Intel Shell

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Intel Shell
Intel shell implosion - Austin.jpg
Intel Shell building before destruction
Intel Shell
General information
StatusDemolished
Location510 W 5th St.
Austin, Texas
Address400 West San Antonio Street, Austin, TX 78701
Town or cityAustin, TX
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 30°16′05″N97°44′54″W / 30.2681°N 97.7484°W / 30.2681; -97.7484
GroundbreakingSeptember 2000
Construction stoppedMarch 2001
DemolishedFebruary 25, 2007
Cost$124 million
Owner Intel

The Intel Shell was an unfinished Intel building located in Austin, Texas. It was imploded on February 25, 2007, [1] [2] and the Austin United States Courthouse now stands in its place.

Contents

History

The city of Austin had given Intel a $15 million incentive package for the construction of the building, intended to be a ten story chip-design center, built for $124 million. According to the The Austin Chronicle , "Winning the new Intel project symbolized all that was robust about Austin's economy and the revitalization of Downtown, in those high tech glory days." [3]

Because of a slowing economy, construction stopped in March 2001, and the building was abandoned from March 2001 to 2004, [3] becoming something of a symbol of the early 2000s recession. [4] [5] The abandoned building was a four story structure of steel and concrete decks. [6] In 2004, the General Services Administration bought the site for the construction of a new courthouse. [3]

The building was imploded on a Sunday morning in 2007. Hundreds of spectators cheered the demolition. Mayor Will Wynn had made attempts to preserve the building. [2]

Aftermath

After the demolition, an Austin man sold glass bottles with what he said was debris from the building, labeled "Intel Shell Inside". [7] The construction of the Austin U.S. courthouse was completed in 2012. [6]

The Austin United States Courthouse in 2018 Austin US Courthouse SW.jpg
The Austin United States Courthouse in 2018

References

  1. ↑ "City prepares to implode Intel shell". Austin Business Journal . 22 February 2007. Archived from the original on 26 February 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Intel Building Demolition". The Austin Chronicle . 2 March 2007. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  3. 1 2 3 "Farewell, Intel Shell". The Austin Chronicle . 2007-02-23. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  4. ↑ Sharpe, Stephen; D'Auterive, Nico (10 September 2003). "Feds Choose Abandoned Intel Block as Preferred Site for U.S. Courthouse". Texas Architect Magazine. p. 13.
  5. ↑ Yardley, Jim (8 July 2001). "Capital of an Oil State Feels High-Tech Fall" . The New York Times . ProQuest   92121361.
  6. 1 2 Galligan, Jude (17 December 2012). "New Downtown Austin Federal Courthouse Opens, Exorcises Ghost of Intel Shell". Towers. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Weinstein, Natalie (12 March 2007). "The dirt--and dust--on Intel". CNET . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
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