Cosmic Saltillo / Clayton Korte

Architects: Clayton Korte
Area: 6,531 ft² (Reuse/Renovation: 4,760 ft²; New Construction: 2,341 ft²; Conditioned: 4,760 ft²; Non-Conditioned: 1,591 ft²)
Year: 2023
Photography: Clay Grier
General Contractor: Solutions GC
Landscape Architects: Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture
Architecture and Interior Design: Clayton Korte
Partner: George Wilcox, AIA
Associate: Sky Currie, AIA
Project Designer: Sydney Steadman, AIA
Interior Designer: Veronica Lloveras, NCIDQ
City: Austin, Texas
Country: United States

Cosmic Saltillo adaptive reuse project by Clayton Korte in Austin, Texas, repurposes two early 1900s warehouses into a 6,531 ft² hospitality complex combining food, beverage, and landscape-driven social space, completed in Summer 2023. The design integrates 4,760 ft² of restored structures with 2,341 ft² of new construction, emphasizing material authenticity, sustainability, and spatial reuse. A central garden unifies the program, flanked by a taqueria and bar, with a 30-foot steel tower and second-level terrace enhancing vertical circulation and visibility. Artist collaborations, custom signage, and preserved graffiti reinforce local identity and brand expression across the site.

We are continually influenced by the beauty of our natural environment. The landscapes that surround much of our work are incredibly inspiring and essential to our design process. We are thoughtful about the presence and movement of light and shadow, and always motivated by how natural materials like wood, stone, and concrete interact with one another in artful ways. Our task is to create elevated human experiences within the natural environment that help to improve people’s daily lives.
Interview with Paul Clayton and Brian Korte of Clayton Korte

Cosmic Saltillo, designed by Clayton Korte, transforms two early 20th-century warehouse buildings in East Austin into a landscape-centered hospitality venue. As the second location of Cosmic Coffee & Beer, the project adapts historic infrastructure once used by the Texas Company (Texaco) for petroleum storage and distribution. These industrial structures, long abandoned and marked by decades of graffiti, retain their character while supporting a new program centered on community, ecology, and reuse.

Completed in Summer 2023, Cosmic Saltillo spans 6,531 square feet. The project includes 4,760 square feet of renovated space and 2,341 square feet of new construction. It comprises 4,760 square feet of conditioned interior and 1,591 square feet of non-conditioned areas. The design preserves the form and material integrity of the original front-gabled buildings, while the previously unutilized space between them has been converted into a social garden and public realm.

Visitors entering Cosmic Saltillo encounter the core elements of the brand’s architectural identity: steel trellises overgrown with fig ivy, water features punctuating transitions, and custom metal signage that establishes presence. The west warehouse houses a coffee and spirits bar with adjacent lounge seating, and the east building introduces a new taqueria. Between them, a lush garden creates the primary gathering space. A koi pond, curved covered deck, and open patio support a flexible social environment. A stair at the entrance leads to a second-level bar designed for smaller events and private functions. The overhead string lighting draws a visual connection to the celestial themes embedded in the Cosmic brand.

Much of the original architectural envelope remains intact. Corrugated steel siding, wood-framed windows, and metal roofing were preserved and restored. Materials introduced across the site were selected for long-term durability and their capacity to age in place. A new 30-foot steel mesh tower was added to provide access to the upper terrace and serves as a vertical focal point. The tower includes a custom mural, designed to activate the structure during evening hours through integrated lighting.

To maintain a sense of continuity with the site’s layered visual history, the architects collaborated with local graffiti artist Miles Starkey. New murals were applied to targeted architectural surfaces, including the tower, an awning, and the edge wall of the patio. In 2023, Cosmic Saltillo invited several Austin-based artists to contribute works along the property’s street-facing fence line in tribute to Daniel Johnston, reinforcing the project’s embeddedness in local culture.

The internal design team at Clayton Korte included George Wilcox, AIA (Partner), Sky Currie, AIA (Associate), Sydney Steadman, AIA (Project Designer), and Veronica Lloveras, NCIDQ (Interior Designer). Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture led the landscape design, while Solutions GC served as the general contractor.

Cosmic Saltillo repositions industrial heritage within a contemporary hospitality framework, combining adaptive reuse, ecological integration, and urban cultural identity in a unified architectural composition.