Originally published September 2017, updated December 2022.
Formerly the home to Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, the Mueller neighborhood is a master-planned development that prides itself on sustainability. The community is home to many residential houses and apartments as well as places to shop, dine, exercise and play.
Click the links below to jump to a specific section:
- Where is Mueller?
- What is the history of the Mueller area?
- What are the best restaurants in Mueller?
- What are some things to do in Mueller?
- Why is Mueller considered one of the most sustainable areas in Austin?
- What major stores are in Mueller?
- Who are the largest tenants in the Domain?
- What are the largest properties in the Domain?
- Mueller Spotlight Infographic
Where is Mueller?
Located east of I-35, south of 51st Street and north of Airport Boulevard, Mueller is close to the University of Texas campus and just a couple of miles from downtown.
What is the history of the Mueller area?
The Mueller development used to be the old airport. When that closed down in the late 90s, it was turned into a master-planned community. There are a ton of residential houses with multifamily and single-family and there are a lot of young adults and young families in the area.
What are the best restaurants in Mueller?
Mueller is also home to some of Austin’s greatest restaurants – especially in the Aldrich Street District.
There’s a popular Italian place called L’oca D’oro, known for its freshly made in-house pasta, housemade cheeses, and a great wine list. It’s the perfect place to go with friends or on a date night.
If you’re craving comfort or homestyle cooking, you can’t beat Colleen’s Kitchen. Looking for take-out or something casual? Bao’d Up is a great choice. For brunch or breakfast, Halcyon is a great go-to spot.
And for dessert, you have to go to either Lick Ice Cream or Lady Quackenbush Cakery.
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What are things to do in Mueller?
There are all kinds of things to do in the Mueller area. There are a lot of things to do outside: they have a farmer’s market every Sunday, where many local farms and vendors come together. You can get fresh veggies, coffee, and local fare.
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Mueller also has bike trails and running paths throughout the whole development. There are also more structured fitness options, with Camp Gladiator, OrangeTheory Fitness, and a barre studio.
Mueller is also home to a couple of great parks including Mueller Lake Park and Branch Park, which both regularly host events.
Mueller Lake Park.
One of the district’s most loved amenities is the Austin-founded, Alamo Drafthouse on Aldrich Street. It’s something you can do any day of the week. The actual movie theater is upstairs and downstairs they have the “Barrel O’ Fun,” which functions as a bar at night and an event space with activities during the day.
Aldrich Street is also home to B.D. Riley’s, an Irish pub with craft beer and an upscale pub menu.
Why is Mueller considered one of the most sustainable areas in Austin?
One of the things that Mueller prides itself on is being a sustainable neighborhood. They dedicated 20% of the development area to parks and open spaces. They also made sure that the whole area is walkable; they put walking paths and bike trails throughout – if there’s a street, there’s a walking path and a bike path that goes with it! By prioritizing walkability, the neighborhood doesn’t need to rely as heavily on vehicles.
What major stores are in Mueller?
In the Mueller area, there’s major big-box retail including Best Buy, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Old Navy. There’s also one of the coolest H-E-Bs in Austin. It is large and there is a cafe attached to it, as well as a big selection of wines and fresh foods.
The area is really growing and it seems that every day something new is opening. There are new things under construction on every corner.
Who are the largest tenants in Mueller?
Office
| Tenant | SF Occupied | Building |
| Austin Energy | 274,998 | 4815 Mueller Blvd |
| Texas Mutual Insurance | 257,364 | 2200 Aldrich |
| Teacher Retirement Systems of Texas |
158,163 | Mueller Business District |
| Ascension Seton | 155,469 | 1345 Philomena St |
| Dell Children’s Medical Group | 114,537 | 1301 Barbara Jordan |
Retail
| Tenant | SF Occupied | Address |
| Dillards |
211,510 | 3211 Feathergrass Ct |
| HEB | 83,000 | 1801 E 51st St |
| Total Wine & More | 26,034 | 1201 Barbara Jordan |
| PetSmart | 20,394 | 1201 Barbara Jordan |
What are the largest properties in Mueller?
Mueller was originally approved for over 3.5 million square feet of commercial office development. The area is home to The Diamond Building, a three-story mixed-use building located in the Aldrich Street District with both retail and office space. Mueller is also home to over 150,000 square feet of medical office space as well as the University of Texas’ Dell Pediatric Research Institute. Future office building sizes will range from 40,000 to over 500,000 square feet.
Mueller Business District, developed by Shorenstein Properties, is currently under construction on Aldrich Street. It consists of three development sites at the center of the Mueller neighborhood with capacity for a total of four office buildings and over 795,000 square feet of office space.
Conclusion
From its past as Austin’s former airport to today a bustling, family-friendly, walkable neighborhood, Mueller has transformed and developed into a neighborhood that has it all.
