Seaholm Power Plant, Modern architectural building in downtown Austin, United States

Seaholm Power Plant is a three-story concrete structure in downtown Austin with massive walls, large industrial windows, and metal lettering displayed on its exterior. The facility has been converted into a mixed-use development containing residential units, office spaces, retail shops, and restaurants.

Commissioned in 1948 and designed by Burns & McDonnell, the plant was built in two phases in 1951 and 1955 as "Power Plant No. 2," renamed for Walter E. Seaholm on 2 June 1960. It was Austin's sole power source from 1950 to 1959, stopped supplying the city in 1989, and served as a training facility until closing entirely in 1996. Redevelopment began in mid-2013, with tenants in the turbine generator building from 2015.

The plant is named after Walter E. Seaholm, an Austin municipal utilities administrator, not after its lakeside site. The 1960 renaming honored him posthumously. Visitors can still see the metal Art Moderne lettering "City of Austin" above the entryways, with "Light" and "Power" atop the awnings.

The site is walkable and offers public areas with shops, restaurants, and gathering spaces accessible to visitors. Keep in mind that this is a mixed-use neighborhood where private residences and office areas are not open to the public.

Seaholm was built with underground ash pits for coal firing, but the plant never actually burned coal. Its oil heating building and underground fuel tanks allowed crude oil use, yet over its operating life it was fired primarily with natural gas.