The Modern Austin Residences: Condo tower on Rainey Street welcomes new residents this summer

By Urbanspace – Austin Business Journal
July 14, 2025

With Austin’s reputation as a live music capital, perhaps it isn’t surprising that the origin story of The Modern, a 56-story condominium tower hailed as “authentically Austin,” includes a sweet nod to Austin music icons, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. In 2009, still reeling from a recession which had Urbanspace CEO Kevin Burns rethinking the brownstone plans he had for the property he purchased at 90 Rainey Street, he began to envision something with a larger footprint.

While renting his property to a shipping container bar as a stop gap measure, Burns became friends with the property owners next door, Thunderbirds’ drummer Fran Christina and his partner, artist Julie Speed. Over the course of the next five years, with Rainey Street booming as a nightlife district, it became clear that this neighborhood was not the ideal place for single-family homes. “Everything happens for a reason,” says Burns, “and over time it became obvious that townhomes weren’t congruent with the new fabric of the area, since there were so many bars at ground level.” Thus, the seeds were planted for a new vision: a luxurious, modern residential condo tower.

Once Burns had purchased 92 Rainey Street from Christina and Speed, it was off to the races.

In 2010, Burns met Urbanspace principal Merrill Alley, when she came on board as an intern with the company’s furniture store and design studio. “I really wanted to bring her on because I saw her natural talents and passion for design, I just didn’t have any money to pay her!” Fortunately for Burns, Alley shared his enthusiasm for this new tower project, which would come to be known as The Modern Austin Residences.

With her background in human-centered architecture, Alley has been well suited as a true collaborator in creating floor plans with the end user always front of mind. “We’re making sure that from the smallest one bedrooms, to the largest penthouses–each resident has a fully, thoughtfully designed space.” Alley says she often sees developers sideline smaller units when it comes to design choices considered too small for consideration. “Meanwhile, in the kitchen you’re left with a nine inch wide drawer, and who can really use that? We spend just as much time thinking about the smaller units as we do the large ones,” she asserts.

Burns adds that with Urbanspace offering turnkey solutions to clients that include interior design and furnishings as well, this holistic approach allowed them to design floor plans with a mind toward the kind of furniture they anticipate will one day fill the space. “We are very keen on designing different spaces for different demographics of buyers,” enthuses the CEO. “So it’s not just this homogeneous building, right? When someone walks through the door of our sales center, there’s a good chance that we have something for them.”

Read the full article at Austin Business Journal »