About the Author
Chad Swiatecki is a 20-year journalist who relocated to Austin from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Daily News, Texas Monthly, Austin American-Statesman and many other regional and national outlets.
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Austin’s tallest tower spawns tension
Monday, April 1, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Discontent is growing with the appearance of the tallest tower on the Austin skyline. A new online petition is calling for the developers of The Independent – popularly known as the “Jenga tower” – to make improvements to the top of the residential building that “looks unfinished and is a stunning disappointment.” As of Sunday, the petition from the group known as Fix The Crown had gathered more than 700 signatures, though the campaign can’t exactly cause any local authorities to compel the building’s owners to make any improvements. Austin Business Journal reports that last year the building’s managers explained that the top of the tower would “consist of a box of glimmering steel mesh hanging over a 50,000-gallon water tank at the top that prevents the building from swaying in the wind.”
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