, both the Haynie-Cook home and the Nalle-Sharp house were demolished. The Lumbermen’s Association acquired this property for The Westgate. A residential-office high-rise designed in 1962.” -Historical Commission 2010

“In 1962, internationally acclaimed architect Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978) and local firm Fehr and Granger designed Austin’s first residential high-rise. The 26 story Westgate Tower, named for the site’s proximity to the west gate of the Texas State Capitol, opened in 1965 with apartments, parking, restaurant and social club. The new formalism-style skyscraper is built of poured-in-place monolithic reinforced concrete clad in custom brown Butler Brick with brick faced columns, full-length windows, balconettes, and decorative masonry solar screens.   It’s construction influenced development near The Capitol building” –Texas Historical Commission 2012

In 1984 The Lumberman’s Association turned the building into Condominiums.  Commercial and residential tenants were given the ability to purchase the apartments and office space. Control of The Westgate was given to the membership and remains to this day.