An East Austin high school has won a prestigious national design award.

Why it matters: The design of Eastside Early College High School is meant to reflect the complicated legacy of desegregation while also providing a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Catch up quick: The school, off Webberville Road, is on the site of the old L.C. Anderson High School.

• Anderson served as Austin's only Black high school for more than 80 years until it was closed in 1971 during desegregation.

Driving the news: Earlier this month, the $80 million project, by Austin-based architecture firm Perkins and Will, won an education facility award from the American Institute of Architects for its sustainable, resilient and inclusive design.

How it works: The design team reconstructed brick-by-brick parts of the old building, which had to be torn down, while expanding it into a 4-story, 173,000-square-foot school that overlooks the Austin skyline.

• The new campus opened in 2022.

What they're saying: Members of the Perkins and Will team met with Anderson alumni as they put together the design.

• The closure of the old Anderson school "tore apart friendships, shut down Friday night lights and morning doughnut parties and cut off students from favorite teachers," Angela Whitaker-Williams, the project's managing principal at Perkins and Will, tells Axios.
• The challenge was "how do we reflect on the history and propel it into the future," she says.

Zoom in: The team recreated the midcentury brick entrance facade to honor the school's history, but built classroom space that would be "very flexible, collaborative and high-tech," Whitaker-Williams says.

• "Rising from this foundation, the new campus symbolizes the perseverance of a community," the firm wrote.

The intrigue: Other AIA recipients this year in the educational facility category included projects at Stanford, Williams College and the Boston Public Library.

The bottom line: Eastside —whose student body is 77% Hispanic, 18% Black, 3% white and 1% Asian — now offers classes in health science, engineering, information technology and graphic design, with the opportunity to obtain an associate degree.

Birdie's co-owner and wine pro Arjav Ezekiel beat out talent from across the country to take home a prestigious James Beard Award last night.

Why it matters: The Beards are like the Oscars for the American hospitality industry, and win can be a huge boost in business for restaurants.

Driving the news: Ezekiel won in the new Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service category.

• It's one of three new categories focused on beverages at the James Beard Awards.

What they're saying: "It feels like a big win for our city," Ezekiel told Axios at the ceremony in Chicago. "I think people assume Austin is a cocktail city, but we're very fast becoming a wine city."

Between the lines: Birdie's continues to be a standout in Austin's culinary scene, and Ezekiel was Austin's only finalist at this year's awards.

• The restaurant's chef and co-owner, Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, was a finalist in the Best Texas Chef category last year.

The bottom line: "(Austin) is an incredible place to open a restaurant, it's an incredible community to raise your child in, and it is a really special place to walk back into with a medal around my neck," Ezekiel said.

The number of migrants found dead in the New Mexico desert surged after El Paso joined Operation Lone Star in 2022. (Texas Tribune)

🏡 A new tiny home community in southeast Austin is expected to open by next summer. (KVUE)

🏛️ The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) will lead Austin's Homelessness Advisory Council starting this week. (KXAN)

Ballrooms are out. "Micro weddings" are in — and they might be smarter, too.

Why it matters: Some couples are skipping big weddings to save money and throw a more intimate gathering.

By the numbers: The average guest count nationwide was 131 in 2024, down from 184 in 2006, according to data shared with Axios by The Wedding Report.

• And smaller celebrations, those with 50 guests or fewer, made up 18% of nuptials last year, compared to 10% in 2013, per the research company.

Zoom in: Chapel Dulcinea, the tiny wedding venue near Driftwood, has offered free time slots to couples since 2005 who are looking for an intimate space.

• The open-air chapel — ideal for ceremonies with fewer than 60 guests —now charges for evenings and weekends, but weekday bookings remain free.
• Visitor center director Samantha Bradshaw tells Axios the chapel hosts around 1,000 weddings each year, and she's noticed a growing number of summer bookings as couples scramble to secure popular dates.
• "I think people are booking times they normally wouldn't because the more desirable times are being booked faster and faster," Bradshaw says.

Reality check: While certain people "just like low-key events," most go smaller to spend less, Shane McMurray, CEO of The Wedding Report, tells Axios.

The big picture: Cutting the guest list is the best way to save, with prices for meals, venues, invitations and more usually based on headcount, McMurray says.

• Pros estimate micro weddings can cost over 50% less than traditional ones.

Rising wedding costs