Crash Champions / 16604 N. I-35
B&B Body & Paint opened here in early 2004 (the building was built in 2003 and briefly spent some time as Tatra Metal Roofing Supply and Ed's Auto Body Shop). In 2011, B&B Body & Paint was acquired by and soon rebranded as Service King. By spring 2024 it was rebranded again to its current name.
Foxy's Cabaret / 16328 N. Interstate 35
Prior to around 2012, this was Mobile Storage, which rented out cargo container-style units for storage (similar, but not the "PODS" brand often seen in these circumstances). Around 2013 it was renovated and reopend as "Down in Texas Saloon", a strip club, which was acquired by RCI Hospitality (which previously bought Joy of Austin) in 2015. Like with Joy of Austin, RCI rebranded it to its current name.
Austin's / 16231 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
The Interstate numbering resets again at the Travis County line. Austin's (actually in Pflugerville), also known as Austin's Park N Pizza, contains a number of attractions including bowling and rock climbing, with outside attractions including bumper boats, mini-golf, and a go-kart track.
Exxon/McDonald's / 15900 N. Interstate 35
This opened in 2005 as a Chevron/McDonald's; in the early 2010s the McDonald's did a renovation to get rid of the silver mansard roof and the gas station became an Exxon.
7-Eleven / 15829 N. I-35
At the southeast corner of Grand Avenue Parkway and I-35 is this truck stop 7-Eleven. It contains no access to Grand Avenue Parkway, instead connecting to Vision Drive in the back. For food options it contains Angelina's Tacos Caseros and formerly a Subway (gone between 2019 and 2021). My own personal hunch that it was not built as a 7-Eleven proved correct; as of January 2009 it was a Texaco with Speedy Stop and Subway (and probably had a taco counter in there as well). By 2013 it was 7-Eleven (Speedy Stop sold most of its stores to 7-Eleven that year), though the Texaco branding disappeared between spring 2015 and spring 2016.
Ashley Homestore / 15424 FM 1825
This was a Cinemark Movies 12 from December 1988 to late 1997. When Cinemark opened the Tinseltown theater in the same parking lot it was closed, and eventually was redeveloped into retail, with new strip center buildings adjacent to it.
Texas Roadhouse / 15415 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Texas Roadhouse opened around 2006 (possibly 2007) in an empty pad site next to the Interstate.
Cinemark 20 and XD / 15436 FM 1825
This movie theater opened as Tinseltown USA in 1997, similar to other theaters in Houston that opened around the same time. In 2017 it assumed its current name.
Bombshells / 15119-C Interstate 35
Posados Cafe was here from 2004 to around 2011. It has been Bombshells Restaurant & Bar since 2014. It is also owned by RCI Hospitality (their presence in the north Austin area isn't a small one) but much tamer than the strip clubs.
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen / 15119 N. Interstate 35
Cheddar's Casual Cafe, as the chain was known until sometime around the mid-to-late 2010s, opened here in November 2003.
MasFajitas / 15119-B N. Interstate 35
Originally built as Fish Daddy's Grill House (a concept by Cheddar's before it was bought by Darden) when it opened in mid-2004, this restaurant became FD's in 2015 (an unflattering review came with it). It would close in December 2024 with MasFajitas moving in soon after.
KFC / 14824 N. Interstate 35
Listed as "Suite D" for some unknown reason, this KFC first showed up around 2000 with a different facade than what it has now.
Exxon / 14730 N. Interstate 35
This is a 7-Eleven but it wasn't until the early 2010s when the convenience store became a 7-Eleven (previously branded as Tigermarket).
Bill Miller Bar-B-Q / 14718 N. Interstate 35
This Bill Miller BBQ location opened in 2001.
14310 N. Interstate 35
IHOP occupies the main address here, Whataburger is "14310-A". Both appear to be built around 2000-2003.
Valor North Austin / 14200 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Formerly, this was the home of the Chaparral Ice Skating Center, but the dual-rink facility closed after November 2011 (originally built in 1996). Soon after, Ecotech Institute took over and remodeled the building, planning to open in 2014. Instead, they pulled the plug on the Austin campus (Ecotech never managed to open a single branch and closed its single Colorado location in 2018) and Virginia College opened instead. Following the demise of Virginia College in 2020, Valor Education, a charter school, opened in the building.
Citgo / 13701 Interstate 35 North
This has been a Citgo since at least 2007 but opened as a Texaco in 1996.
Exxon / 13641 IH 35 North
This used to be a Shell with Quix as of the late 2000s. Quix (open since 1989, though an unknown gas brand) became 7-Eleven in 2012, in 2015 it switched brands to Exxon.
The Home Depot / 13309 N. Interstate Hwy. 35 North
Like the nearby Baby Acapulco's in front of it, this Home Depot opened in 2001.
Burger King / Denny's / 13200 North Interstate 35
This opened in 2021 and is similar to the hybrid found in Bastrop...the Burger King and Denny's here are linked together by an interior hallway (the restrooms are Denny's, as they tend to have the longer hours), though they have separate dining rooms, kitchen, and staff. The Denny's address here is 13216 N. Interstate 35, but they aren't open 24/7 (24 hours only on the weekends).
The Shops at Tech Ridge / 12901 N. I-35
You can see a site plan (as of 2/22) of this shopping center here. The Floor & Decor and Texas Furniture Mall stores make up the space of a SuperTarget, which operated from October 2003 to January 2016, the only SuperTarget to close in Texas. (The above site plan is archived from here). Note that despite the plan claiming that Chili's and Johnny Carino's are "not a part", they share the same address. As of October 2025 Carino's has closed.
Walmart / 12900 Interstate 35 North
This Wal-Mart Supercenter (as it was originally) opened in October 2003. The Lowe's next to it began construction sooner and probably beat it by a few months.
AMC Dine-In Tech Ridge 10 / 12625 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Occupying only a portion of the previous tenant, AMC opened a smaller movie theater here in December 2019 (before spending a good portion of the next year closed or under capacity). The "previous tenant" here was a Sears Grand, opened in fall 2005 and closed in April 2018 (a good overview of this particular store can be seen here. Sears Grand was an early 2000s concept from Sears, Roebuck, and Company (shortly before their merger with Kmart) to create a hybrid of their department stores (complete with everything they had, like an auto center, portrait studio, etc., as well as Budget/Avis car rentals) with a more traditional discount store style layout with additional departments (garden center, pet supplies, non-perishables, and an HBA section), topping out at 164,000 square feet. While the Sears Grand downscaled the number of departments dramatically in the last five years or so of its life, the Sears outlasted the Super Target about half a mile to the north, with the remaining two Sears in the Austin area closing later that year.
Man Pasand Supermarket to the north has the same address and used to be an OfficeMax. It has "Building A" as the address. More will be discussed on this in a future update.
Tech Ridge Center / 500 W. Canyon Ridge Drive
This shopping center built its first phase in 2001 with an 86,000 square foot H-E-B but all share the same address, just different suite numbers, see this page. An In-N-Out Burger on the site has an address of 12431 N. Interstate Hwy. 35, though this replaced Golden Wok, which operated from 2005 to around 2015. The building was demolished and In-N-Out opened in September 2016.
St. David's CareNow Urgent Care / 12415 N. Interstate 35
Former Bennigan's #5849, opened in 2005 but closed in 2008. In the early 2010s it reopened as My Fit Foods and closed in 2016. In 2017 it became CareNow Urgent Care which by 2019 had rebranded as St. David's CareNow Urgent Care.
JCPenney / 12351 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
The Sears Grand is just a memory now, but this JCPenney store (98,000 square feet) is still open. It opened in late 2006, moving from Highland Mall, where it had been since 1971.
The Upland / 12217 N. Interstate 35
Apartment complex built in the early 2020s.
Austin Motor Inn / 11400 N. Interstate Highway 35
This motel was only built in 1983 (it looks far older) and has been going under this name since 1992.
Woodcraft / 10901 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
The woodworking supply store Woodcraft opened the brick-and-mortar "Woodcraft of Austin" in 2015.
Altex Computers & Electronics / 9914 Interstate 35 North
Similar to Micro Center or the late Fry's Electronics, Altex supplies computer parts and various electronics (more of a DIY/technical type of store than ready-built). At just 14,500 square feet, it is smaller than the one in Houston but larger than the one that used to be in Waco. It has been here since 1999.
Exxon / 9401 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Prior to being a 7-Eleven, it was a Tigermarket. In 2013, C.L. Thomas sold some Speedy Stop and Tigermarket locations to 7-Eleven; this location was converted in 2013.
IDEA Rundberg Academy & College Preparatory / 9504 N. Interstate 35
Built in the late 1980s as a bowling alley and changing names a few times (including 300 Austin) before closing around 2012, the current incarnation serves as a charter school. More information coming in a future update.
Motel 6 / 9420 N. Interstate 35
This Motel 6 (Motel 6 Austin, TX - North) opened in 1981 as a companion to the location at 2707 S. Interstate 35.
Orangewood Inn & Suites / 9121 N. Interstate 35
Between 2011 and 2013 this Ramada motel assumed its current name.
Alma Apartments / 9220 N. Interstate 35
Budget Lodge closed around 2020 and by 2021 it was under renovations to become Alma Apartments, which opened in the early 2020s. In the early 1990s it was a Ramada Inn.
Henna Chevrolet / 8805 N. Interstate 35
This car dealership shares its address with Henna Isuzu behind it (on Park Plaza Drive, 8805 N. Interstate 35 Suite B), and behind that is their large Chevrolet service center.
Fujian Grand China Buffet / 8709 N. Interstate 35
This Chinese buffet has been here since 2008. Previously, it was Austin's location of Old San Francisco Steak House, which operated from 1981 to 2006.
8627 N. Interstate 35
This was formerly known as "Lumber Liquidators" when it opened in 2007. In 2020 the corporate name changed to LL Flooring, and this received new signage by the end of 2021. The building was here since 1980 and was previously Pounds Photographic Labs as late as 1997. Sometime around 2025 the company, now reverted to its old name, relocated to 10701 Metric Blvd. Suite 114.
The Hedge / 8300 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Now we're getting to the part which was teased back when I wrote about a 2017 trip. The Hedge Apartments looks a bit like an old motel, which of course, it actually is. The website is here, showing floorplans which tend to be a bit cramped (and the bathrooms in the back, probably a carry-over). I believe I did stay at this motel, which was a Travelodge way back when (sometime in the late 1990s), but by 2019 it had long dropped it, known as "Austin Suites Hotel", despite still being a motel. It looks like it may have changed names in 2005. Sometime around 2020 it was closed and converted into an apartment building.
In late 2021, the nearby Red Roof Inn (at 8210 N. IH-35) closed and construction began on a second phase to The Hedge.
Extended Stay America / 8221 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
From what can be found about this hotel, it had its current name since 2004 but until the early 2010s, it was branded as "ExtendedStay Deluxe" (which was based on the 1995-2006 logo). Previous names for this hotel appear to be (based on tax records), "Homegate Studio & Suites" (1998-1999) and
"Wellesley Inn & Suites" (1999-2004).
La Marea Restaurant & Seafood / 8214 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
I'm not sure what this restaurant was originally, but in the early 2010s it was called Cancun.
7-Eleven / 7800 N. Interstate 35
This 7-Eleven (with Laredo Taco Company and self-branded gas pumps) was built in 2024. It replaced a space where a hotel used to be. From what I can piece together, it was a Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in the mid-to-late 1980s, then Four Points by Sheraton from 1991 to around 2007, then a Howard Johnson again. Before being shut down permanently in 2009, it was briefly "St. Michael Plaza Hotel".
7629 North Interstate 35
This was a Chili's from 1987 to 2007. It moved to 6619 N. Interstate 35 afterward. After Chili's, it was later Victory Childrens Center (aka Victory Christian Center); as of the early 2020s this appears to be abandoned.
7604 North Interstate 35
This was Bennigan's from approx. 1978 to 2008. A few years later it reopened as Buffalo Wild Wings (around 2011) but it closed in 2024.
7522 N. IH 35
Two restaurants and a hotel share this address. Building A is currently Ojos Locos Sports Cantina and was home to Antonio's Tex-Mex in the late 2000s and Meltzer Uptown Pub for a few years in the early 2010s. The hotel was Hyatt Place as of 2007 and stayed that way for many years until becoming Sonesta Select around 2022. Building C was formerly Applebee's #5341 which closed around 2020 before becoming Mario's Seafood a few years later.
Academy Sports + Outdoors / 7513 N. IH 35
This Academy opened in June 2002 on the site of a former truck stop, the Austin Truck Terminal. It opened in 1965 as one of the very first truck stops in the Austin area (the first one was the Big Wheel Truck Stop). While this description of the truck stop is a bit inaccurate (not yet built in the 1950s, but alive and well in the 1970s), it does seem to line up mostly with what can be found in newspapers and official records. The restaurant inside, Burba's, is mentioned in a 1982 issue of the Austin Chronicle dedicated to restaurants (describing 24 hour outlets). In researching this truck stop, one of the somewhat darkly humorous stories in the Burba's era details the story of a trucker who was shot in the neck, and instead of going into the restaurant for help, he decided to order a cup of coffee instead, which the cook did not serve to him, given how bad his condition was.
By 1986, the Burba's restaurant was Texaco Truck Stop Cafe (Burba's was a Texaco, at least by the early 1980s) but by 1990, Dyer Automotive had replaced the sprawling truck stop. Finally, tax records say Dyer Automotive & Transmission closed in 1998, and ground broke for the Academy sporting goods store in 2001. (This was originally part of this page before it was re-worked. As of this writing, the page is in its original form).
7417 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Tricolor Auto was Capitol Kia Preowned from 2006 to early 2010s. Until around 2003, it was a go-kart track, originally Malibu Grand Prix when it first opened in the late 1970s, then Funwerks in its final years.
In 2005, you can see cars parked around the former go-kart track (used as an impromptu parking lot) and in 2008 most of the go-kart track was removed for construction of a Restaurant Depot. Portions of the former track can be seen between Restaurant Depot and Tricolor Auto. Tricolor Auto (as a chain) filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in 2025. (It was still listed as being open as of this writing).
7211 N. Interstate Highway 35
This was a Home Depot store opened in 1995 but moved to 1200 Barbara Jordan Boulevard in 2008. The roof was deteriorating before the City of AUstin tore it down in 2024, as it had become city property after Home Depot's exit. Originally it was planned to be a courthouse and police substation, but now looks like it will probably be affordable housing. (Source: see this link).
ATX Self Storage / 6901 N. Interstate 35
Before it closed in April 2015 and knocked down in 2017 for this four-story self storage center, this was the first Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill restaurant, which operated in 2006.
I cannot find much on the restaurant before that. It appears this was a gas station in the late 1970s and early 1980s but was redeveloped into a stand-alone restaurant building by 1995. In March 1999, this opened as Dixie's Roadhouse Restaurant (mentioned in the Katy Freeway page) but lasted just ten days before an electrical fire destroyed the restaurant. It was rebuilt and in 2003 was gay nightclub 'Bout Time and in 2005 this was J.R.'s Restaurant & Bar, though I can't find much on it.
Sushi Japon & Hibachi Grill / 6801 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
This started out Shoney's circa 1993 (with the address of 807 Camino La Casta) and like many others previously covered here--Waco, Temple, and San Marcos was sold to Jim's Restaurants in 1998 and converted around 1999. It ended up closing around 2003. Before it became Sushi Japon, it was briefly Bevo's Grill in late 2003 before becoming Sushi Japon in 2004.
Chili's / 6619 N. Interstate 35
Owens Family Restaurant (the same thing as Bob Evans, just with the regional Owens name) was here from 1992 to January 2006 until parent company Bob Evans Farms closed all of the Texas restaurants. Soon after, Chili's moved in, moving from 7629 North Interstate 35.
Seareinas / 6607 N. Interstate 35
Located behind Chili's, Seareinas (Mexican seafood restaurant) opened in 2020. This was Fuddruckers from 1996 to around 2010, and gay nightclub 'Bout Time II (later rebranded as BT2 Nightclub & Bar) from 2012 to 2020. This of course was a "reincarnation" of the original 'Bout Time at 6901 N. Interstate 35 which had closed several years earlier.
Pappasito's Cantina / 6513 N. Interstate 35
The Pappasito's/Pappadeaux tag-team makes another appearance, this time in Austin. Pappasito's #9 opened in July 1992 with the original address of 6601 N. Interstate 35.
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen / 6319 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen #3 opened in July 1989. It replaced Victoria Station, which operated here from 1978 to 1986. It was probably similar to the Houston location, which has its own page.
Bridge at Windsor Towers / 6007 Interstate 35 North
Late 2010s/early 2020s build apartment complex; replaced Texas Land & Cattle Steakhouse which closed early 2017.
Amaya's Taco Village / 5804 Interstate 35 North
From approximately 1980 to 2001 this was Bombay Bicycle Club, a chain usually associated with La Quinta (it had other locations in Texas, often near the same motel chain). The December 5, 1992 issue of Austin American-Statesman reported that the restaurant, was a "pleasant exception" to the usual vacuous atmosphere of chain restaurants, with the restaurant offering quiet dining spaces, a sports bar, nooks for board games, and a space to play computer games both on the LAN and online.
As for the food, the restaurant featured both international dishes and traditional fare (steaks, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads). By 2004, it was JC's Steakhouse, and The Studio Jazz Bar and Restaurant by 2007 (stylized on the sign with a treble clef representing the S). A few years later, it assumed its current tenant.
Target / 5621 N. Interstate 35
Target T-1542 is Capital Plaza's north anchor. The store opened in July 2003 and was a rebuild of a (134,457 sq. ft.) Montgomery Ward that once anchored the north end of the shopping center from 1969 to 2001.
5510 N. Interstate 35
This small highway-side building, last home to Cabinets To Go, also held signage for "Gracious Homes" though this appears to be part of the same business. Prior to this, circa 2011-2017 was Ruth's Party Land.
The building was designed to hold two smaller tenants, and as of April 2009 was Sprint and the recently-vacated "Barbero del Barrio" (and in 2007, was the home of Deike's Copiers, sharing the building with Sprint). Much like Lumber Liquidators, construction has caused it to flee to 10701 Metric Boulevard as well (but this time, Suite 104).
Mattress Firm Clearance Center / 5403 N. IH 35
This opened as Grandy's in 1986 as part of Capital Plaza. Grandy's closed in the early 2000s and has been a Mattress Firm since (unknown to when it became a "Clearance Center").
McDonald's / 5355 Interregional Highway
The first McDonald's in Texas was a failure (opening in Dallas in the 1950s and closing soon after) but this one was one of the first successful locations, opening around 1962. Between 1985 and 1995, it was rebuilt slightly to the north of the original restaurant (the old one is about where Walgreens is), and in 2013 was rebuilt again.
4800 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Deluxe Motel (now gone for widening construction) was around for a very long time. The earliest reference I can find of this motel is 1977 as Rio Motel, which it still was in 2000. For a few years before it closed, the Google description described it as an "adults-only motel".
Fiesta Mart / 3909 North I-35
Fiesta Mart (#25) opened in December 1992 here, and would be the only Fiesta Mart in Austin (and the first Fiesta outside of Houston) for over a decade until a new store opened in 2007. Even after that, it would be one of two Fiesta Mart stores in the Austin area.
3811 N. Interstate 35
A location of Short Stop, a drive-through only hamburger shop has operated here since 1990, back when it was owned by Two Pesos. It was forced out by highway construction in 2025, but the rest of the locations could follow.
3807 N. Interstate 35
As of October 2025, Fighting Orange, a convenience store, is closed. This became Valero (from Gulf) between 2023 and 2024, and prior to the mid-2010s was an independent with a 1980s-style Gulf canopy.
3735 N. Interstate 35
Former Chevron closed as of October 2025 (highway ROW demolition).
3105 N. Interstate 35
This closed in 2025 for highway construction, but here's what the entry used to read: "Days Inn by Wyndham Austin/University/Downtown" has been a Days Inn since 1990. The symbols outside on the sign were something used in the old print directories Days Inn used to have.
2900 N. Interstate 35
Former site of Rodeway Inn University/Downtown. Closed in summer 2025 for highway expansion and destroyed by fire in October of that year.
2804 N. Interstate 35
This demolished restaurant started out as Pike Shoppes circa 1965 and research has turned up other establishments (this may not be 100% accurate as they are from tax records): Chef Lupe's Mexican Restaurant (1977-1990), Zamora's Cazuelas Restaurant (1991-1993), Enchiladas y Mas (1994-1999), Austex Mex (1999-2004), and Jorge Arrendondo's Tex-Mex Cafe (2004-2006). In 2007 (not quite 2006 as their website claimed) it became Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant and had operated in some form or fashion (not necessarily Austin) since 1991. Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant closed in July 2025 and was damaged by fire in October of that year from the closed Rodeway Inn next door (see "2900 N. Interstate 35"). I had wanted to visit Aster's with co-workers but they kept delaying until I lost my job there.
DoubleTree by Hilton / 1617 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Because it was a DoubleTree Club until around 2008, this hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Austin - University Area isn't all-suite. Likely this opened around 2000, the same time as Denny's in the parking lot.
Denny's / 1601 IH-35 North
The chrome "Denny's Classic Diner" here opened in December 2000, between a cemetery and the UT-Austin campus. It appears originally there was something special about these types of Denny's restaurants; however, that has been long gone for at least a decade now.
Super 8 / 1201 N. Interstate 35
Super 8 by Wyndham Austin Downtown/Capitol Area. It was a Rodeway Inn as of January 1970 (with an Interregional Highway address) and still was a Rodeway Inn in 1993.
The Avenir / 1109 Interstate 35 North
This tall apartment building replaced a long-closed Safeway (#266, with the 1109 Interregional Hwy. address). It was a Marina Safeway and closed in 1987, the same year the Dallas division was shut down and several Houston stores were slashed. It never became an AppleTree. Interestingly, the apartment building that replaced it the building was torn down in 2019, the Avenir, was supposed to have a 60,000 square feet grocery store on the lower level before it was canned due to neighborhood resistance. H-E-B doesn't have new stores of that size, typically...perhaps Randalls was poised to re-emerge at the site of an old Safeway! Alas, in the end, it was cut, and the tower became just a bit shorter with no new Randalls (or any other grocery store, for that matter) in sight.
Valero / 900 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Most of the other "Signature Austin" convenience stores were sold to Circle K back around the mid-2010s but this one still soldiers on with that name (it has been Signature since 1988). It alternatively has the East Avenue address, which I-35 was built over. Until 2020-2021, the gas station was a Shell station, as well. This was known as David Johnson's Downtown Texaco in 1976.
Wendy's / 619 N. Interstate Hwy. 35
Wendy's opened here in 2004 at a site of a former gas station, more than likely an Exxon based on the recycled sign structure.
Chevron / 601 N. Interstate 35
This Chevron has been around for decades, the convenience store looks to be a converted garage.
Hilton Garden Inn / 500 N. Interstate 35
This hotel was built as the Waller Creek Plaza hotel in 1985, developed with an adjacent office tower, the 10-story Waller Creek Executive Center at 507 Sabine Street and connected with a skywalk. In 1991, after being repossessed a few years earlier, the hotel was sold and renovated as Sheraton Austin. One of the hotel's features that Sheraton kept (as Rooftop Cafe) and still maintains under Hilton is the restaurant on the top floor, now known as Eighteenth Over Austin. The hotel changed hands in 2003 to Crowne Plaza (Crowne Plaza Austin Hotel) and after a few years under the InterContinental Hotels Group, became Hilton Garden Inn (Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown/Convention Center) around 2006-2007. Meanwhile, the former office tower had rented space to Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for a while (1996-2005) but eventually was extensively renovated into 80 condominiums, Sabine on Fifth.
According to the 2005 InterContinental Hotels Group directory, this has 254 rooms and seven suites.
One of the places it replaced was El Matamoros (504 East Avenue as of 1975).
Chevron / 30 N. Interstate 35
This Chevron was developed as a Gulf station in 1969, part of an arrangement with Holiday Inn (see "Holiday Inn" below, including a link to see what the Holiday Inn and gas station looked like in better days) where Gulf Oil owned 5% of the fledgling hotel company. Gulf eventually officially parted ways with Holiday Inn in 1980 but the gas station lived on. Eventually, the garages were converted into a store (there's a sign for "Picky's Pantry" though legally appears to be known as "Austin SuperMarket" today) while the Gulf name was swapped out for Chevron in the early 1990s following the acquisition of Gulf Oil by Chevron.
A wooden enclosure for a taco trailer on the Holiday Inn side of the property makes the hotel more run-down, though the 2007 Holiday Inn logo didn't help.
Holiday Inn / 20 N. Interstate 35
This long-standing cylindrical Holiday Inn (Holiday Inn Austin-Town Lake) was built in the era where Holiday Inn was firing on all cylinders (no pun intended), and featuring two tower buildings (connected by the same ground-floor lobby), one of which was built several years later. My 2002 Holiday Inn guide mentions it featured 14 floors with 320 rooms (the main cylinder building was 13 floors but floor 13 is skipped), though I'm not sure what the original room count was. It mentions "Pecan Tree Restaurant" and "Dabber's Bar". Pleasant Family Shopping has a picture of the hotel soon after it was built (marked as "location unknown").
According to further research, Holiday Inn purchased the land from the city in 1965 to build a circular 12-story hotel with 112 units, a restaurant, and El Caballero night club, with the hotel opening in December 1967. In 1979, a second tower was proposed to add 197 rooms and a 135 space parking lot. This would've used Town Lake parkland, and despite a compromise by Holiday Inns of America Inc. to landscape some of the adjacent park and add a pavilion, citizen opposition eventually forced Holiday Inn to scale back and add only 99 additional rooms...yet somehow the number of rooms did end up being the same number they originally wanted, so something must have changed again at some point.