Facebook Unveils New Downtown Austin Space

AUSTIN, TX — Facebook officials unveiled their new downtown offices on Wednesday morning at 3rd and Nueces streets in Austin, joined by local officials in an event that was equal parts tour and celebration.

Spoiler alert: The new digs are pretty sweet.

The social media giant occupies 256,500 square feet spanning 11 floors in the new Third + Shoal building with maximum capacity of more than 1,550 — 350 more than the 1,200 workers already working there. At the grand opening, members of the media were invited to tour the expansive space that houses 10 outdoor terraces, an equal number of micro kitchens, a fitness center with locker rooms and 246 conference rooms.

That's not a typo: The place has got two-hundred and forty six conference rooms.

Along the way, those touring the building oohed and aahhed at the various amenities offered to Facebook employees: free food and snacks; complimentary laundry service; a sound-proof room where musically talented staffers can jam together; a vending machine of sorts that dispenses bicycle parts for workers bicycling to work in need of quick repairs, also free; mothers' rooms for women employees with children.

As she led a media tour of the Facebook offices in downtown Austin, a company official noted that every staffer — regardless of their place in the hierarchy — works in an open environment in reinforcing a spirit of teamwork. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

In unveiling its headquarters, officials dramatically illustrated the growth since first opening an office in Austin nine years ago with just seven employees. Today, the Austin presence if the company's fourth-largest office. Employees work across ever-growing teams that include Small Business, Community Operations, Human Resources, and Finance.

"We've grown an incredible amount here in Austin since we moved here nearly a decade ago," Katherine Shappley, head of the Austin office and vice president of Facebook's North American Global Business Group, told those gathered. "We love this town, and if you look at the art behind us — we've got it on our wall, proudly. We love this town. And there's so many reasons to continue our investment in Austin for its strong talent pipeline, the growing tech comm and, of course, the rich community overall. It is our home in Central Texas, and we will continue to invest here."

Art by 15 local artists is prominently featured throughout the Facebook offices in downtown Austin. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Among the dignitaries attending the unveiling were Mayor Steve Adler, Sen. Kirk Watson and Austin Community College President Dr. Richard Rhodes, the latter sharing news of a significant partnership with the social media giant (more on that later).

"This space really is the intersection of so many things that are important to and inherently the face of the culture here in Austin," Adler said. "It's about technology. But it's more than that. It's about innovation and creativity and taking risks. I just wanted to be here today because I'm so appreciative of the investment in our city and the investment in the Boost Your Business program you're launching here today."

Mayor Steve Adler addresses the gathering during grand opening ceremonies of the Facebook offices in downtown Austin. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

He spoke of the significance of Facebook offerings designed to boost small businesses: "Adding Facebook to the local toolkit of resources that are available to small businesses to be able to grow and be competitive in our city."

A former Austin mayor from 1997 to 2001, Watson provided a historical perspective in yielding context on municipal evolution that led to the Facebook milestone: "At the time, Austin was really taking off as a technology center. There wan't anything called Facebook, there wasn't anything called Twitter. But the world was starting to take off from a technology standpoint, and one of the things that I said we needed to do in our downtown is we needed the lawyers — yeah, I'm a lawyer — we needed the bankers, we needed the real estate guys but what we really needed was the technology community, and what would be the future of technology coming into the downtown of our community."

Sen. Kirk Watson addresses those gathered at the grand opening of Facebook downtown Austin offices at 3rd and Nueces streets. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

He suggested the strong presence of Facebook in downtown Austin is part of the evolution: "I give you that historical background only to say: What we're doing here today in celebrating this new facility, and in celebrating a business that is not only technological but is built upon creating connectivity and creating community is part of the history of this community now, and today is a historical moment."

For his part, ACC President/CEO Dr. Richard Rhodes lauded the fledgling partnership with Facebook: "We are so excited to be a partner with Facebook, and allowing that to happen in Central Texas." He described the impact of the company's $60,000 scholarship fund as an initiative "...that really paves the way and removes the roadblocks to allow students — entrepreneurs, young business — to actually access the service and to get the digital marketing skills necc to reach the public."

But back to those impressive amenities offered to staffers. Arguably the coolest sight along the tour was the music room where musically inclined Facebook workers can jam together during their breaks high up in the sky in a city that boasts of its status as the "live capital music of the world." Here's what the room looks like:

Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

At the downtown Austin office of Facebook, it's a snack lover's dream. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Here's something cute of the downtown locale: The Facebook offices are located directly across the street from the relatively new offices opened by fellow tech giant Google. But rather than being hostile industry rivals, both playfully communicate with each other through the use of messages fashioned from Post-It note cards stuck to the windows. On Wednesday, Google employees — many of which have friends working at Facebook Austin — sent a greeting in the form of a duck with a single-word caption: "Quack."

If you look closely, you can see Google staffers' message to their Facebook neighbors on Wednesday: Quack. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

But it's not just fun and games. Facebook already has made a sizable impact on the city, as visiting dignitaries noted, including a newly launched digital marketing certificate program with the Austin Community College district and a $60,000 scholarship fund also unveiled during the ceremony.

"This new program will make training in digital skills — including social media marketing and digital media strategy — more accessible to the local community and equip graduates to participate in the digital workforce," Facebook spokeswoman Kelly Boynton told Patch in a subsequent email.

Plans to partner with ACC were first revealed last September, and the social media giant has been collaborating on the curriculum with district officials. Enrollment for the new digital marketing certificate program is now slated for Oct. 14, Facebook officials revealed.

"Facebook’s expansion and our partnership with Austin Community College reflects our commitment to Austin," Boynton added. "As we continue to grow here, we will uphold our responsibility to the community and our dedication to being a good neighbor by creating jobs, working with community organizations, and supporting local businesses, job seekers and artists."

Top photo: Lighting up an oversize "like" button to mark the grand opening of the Facebook Austin headquarters were (left to right): Ana Martinez, head of Policy and Community Engagement for Austin; Katherine Shappley, head of the Austin office and vice president of Facebook's North American Global Business Group; Sen. Kirk Watson; and Dr. Richard Rhodes.