Corazon

Cypress is one of several progressive developers who have invested east of Interstate 35 in Austin’s emerging, diverse eastside neighborhood, ripe with a creative, youthful demographic. Corazon (“heart” in Spanish) is a 256-unit wood-frame apartment building, set atop a concrete podium of street-fronting retail and restaurant uses and a three-level parking garage. The site slopes two stories down from East Sixth Street to East Fifth, and the building had to incorporate a heritage pecan tree, which impacts its footprint. The effort to deliver a high density of 137 units per acre is merited because of proximity to the Plaza Saltillo Station of Austin’s new Capital MetroRail system. The project is also uniquely situated close to the Tejano Music Trail and is adjacent to a park. Corazon’s facades are modern and the materials palette of brick, stone and storefront glass at the base with stucco and metal panels above speaks to a creative clientele. The project, which also includes 35 affordable units, marks GFF’s first LEED for Homes Gold multi family residential project. Construction was completed in 2014.