Paramount and State Theaters, Congress Avenue – Austin, Texas

We are on Congress Avenue, Austin’s main north-south downtown street. We still have two classic looking theaters on Congress, the Paramount and State. I never tire of photographing them, especially since the Paramount is proudly displaying its reconstructed classic looking blade.

The street is unusually quiet. I made this photograph at the height of the first pandemic lockdown in Austin, back in early April. We just see a cyclist and a few cars in the distance. While COVID-19 is a serious business, photographically, I enjoyed the brief time when the streets were clear. It allowed me to make very uncluttered urban landscapes.

Austin is continuously on the move. The building to the left of the State Theater is now torn down, and a sizable skyscraper will be rising shortly. The traffic, while not at normal levels, has started to build. Recently, I heard Austin’s roads are now back up to 80%.

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