FEATURE
Welcome to the Hotel Magdalena
Located in the heart of Austin’s South Congress neighborhood, Hotel Magdalena is the first mass timber boutique hotel in North America. The structure honors the history of the site, including the former 1950s Austin Terrace Motel – previously constructed of exposed heavy timber beams and columns in the mid-century modern aesthetic. The hotel’s interiors also draw inspiration from the city’s 1970s music scene, an homage to the site’s history as the Austin Opry House, revitalized by Willie Nelson in late 1975. Hotel Magdalena’s common exterior spaces, outdoor walkways, and lushly planted terraces enhance the outdoor experience for guests and foster a sense of community. Welcomed by a feature two-way, gridded porte-cochère structure, visitors enjoy an entry walkway shaded by one of several heritage oak trees preserved on the site. Deeply shaded porches and outdoor 30
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terraces create a unique experience that recalls the lake houses and natural artesian springs found in the Texas Hill Country. The mass timber panels, structural walls, and heavy timber porches were prefabricated off-site, then delivered and erected using a streamlined schedule, ensuring efficiency and quality control. A multistory timber walkway structure with gapped DLT panels outside of the hotel rooms required careful organization of boards with spacers and was designed to accommodate the preserved oak trees. By exposing the wood structure to guests, the materials tell the story of how the structure was built while providing a warm, textured material in the guest rooms and common outdoor porches. Showcasing the mass timber panels and heavy timber structural components ensures they become an integral component of the hotel experience, thus allowing
