Construction of The Austonian, Texas' tallest residential high rise building, is on schedule and will be completed at the pace of one floor per week, developers of The Austonian announced today. Under construction at 200 Congress in downtown Austin, the 56-story luxury high-rise condominium project is expected to be complete by early 2010.

"We know there has been a tremendous amount of speculation regarding the overall progress of downtown development and, specifically, The Austonian," said Terry Mitchell, Strategic Marketing Director for The Austonian. "We are very pleased to put an end to the speculation and rumors by announcing that we have completed construction of the 10-story base and have begun construction of the residential tower. Sales have exceeded expectations and this project is full-steam ahead."

At a press conference today, media were taken on a tour of the 10th floor of The Austonian, which, when finished, will serve as an urban garden complete with a 75-foot pool, fountains, private cabanas, two outdoor kitchens, two outdoor fireplaces, a secured dog park and wireless Internet. Attendees viewed the first glimpse of the residential tower as well as the spectacular view of the Capitol.

During construction of the tower, an estimated 500 cubic yards of concrete (about 55 truckloads) and 50 tons of structural steel will go into each level. When complete in 2010, the 56-story Austonian will be Texas? tallest residential high-rise and the tallest such building West of the Mississippi River.