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Seaholm Power Plant Reuse
SummaryThe Seaholm Power Plant sits on an eight-acre site on the north shore of Town Lake. The plant no longer generates power for the City. Private sector groups, including the R/UDAT Team and Implementation Committee, have recommended that Seaholm be converted to civic or cultural uses. In 1991, the City Council resolved to preserve Seaholm for public use after it is decommissioned.StatusThe Austin Electric Utility is working with contractors on remediation and decommissioning efforts at the plant. The City Council approved contracts for these activities during their October 15, 1997 meeting. City staff expect decommissioning to be complete by the end of 2000. Earlier in 1997 the City Council formed a special committee, the Seaholm Reuse Planning Committee, to focus on the massive plant's next best use, and charged the group with creating a public process to gather citizen input to chart Seaholm's future and to report these recommendations to the Council in May 1998. UT School of Architecture students have created three-dimensional models of the site and building, a computer-animated file on the plant's interior spaces, and a historical photography exhibit as part of the public component of the Council's assignment. The Seaholm Reuse Planning Committee will conduct public meetings in February 1998 to hear community input and ideas. A "Come Join the Brainstorm!" open house is set for February 28 and will include tours for the public through the 110,000 square foot building.IssuesA wide range of issues are associated with the future use of the Seaholm Power Plant, including hazardous materials at the site, legal and regulatory issues concerning ownership and use of the plant, cultural facilities planning and financing, and ongoing Electric Utility operations at the Seaholm site. Reuse of Seaholm will require identifying sufficient parking for visitors. Land adjacent to Seaholm to the west is ideally situated and could serve this function.DescriptionThe Seaholm Power Plant, built between 1951 and 1958, faces Town Lake on West César Chávez Street. It is composed of five gas/oil generation units (100 megawatts total when it functioned) and no longer generates power. The building features a towering turbine room 110 by 235 feet, with clerestory windows above flanking aisles, and a 65-foot-high ceiling. Two lower floors contain an additional 75,000 square feet. In all, the building has more than 110,000 square feet of useable floor area. An Electric Utility substation, transmission and distribution facilities, and a utility microwave communications center are located at Seaholm.A number of planning efforts have recognized Seaholm's significance and potential for adaptive reuse. The City of Austin's 1984 Historic Resources survey targeted Seaholm for its highest priority rating of building to be preserved. The City's Town Lake Park Comprehensive Plan suggests that the plant be "converted into an activity center complementary to the area." In the fall of 1997, the R/UDAT Revisited Team reiterated its earlier support for Seaholm's cultural reuse. Basic Data
Revised February 2, 1998 Back to the January 1998 Contents |
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