Austin's Historic STATE Theater - downtown Austin

 Photo: Bob Kenney

source: http://www.austintheatre.org/

State Theatre - History

"The State Theatre is a historical cornerstone to Austin's downtown arts district, so ensuring its soundness and longevity are key to the future fabric of our city. We want the community to understand the history of the State Theatre and to continue to enjoy its unique Austin setting for many, many more years." - Former Mayor Will Wynn

This vintage movie house—built in 1935 by Interstate Circuit Inc.—stands next door to the Paramount Theatre and within sight of the State Capitol building. It was built on the site of the old Avenue Hotel, which stood until after the turn of the century. The State Theatre was the first theatre in Austin built specifically to show motion pictures and opened on Christmas Day of 1935 with The Bride Comes Home, featuring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. Downtown movie houses were popular during the era; the theatre screened films along with many others like The Paramount, The Queen—which stood on the west side of Congress Avenue—and The Ritz, now an Alamo Drafthouse location on 6th Street. The State flourished under the helm of Louis Noovy, a general manager for Interstate's four Austin movie houses, which included the Paramount, Queen and Capitol theatres. Designed by W. Scott Dunn in the Art Deco style that was popular when it was built, the State lobby retains much of the charm of its past due to a major facelift in 1981 that returned it to its original Art Deco splendor. Vacant beginning in 1986, the City of Austin bought the structure and leased it to Live Oak Theatre. Live Oak, a local, producing theatre company, spurred the most notable renovations to the facility. Austin architect Sinclair Black and Live Oak’s director Don Toner embarked on a $3.5 million rehabilitation in 1998, transforming the interior into an inviting, open 320-seat space with backstage work areas, dressing rooms, a rehearsal hall, and a new lobby. Six months later, the company finalized its purchase of the State Theatre, moved into the building and continued its tradition of presenting quality work and supporting the growth of new plays. Embracing the spirit of its new permanent home, the company changed its name to The State Theatre Company. In 2000, the company merged with its next-door neighbor, The Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts, to form the Austin Theatre Alliance (ATA). An endeavor that began with two distinct operational and business models has combined the best of both to become one of Austin's most uniquely productive performing arts resources - a thriving organization that both presents and produces a broad range of drama, comedy, music, dance and spoken-word events of the highest caliber, in downtown Austin's most commanding venues. In June of 2006, the State Theatre, having just celebrated its 70th anniversary and in the middle of a successful run of the play Bunk Bed Brothers, suffered the effects of a city water main break that resulted in the flooding of the State’s stage and basement, ruining hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and forcing the cancellation of part of the theatre’s 2006-07 season. Some productions were moved to other venues—the State’s remount of the award-winning American Fiesta was moved to the University of Texas’ McCullough Theatre and Judith Ivey’s Women on Fire was performed at the Paramount. After approximately $300,000 worth of repairs were completed, the Austin Theatre Alliance was proud to celebrate the grand re-opening of the State Theatre on March 1st, 2011 with a private performance by Austin favorite, Bob Schneider. The venue is now available for both rental and additional presented performances.

If you ever get a chance to see a performance here do it! great theater renovation, Great performances!

Robert Kenney. Realtor

®

Reilly Realtors

13500 Galleria Circle, Suite U-115

Austin, TX 78738

Top Austin Agent Joins Reilly Realtors

 

Posted by Michael Reilly on Monday, February 10th, 2014 at 8:20am.

Reilly Realtors agent Robert Kenney http://www.austinhomelistings.com/agents/robert-kenney/
We at Reilly Realtors would like to welcome Robert Kenney to our team of expert agents. Bob comes to Reilly Realtors with 12 years of experience as a Realtor and over $5 million in sales in 2013. He has consistently established himself as one of Austin’s top producers thanks to his diverse portfolio of not only real estate experience, but marketing, website development and management as well. Prior to his success in real estate, Bob was the principal in a textile commodity business, where he gained experience working with national as well as international clients from regions such as Europe, South America, Africa and Australia. Bob not only brings his in-depth knowledge of the real estate market with him to Reilly Realtors, but over five years of corporate relocation experience, as well. Having made a successful transfer to Austin himself 16 years ago, Bob knows what clients are looking for when they make the move to the Texas capital. Bob’s expertise isn’t just limited to relocation, but extends to all aspects of real estate and knowledge of the Austin area.

We're also excited to announce that Bob has been nominated for the Austin Business Journal’s 2014 Residential Real Estate Awards! These awards honor the top 50 residential real estate agents as well as master-planned communities and builders for custom, production and green homes. Bob was nominated as one of the top licensed agents in the Austin area with no licensed assistants. Nominees will be honored with a lunch and awards presentation at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Austin on Thursday, March 6th. This is not the first time Bob has been honored as a top agent in the Austin area. He was also a finalist for the Platinum Top 50 Realtors Awards Program in 2011, 2012 and 2013, which recognizes achievements in sales, civic leadership and education. When he's not working hard for his clients, Bob enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, which often involves coaching youth sports teams. He is also very active in the Austin community with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a charity that provides food and other goods to the Austin homeless.

Bob’s addition to the Reilly Realtors team makes us more confident than ever that we have all the experience and tools to help our clients reach their real estate goals. We now have over 40 top-producing agents that specialize in all areas of Austin real estate and focus on providing the best service to their clients. Bringing in top agents like Bob Kenney is just one of the exciting plans unfolding for Reilly Realtors in 2014. After bringing in about $120,000,000 in residential sales in 2013, we are focused on continuing to develop the best products and services to help our agents better serve their clients in 2014. You can look forward to many exciting changes to our easy-to-use search tools as well as other aspects of our popular website. If you’re interested in working with Robert Kenney or any of our other top agents, please contact us today.

Salt Lick BBQ - Drift wood/Austin Texas - If you come to Austin you really should plan time to have a meal here..

 

 

Source: http://www.saltlickbbq.com/pages/FAQ.html

 

 

Photos: Bob Kenney, Realtor

 

®

 

Just after the Civil War in 1867, the Roberts family loaded their possessions onto a wagon and set out from Biloxi, Mississippi, eventually settling in Driftwood, Texas. On the trip, they barbequed meat by searing it and then slow-cooking it over coals on a pit made with rocks. An earthen berm was created to block the wind and hold in the smoke. Those original family recipes from the Southeast are the basis for what we do now.

Over the years, the recipes were “Texafied” taking on the local flavors of the land – like chili, cumin and cayenne. In 1967, one hundred years after the Roberts family settled in Driftwood, Thurman Roberts cleared an area on the family’s land and built a barbeque pit. The limestone used to make the pit was quarried from the land. (That pit is still in use today.) He would start cooking on Thursday night, sleep on a cot next to the pit, and sell the meat until it was all gone.

From those small beginnings, we now seat over 800 people and on an average Saturday we feed around 2000 people.

 

 

 

 



 I have lived in Austin for 14 years. This is hands down one of the best places to go with family and friends. The addition of a wine tasting room that show cases Texas wines just adds to the uniqueness of the experience as you drive through the beautiful Hill country.

This area is halfway between Austin and Wimberley and the food is fantastic.  Cash only policy so bring your $$$ (They do have ATM's)

 It is OK to BYOB here. If you go with a group make sure you have designated driver! Sundays you can get their amazing baby back ribs one order is easily split for 2.  everything else is served family style so really brings together your group.. There is usually live music to help spend the time waiting for a table.

 These photos are from the grounds and entrance to the salt Lick. when I 1st started going there you had to know where to turn into the dirt parking lot of you would go right by. Lots of changes over the years to the facilities. The food remains an amazing experience and treat that can be enjoyed as many times as you make the trip!

If you are looking for real estate in the area there are several convenient areas to choose from. From Equestrian estates to vineyards to amazing communities. Do not hesitate to call me for a tour of the area.. and maybe a bite of BBQ you will not soon forget!



Why when I sign up on real estate web sites do I get a bunch of agents calling me right away?

Hi Rose,

It's great people are paying attention! I love to hear that !

So your on a real estate brokers web site, 85% of the people that come to the site are there to see property listings. Most sites will let you look at a min 3 property listings and then figure that you have a level of interest that may require some assistance from and expert.

The Broker has working for them, real estate agents developing their brand recognition in a given market. Different brokers focus on different aspects of services they provide their client base. You know what is important to you with someone who works with you: dependability, knowledgeable about the area of choice, experienced in real estate transaction, honest and other personalities you feel important to have predetermine criteria.

On the agent side they are interested in providing excellent service for their client in the hops of concluding a successful transaction and perhaps receiving referrals from you if they do a great job.

So in the pursuit of providing the client with a great experience there has to be a starting point in communication. Auto email responses let you know a system is functioning but we have found does not give the client an attachment to a person. A quick phone call while you are most likely on the site lets you know that there is an agent available to answer any questions you may have or just make the initial personal contact.

So some consumers are trying to avoid talking to the agent or brokers especially early on in a search process. There are several logical reasons for this. “I don’t even know if I am going to move”, “I am not moving just curious for a friend”, “I already have an agent just don’t like their web site”, “I am busy and don’t want to be bothered at work”, “My spouse doesn’t know I am looking at buying a new home”. Yes I have heard all of these responses!

The agent can tell pretty quick if it is a lead that has some sort of success in converting but the good agents are not going to call you several times a day and keep asking you the same questions or pestering you to meet in person. Once they talk to you they can make their notes and set up time for a follow up or Email/Text with contact information.

If you have several agents calling you it could well be that you have signed up for similar services on different brokerage sites and as such they each have an agent reaching out to you so it seems pretty overwhelming.

Form the clients perspective. If you just let the agents know that you have chosen to work with another agent or that you are undecided about your timing and they should call back in 3 months (you pick time line) they will call you back typically. Once you do choose a Real estate agent as your representative give them as much information as you can about reasons for a move, all criteria that is going to make you want one home over another and work with him as a partner in the process. You will get the occasional agent trying to persuade you to use their services, simply tell them you are represented by an agent and would appreciate if they took you off of active lead list.  Uses this as your initial interview period to ask agents questions you know are important about who you want to be working with.

This will help save time and effort for everyone and you will be getting a lot less calls.

Hope this information helps Rose. Don’t forget you can always contact me direct Mobile/Text @ 512-922-4922 with any questions of if your need an experienced real estate agent in the Austin area.

Regards,

bob Kenney, Realtor

I need to lease a home, can my Realtor help me?

Hi Loni,

Thanks for the question.

In most cases your Realtor® will be very happy to assist you and very appreciative that you thought to seek their advice and assistance.

Leasing of homes and apartments is handled different all over the United States. Each market seems to have it;s own system in place. In Austin, Texas your have either a leasing company or management firm, apartment owner leasing, Listing agents (Brokers) that will list your unit in MLS for all realtors to see.

Some Realtors® prefer not to assist clients in leases. This is always an individual decision by the agent. I have found that telling a client they are no interested in assisting them but “hey don’t forget to call me when you are ready to buy”, is not a very good business policy!

If I have a client in need of assistance on any type of transaction I will do my best to handle the transaction or if not qualified find someone with the experience needed to give them the best representation.

For a Realtor® they earn a commission from the leasing transaction after the client has been approved for the lease and lease the terms are negotiated and the lease is signed and funded (security deposits and rent payments made). Typically the Realtor® will receive a % from the leasing company or listing broker between 30-50% of the 1^st months rent.

There is a lot of paperwork associated with the lease process , at least here in Austin, and it is very chaotic as every company/broker has their own sets of rules in order for an applicant to be accepted. I personally think there is a better way to handle leasing process but think until a more efficient process is introduced there is just no way to get around the pain of the leasing process.

The majority of agents will assist you in this transaction so please make that call!

I will point out that in some markets around the country the leasing market is very tight with available inventory. There are usually multiple lease applications on desirable properties and how you present your application is essential in obtaining the lease. So work with your agent and let him/her find out exactly what is required to present a strong application. Do not assume that this is any easier than buying a home! Sometimes it seems to be even more difficult to get approved for an application than a mortgage.

The main reason is that the owner of the unit is trying to get his monthly cost of carrying the property covered by the rent. Any disruption in the rent payments could be costly for them so they want to make sure they are not having to re list the property every couple of months and gamble that they might loose income for any period of time.

So emotions run high in these transactions. Don’t be put off bu being rejected, a lot of lease negotiations fall off prior to the finale leases being signed so it is good practice to keep in touch with leasing agent for the next 5 days or so after they have decided to go with another applicant. Don’t stop looking just keep it in play until it becomes more finale.

What to have prepared for a lease application:

1.You will need to approve the leasing entity access to your credit and criminal history. This is usually included in the “application fee”. They will access an on line service that costs between $30-$50 per applicant (You will need separate applications for each adult that will be named on the lease) It is usually required that this application fee be paid with application in certified funds (money order or cashiers check) and made out to the leasing entity. This fee varies but runs between 40-75 depending on the company. Yes more than the costs of the reports!

They will send you an Online approval from the credit checking service asking for permission to access your records. Be prepared to check spam box if you do not get anything w/in 24 hours

2. You are sometimes required to also submit security deposit (typically 1 months rent) by either cashiers check or money order. It is usually made out the owner of the property but some leasing companies have escrow accounts so from time to time you make these out the leasing company. You really need to know this info up front so make sure your agent asks!

I know – "WHAT!  I have to give them security deposit before I know that I am approved? " What happens if I am not approved? This is one of the broken features of the leasing process in Austin market. I cant tell you the number of times I have had to fight with the listing entity to get these funds back. Some will just hand you back the cashiers check/money order and your client can return to where they purchased it to convert it back into dollars. Some will actually cash the check and then wait 7-15 days for the funds to clear then issue you a refund check, some very unscrupulous companies will tell you you lost the funds and you need to get very argumentative to get funds returned. If nothing else this is a great reason to have a Realtor® involved.

  
3. Read the lease carefully (as with any legally binding document) and make sure you know the terms of the lease. Make a copy of it and keep it handy because after the term of the lease there are certain time deadlines you will be responsible for and you will want to have a quick reference

Hope this answers your question Loni. Please feel free to contact me if you have any firther questions or need a referral!

Regards,

Bob kenney, Realtor®

VP Turnquist Partners Realtors

Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

December - The month of reflections and celebrations

Whatever your belief, whatever your heritage

December is a significant and important month for a lot of people all over the world.

* some of these days float from year to year but for 2013 here are major celebrations that people all over the world will be celebrating in December of 2013.

1-5 - Hanukkah* (Jewish) Actually began on Thanksgiving day and runs through 12/5/2013

6    - St. Nicholas Day (International)

8    - Bodhi Day - Buddha's Enlightenment (Buddhist)

12  - Virgin of Guadalupe (Mexico)

13  - Santa Lucia Day (Sweden)

16-25 - Las Posadas (Mexico)

21      - Yule

25 - Christmas (Christian, Roman Catholic, International)

26 - Boxing Day (Canada, United Kingdom)

26 - Jan 1 - Kwanzaa (African-American)

 I wish that everyone will take advantage of these days in their community to lean respect, admiration and perhaps become inspired by all of these traditions as they are celebrated in your communities. Embrace these events, ask questions and wish the celebrants well.

All of these special days tell a story and the tradition associated with each one needs to be preserved for all generations, today's and tomorrow's..

May you all have a healthy, happy holiday season and be safe in your travels.

Regards,

Bob Kenney, Realtor
Austin Texas

Mobile: 512-922-4922

** Apologies for any celebrations not mentioned in the above list. If you know of a special day I did not include please forward the information to me and I will update this information!