A short drive through Austin’s residential neighborhoods reveals that the city is home to a great many talented architects, builders, and designers. Modern structures nestle, for the most part, up to older homes that tell a story of a city at a different time, a time when there were certainly fewer cars to accommodate on narrow lots and even narrower streets.
But what about Austin’s public spaces, civic buildings that are open to the public or buildings that serve public functions?
The design and construction of public buildings is a specialized field of architecture, not only in design, but in the management of relationships at the city and government level. We thought to look at the civic buildings in Austin and the architects, both local and national, responsible for the design.

The United States Courthouse designed by husband and wife team Mack Scogin Merill Elam Architects of Atlanta, GA was completed in 2012. The cube-shaped building occupies a full city block and is located west of Republic Square, home of the popular Farmer’s Market.
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