Austin’s new 1,025-foot Waterline tower is now the tallest building in Texas, surpassing Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower.

HOUSTON — The Texas skyline has a new tallest tower.

Developers Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential officially topped out Waterline, their 74-story mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Austin, on Friday. At 1,025 feet, Waterline is now the tallest building in Texas — surpassing Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower by 23 feet, which had held the record since 1981.

The milestone was marked by a topping out ceremony at the construction site at 98 Red River St., where hundreds of workers and project team members gathered to watch the final beam lifted into place. Many signed the beam before it was hoisted by crane.

“Waterline has already remade the Austin skyline, but the project’s transformational impact on this area of downtown will be just as significant when the building opens in 2026,” said Lincoln Executive Vice President Seth Johnston.


What’s inside Texas’ tallest building?

Scheduled to open in late 2026, Waterline will include:

352 luxury apartment homes700,000 square feet of office spaceA 251-room 1 Hotel Austin24,000 square feet of public retail and restaurants along Waller Creek and Waterloo Greenway

Waterline is situated on a 3.3-acre campus near Lady Bird Lake and the Waller Creek Trail, offering unobstructed views from every office and residential floor. The tower was designed by international architecture firm KPF.

The project’s general contractor, DPR Construction, noted that more than 4,750 workers have contributed to the build since construction began in 2022. At the height of construction activity, around 875 people were on-site each day.


Waterline redefines the Austin skyline

Before Waterline, the tallest structure in Austin was Sixth and Guadalupe, also developed by Lincoln and Kairoi. Waterline now rises 185 feet taller than that tower.

In comparison, JPMorgan Chase Tower in downtown Houston, completed in 1981, stands at 1,002 feet and remains the tallest five-sided building in the world, with more than 1.6 million square feet of office space.


What’s next?

Office floors at Waterline are now being marketed to tenants. Kairoi plans to begin leasing the residential units ahead of the tower’s grand opening next fall.

Johnston said the tower’s integration with downtown Austin’s hike-and-bike trail, Waterloo Greenway, and proximity to the Rainey Street District and the upcoming Austin Convention Center will make it a key destination for locals and visitors alike.