Hidden in the city.
Held on purpose.

The Observatory is the private setting at LumenKind’s East Austin headquarters, shaped by two complementary approaches to growth and discovery: from the inside out and from the outside in.

Natalie created LumenKind around an inside-out approach to mindfulness: helping people listen inward and live with greater intention. Dale has spent his career shaping places from the outside in, creating districts and destinations with identity, connection and soul. They believe our surroundings affect how we feel and move through the world, so places should be useful, beautiful and created thoughtfully.

Their perspectives came together in 2019, when Dale found an unusual commercial property above the Colorado River. The couple closed on the property the Friday before Austin entered lockdown in March 2020.

At the time, the land was covered by overgrown bamboo, and the river and skyline were hidden from view. Over the next several years, Natalie and Dale gradually transformed the property, opening its sightlines and making it their home and LumenKind’s headquarters.

Once years of hands-on work had revealed the property’s character and it felt ready to be shared, they gave it a name: The Observatory.

Today, The Observatory is a private setting for film, photography and content production, with a small number of select gatherings each year.