01.29.2024

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How these Austin architects transformed a 1960s post office into a French restaurant

The Tiny Grocer building, with trees behind it. The building reads "Tiny Grocer" in red lettering on off-white walls, and has a large porch cover with slats of warm wood flaring out to the side. To the right, you can see a patio with garden beds and shade coverings.

Bureau de Poste lies within the second location of Tiny Grocer, a local food market run by Austin entrepreneur Steph Steele. | Photo via Likeness Studio

The architects at Austin-based Side Angle Side faced a challenge: take a former, 1960s-era Hyde Park post office and turn it into a restaurant space worthy of a “Top Chef” contestant.

Arthur Furman and Annie-Laurie Grabiel, founding partners of Austin-based firm Side Angle Side, transformed the mid-century building into Bureau de Poste, a French comfort food restaurant led by chef Jo Chan inside Tiny Grocer’s second location.

Although the building had its quirks, “for us, it was a slam dunk,” Furman said.

The interior of Tiny Grocer. Facing the store, in the foreground you see a bar area with black-and-wood stools arranged in front of a bar lined with warm, orange tile. In the background, you see rows of shelves with food on them, and a person making coffee at a coffee maker. To the left side is a deli station with cheeses and meats. — Tiny Grocer’s second location in Hyde Park opened last fall.
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Photo via Likeness Studio

The interior of the post office had a minimalism to it that was easy “to breathe new life into,” Grabiel said. The team decided to keep several of the structure’s original elements, including exposed roof joints and the original floor slab.

“We just decided that would be part of the story and the history of the building,” Grabiel said.

Grabiel and Furman did add some new elements, of course. Visitors will notice new fixtures, like a corner banquette and warm, terracotta tiles. One of the most prominent changes, however, is outside the building itself, in the loading dock-turned patio.

Making the former loading dock — which prominently faced the street on the old post office’s corner lot — was one of the duo’s biggest challenges. To transform the “unsightly facade,” the two built out shade structures, a bathroom, and garden-like beds.

The Bureau de Poste patio, featuring white tables and white chairs, greenery-filled garden beds, trees, and a wooden shade structure. — Side Angle Side transformed this post office’s loading dock into a patio space.
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Photo via Mackenzie Smith Kelly

“We wanted that to be a new hub for the community. to make sure that that was something that was transformed from a parking lot into a beautiful space,” Grabiel said.

Overall, the fact that the building used to be a post office may have been a huge asset, the team believes — after all, post offices are typically in the center of a neighborhood, designed to be easily accessed by the community. The structure’s simple style also helped.

“It’s a good reminder,” Furman said, “to make architecture that can have a new life in the future.”

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Events

Monday, Jan. 29

Bottle Rocket War | Monday, Jan. 29 | 8 p.m. | Mohawk Austin, 912 Red River St., Austin | $10 | Start your week with some live music at this concert also featuring Cheeky Orange and Zeus/Apollo.
Houston vs. Texas Men’s Basketball | Monday, Jan. 29 | 8 p.m. | The Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $64-$603 | It’s a showdown of Texas teams at this Monday night game.

Tuesday, Jan. 30

Moshe Kasher - “Subculture Vulture” | Tuesday, Jan. 30 | 7 p.m. | BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin | $29 | Learn about Kasher’s adventures — including working as a security guard at Burning Man and as a rave promoter-turned DJ — and the lessons he learned along the way.
Jake Andrews + Nate Boff | Tuesday, Jan. 30 | 8 p.m. | Antone’s Nightclub, 305 E. 5th St., Austin | $10 | Enjoy the sounds of rock and blues in Downtown Austin.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

Geoff Sobelle - “FOOD” | Wednesday, Jan. 31-Saturday, Feb. 3 | Times vary | Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $53 | This “intimate dinner party performance” examines smell, taste, touch, and the “why” of food and eating.

Plan Ahead

Eagles | Friday, Feb. 2-Saturday, Feb. 3 | 7:30 p.m. | The Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $309-$5,112 | Steely Dan will also perform at “The Long Goodbye,” the Eagles’ final tour.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Environment

Thanks to last week’s rain, water began flowing again through Jacob’s Well, which has seen little to no flow since June due to Central Texas’ ongoing drought. In a social media post, Hays County Parks celebrated the sight but warned locals that “we are not ‘out of the woods’” yet.

Announced

The Easy Tiger at 1501 E. 7th St. will close permanently this April. Co-owner David Norman said the decision stemmed from increased costs and challenging weather. (Eater Austin)

Opening

Co-founders of El Paso’s Culinary Institute by Southwest University will open a high-end Mexican fusion restaurant Downtown this year. The team behind Mexta Restaurant includes Michelin-starred Carlos Gaytán and award-winners Jonatan Gómez Luna Torres + Mikel Alonso Garcia. (Eater Austin)

Arts

Artifacts exhumed from Waller Creek will be on display at the Moody Amphitheater this March as part of the “Past Deposits from a Future Yet to Come” exhibit. The video installation will depict items from as far back as the 1800s.

Coming Soon

Australian mini-golf company Funlab will open its ATX location in East Austin this March. The Holey Moley Golf Club will take over the former Native Hostel building on East Fourth Street, and contain three courses with 27 holes inspired by pop culture, a stage, and local graffiti art. (KVUE)

Try This

See Taylor Swift’s guitar, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” album cover outfit, and a wedding dress worn by Madonna in the “Like a Virgin” music video at a new exhibit opening at the LBJ Library next month. “Music America” will open on Saturday, Feb. 17. (FOX 7 Austin)

Closed

Neighborhood Goods, the upscale department store on South Congress Avenue containing the Prim and Proper cafe, is now permanently closed. The national chain also plans to close all other locations across the US. (Eater Austin)

Concert

For the first time in five years, Justin Timberlake will perform in Austin on Friday, May 31. See the “Forget Tomorrow” world tour at the Moody Center — tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 2 at 10 a.m.

Arts

You’re invited to an intimate ZACH360 experience happening from Wednesday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, March 3. Two-time Tony® Award Winner “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812" is an innovative electro-pop opera based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” Grab tickets.*

Edu

Segura secures superintendent spot

Matias Segura selected as AISD’s next superintendent

The Austin Independent School District Building, a tall white, rounded building, with blue skies in the background.

Austin ISD’s Board elected Matias Segura as the district’s next superintendent. | Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Matias Segura will officially become Austin ISD’s next superintendent after leading the district in an interim capacity for the last year.

Segura, who is currently completing a program to obtain his required superintendent certification, will step into the role on Thursday, Feb. 15. AISD has been without a permanent superintendent since June 2022, when former superintendent Stephanie Elizalde left the position.

A graduate of Bowie High School, Segura has a long history with AISD. Before taking the position of interim superintendent, Segura acted as operations chief for the district and oversaw the rollout of the $1.7 billion bond package that passed in 2017.

Segura’s contract lasts until August 2028, and includes an annual salary of $362,250.

The Buy

The Buy 1.29.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

Thermal, fleece-lined leggings that look like sheer tights. Pair them with your favorite skirts and dresses to keep your legs toasty this winter.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
London

From the editor

Loli’s Tacos and 68 Degrees are some of the restaurants our readers thought deserved a James Beard Award. If I may add to that list, I’ll also recommend Patrizi’s, Wu Chow, and Otoko. You know, just in case someone on the James Beard team is reading.

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