Former east Austin Mexican restaurant, bakery transformed into new Assembly Hall

A new community event space celebrated its grand opening recently in east Austin after a revitalization effort transformed the former 90s-era Mexican restaurant and bakery into a multipurpose venue.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new community event space celebrated its grand opening recently in east Austin after a revitalization effort transformed the former 90s-era Mexican restaurant and bakery into a multipurpose venue.

The City's Economic Development Department announced this week the grand opening of Assembly Hall on East Seventh Street near the Saltillo area.

The new community venue is the former site for Don Limon's Mexican Restaurant and Bakery, which was built and opened in 1992.

According to reporting from 1997 from KXAN's media partners at the Austin Business Journal, Don Limon's opened with a $400,000 city economic development loan, plus a $550,000 loan from Texas Commerce, but it didn't attract the business needed to support the loan payments and taxes. The owners ultimately closed the restaurant in 1995 and declared bankruptcy.

The building was previously vacant before being renovated and opened as Assembly Hall.

Assembly Hall's website describes the venue as a "a new addition to East Austin brought to life in 2024 by the team behind Fair Market. Originally a Mexican bakery and restaurant turned office space for different local businesses over the years, the property has now been fully renovated to serve the community as a flexible event space."

Some of the features of the site include:

• 5,500 square-foot main hall
• 1,000 square-foot meeting room
• 2,000 square foot courtyard
• catering kitchen
• enhanced audio-visual facilities
• gender-neutral bathrooms
• green room with a private restroom
• built-in bar
• drive-in access for display vehicles

Renovation of the site was possible through the Economic Development Department's Family Business Loan Program, which is a public-private partnership between the City of Austin, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and private lenders, according to the city.

The city said the program offers low-interest loans to small businesses that are expanding and creating jobs and supports local businesses in increasing the tax base of the City of Austin and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.  

The opening of Assembly Hall has created 49 new jobs.

The city also noted a collaboration with the East Austin Hotel that is expected to create additional event opportunities and economic boost for the area. 

"The opening of Assembly Hall exemplifies our commitment to revitalizing East Austin and supporting local businesses," says Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director of the Economic Development Department. "We are excited to see this space become a community hub where residents can gather, celebrate, and engage in various activities. This project showcases our dedication to fostering economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for all Austinites." 

Assembly Hall is managed by the team behind the Fair Market event venue, which opened in 2014. Fair Market has hosted over 700 events, including fundraisers for nonprofits such as Out Youth, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and AIA Austin, as well as cultural events like Queerbomb and the Texas Woodworking Festival, according to the city.

Total funding for the project was $1,521,000 from the City of Austin, and the loan provider was Frontier Bank.

Those interested in booking Assembly Hall can find more information on its website, and details about the Family Business Loan Program are available on the City of Austin's website.