The Portal Austin Under Construction at 601 Rio Grande St

The Portal Austin, a 15,000 square foot members club, is under construction at 601 Rio Grande St downtown. The project takes the second and third floors of the building that formerly housed the Rio nightclub and will house a reopened Katz's Deli. Anwen Baumeister, The Portal's chief executive and co-founder, is the owner listed on the state filing; SDstudio is the design firm on that filing.

A TDLR filing covers a $2,000,000 interior renovation and a rooftop addition, and lists 6,000 square feet of project area. Construction started March 15, 2026, with completion listed for November 30, 2026. The club has announced a January 2027 opening.

Amenities include a rooftop pool, 30-person sauna, cold plunges, movement and yoga studios, restaurant and bar, members' lounge, coworking space, art gallery, podcast studio, and rooftop stage. Membership includes access to 33 reciprocal partner clubs globally.

This is The Portal's second location, following its 2024 Marin debut. The company raised $5 million in a funding round backed by investors including Tim Ferriss and Matt Mullenweg. Interior design is by FanFare creative agency, founded by Bill Swano, with Bernadette Stewart as lead interior designer.