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Local limestone enhances corporate expansion
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by Michelle Stinnard
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March 12, 2007
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Using locally quarried Texas limestone as a special feature, Whole Foods Market has expanded its
Austin-based location to include both a retail location as well as the company’s headquarters
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Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest natural and organic foods supermarket, has opened an 80,000square-foot landmark store and a 200,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Austin, TX. Locally
quarried Antique Lueders limestone from Mezger Enterprises Ltd. of Lampasas, TX, was selected for
various exterior elements, and HKS Inc., of Dallas, TX, was hired to carry out the design.
The concept behind the new store, which doubles the size of its previous Austin location across the street
from the new site, is to continue to fulfill the company’s mission of supporting sustainable agriculture and
the environment. A key aspect of the property is the capability to include an office tower for Whole Foods
Market’s new worldwide corporate headquarters to accommodate the company’s steady growth.
“This one-of-a-kind site has everything we are looking for: an opportunity to significantly expand our
corporate infrastructure to meet our future growth goals, the space to build a large landmark store in our
hometown, and the ability to keep our roots firmly planted in downtown Austin,” said Jim Sud, executive
vice president of growth and business development for Whole Foods Market.
The Whole Foods Market
in downtown Austin
combines the
corporation’s retail store
and corporate
headquarters, and
features Antique
Lueders limestone from
Mezger Enterprises Ltd.
of Lampasas, TX, for a
variety of exterior
elements.
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Locally quarried chopped limestone veneer with cut stone trim was utilized. The stone pattern includes
bands comprised of stone pieces in heights of approximately 5, 10 and 15 inches in varying lengths
with a rough-faced look and varying coloration from stone to stone. The stone is most prominently
used at the entrance to the office building. Limestone is used as a base for the sign, and a large stone
wall serves as a backdrop for the Culinary Center logo.
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Mezger Enterprises supplied the Lueders limestone in both a natural face finish and a split-face finish.
According to Wayne Harbin of Mezger Enterprises, the traffic in downtown Austin posed the only
challenge onsite. “We had to go in really early in the morning, before the traffic started, to get work
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done,” he said, adding that at least two streets were closed off during construction.
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The facility also features a 25,000-square-foot roof garden and plaza with 200 shaded seats, a space for entertainers, a playscape,
flowing stream, native landscaping and prime city views. Furthermore, the site contains an outdoor cafe, which features natural stone
paving. This cafe is surrounded by a series of curved and geometrically shaped planters, which are also comprised of stone.
Although much larger than the previous Whole Foods Market that stood just blocks away, the new store retains the charm and
accessibly of its first location, with an intimate, village-style layout.
Construction on the new facility began in late 2002 and the doors officially opened on March 3, 2005.
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The material was used in
both a natural face finish
and a split-face finish.
Michelle Stinnard
stinnardm@stoneworld.com
Michelle is the assistant editor of Stone World.
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