Rock Island Caboose Restoration

For the March Issue of the Austin-Central Texas Commercial Real Estate Update, I thought I’d report on something a little different. This is partly due to a lot of interest I am getting from a project I took on. A business partner and I are renovating a 100+ year old Rock Island caboose in downtown Wimberley, Texas.

This project fell in our laps as we didn’t grow up as train enthusiast; however, after this project, we are turning into some “railfans” as we learn more about this era of trains and their importance to our nation’s growth and prosperity. We are quickly getting up to speed on the best way to tear a caboose down and rebuild it.

You’re probably asking yourself: “Into what?” Since our property is zoned for a wide range of uses, it could be used for just about anything we could think of, within reason. We aren’t in a hurry to make that determination yet and are talking with the City of Wimberley and community leaders about what use would best complement the energized redevelopment happening in the area. We see possibilities such as a long/short term residential rental; a commercial use like a bar/restaurant; or retail shop given its proximity to the iconic Wimberley Square shopping district and public parking.

To accommodate the potential for a variety of uses, it will initially be built out as an open space that includes a bathroom with a shower in addition to an area for basic food and beverage preparation that includes cabinets and a sink.

Here is a video of the caboose being moved by a crane to its final resting spot, attracting quite a crowd, too. Timing wise, we are hoping to finish the project by early summer 2023. If you are interested in learning more about this project, let me know and I can keep you up to date as the project progresses.

And of course, if you have any questions or needs related to commercial real estate leasing, sales, or investments, give me a call at 512-736-5933.