The current building was designed by Antoine Predock and Cotera + Reed Architects, which was intended to reflect what The Dallas Morning News referred to as a "crazy-quilt vitality, that embraces everything from country music to environmental protests and high-tech swagger.

"[1] The new city hall, built from recycled materials, has solar panels in its garage.

[3] In the 1980s, the City of Austin proposed a 60-acre urban renewal project for Austin's Warehouse District,[4] which would have included a new city hall complex designed by urban planner Denise Scott Brown, along with a new location for the Laguna Gloria art museum, designed by architect Robert Venturi.

[5] In 1987, partially in response to the Savings and Loan Crisis, the plans were shelved when the property was foreclosed upon.

[8] In November 2004, the Austin City Hall officially opened in its current building at 301 W 2nd St.[9]