Central Austin Edition | February 2022

DEVELOPMENT Next phaseofAustin’sMexicanAmerican Cultural Center expansion takingshape

BY BEN THOMPSON

MACC’s outdoor zocalo, or central courtyard, made up of a paved plaza that extends onto the center’s lawn next to the trail. Under the expansion plan, the area would be broken apart between a more dened lawn area—leading into updated gallery and theater space at a lower elevation—and the renovated zocalo at the level of the rest of the MACC building. Project teammembers said the split would allow for more control of the space as the surrounding Rainey Street Historic District continues its development boom. “The building that the original architect designed had a very strong form, so we feel like we have an obligation to complete the vision,” architect Juan Miró said. The plan to split the lawn and zocalo was met with some reservations from residents and board members around how bigger events might be staged and an overall need to separate the plaza from the lakefront, which led the board to hold o on approving the plans Jan. 26. On Feb. 2 the board did not approve the plan citing concern over a lack of community input.

Initial schematics for the MACC Phase 2 expansion were shared in January. (Rendering courtesy city of Austin)

Plans for an expansion that would nearly double the size of the city-owned Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center are moving along, while some questions remain about the proposed design’s new features and the community’s role in nalizing the project’s scope. During a Jan. 26 presentation to the MACC board, project designers detailed their vision to extend the semicircular cultural center and add tens of thousands of square feet of classrooms for children and adults, new gallery and perfor- mance spaces, and other improvements. The plan also includes landscaping, such as creating a snake-themed lookout point and a tree-lined sculpture garden along the Lady Bird Lake trail. “The plans and the drawings as they’re laid out increase the footprint and the ability of the MACC to really be able to serve the public in a very dynamic and hopefully adaptive way into the future,” board Chair David Goujon said. Amain feature of the proposed facility update is the improvement and separation of the

BUILDINGTHEMACC The 36,000-square-foot Mexican American Cultural Center could more than double through its proposed phase 2 expansion.

Additional square footage

Performance: 3,864 Other: 2,988 Oce: 665

Classrooms: 5,137

Gallery: 6,862

Circulation and lobbies: 9,644

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