New luxury vacation lofts will transform iconic corner of downtown Austin

From Culture Map By Sofia Sokolove

As early as July, there will be a new spot to vacation — or staycation — in Austin. Top Trip Rentals, a vacation rental property company based in Austin, has announced the launch of Littlefield Lofts, part of a multimillion dollar exterior remodel happening at 119 E. Sixth St., across from the historic Driskill Hotel.

The 24 luxury vacation lofts, which were originally named Littlefield Quarters, are undergoing a serious facelift. The exterior renovation, designed by local firm Sixthriver Architects, will feature a modern, sleek glass facade. Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies will give guests impressive downtown views. Weekday rates will start at $199 per night, before taxes.

“There is nothing like this in Austin right now,” says Top Trip Rentals owner Chereen Fisher, and she may be right.

Spots like Hotel San Jose and Hotel Saint Cecilia offer guests boutique-style vacation stays, but they channel a more laid-back Austin vibe and are located a little outside of downtown. They are about experiencing the city, as the San Jose's website says, with “a sense of calm … without the clutter of everyday existence.”

Littlefield Lofts, on the other hand, is designed to connect visitors to the city by placing them in the heart of downtown and offering “all the conveniences of home,” plus an exclusive penthouse floor and concierge lobby. “I’m finding more and more that visitors to Austin want to feel connected to the city’s roots, and this property, as Austin’s original epicenter of commerce, exemplifies this,” says Fisher.

Although iconic, Sixth and Brazos may not seem like the most happening corner in the city, but that’s likely changing. Littlefield Lofts and the 30,000-square-foot Gold’s Gym on the ground floor are part of Stream Realty Partners' multimillion-dollar revitalization of the ​Sixth and Congress city block. The renovated block includes a 26-story tower, three parking areas and the Austin headquarters of Dropbox Inc. 

The property, reports Austin Business Journal, was put up for sale this week. Mike Macdonald, who has handled several investment sales in Austin in the past few years, is in charge of the sale. He told ABJ that he expects an astounding amount of competition. “I’m seeing more early interest in this than I can ever remember.”

There are other signs of renewed life in the historic but underused area of town, too. The Townsend, a new live music and cocktail bar, is set to open any day now in the historic Townsend-Thompson building near the Paramount Theatre.

The goal of Littlefield Lofts, Fisher says, is to “transform the long-underutilized southwest corner of Sixth and Brazos into a destination.” It seems like that transformation might already be underway.