Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater — widely known as ACL Live — opened on February 10, 2011, as a purpose-built concert hall and television production studio at 310 W. 2nd Street in the Block 21 mixed-use development of Downtown Austin’s Second Street District. Designed by Andersson-Wise Architects at a cost of approximately $40 million, the venue seats 2,750 guests and replaced the original Austin City Limits studio on the University of Texas campus, which held only 320.
The Moody Foundation of Galveston contributed $2.5 million — the largest single gift ever received by Austin PBS station KLRU-TV — to outfit the hall with a comprehensive high-definition production system. Under the arrangement, KLRU receives 45 rent-free days each year to tape episodes of Austin City Limits, the longest-running music series in American television history. Ownership passed to Ryman Hospitality Properties in 2022 as part of their acquisition of the entire Block 21 complex, now operated under the Opry Entertainment Group umbrella.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 310 W. 2nd St, Downtown Austin, TX
- Type: Concert hall and TV production studio
- Opened: February 10, 2011
- Capacity: 2,750
- Concerts per year: About 100
- Famous for: Permanent taping home of Austin City Limits (PBS)
- Owner: Ryman Hospitality Properties / Opry Entertainment Group
- Sustainability: Part of first LEED-certified mixed-occupancy building of its kind
Home of Austin City Limits
The Moody Theater was conceived expressly to give Austin City Limits — which debuted on PBS in 1976 — a modern, high-capacity home worthy of its cultural legacy. The old UT campus studio’s 320-seat footprint had long constrained both the production and the live experience; the new hall’s 2,750-seat floor and tiered balconies, combined with direct fiber links back to KLRU, allow full HD broadcast tapings with an audience nearly nine times larger. Artists who have taped performances here range across every genre the show has championed over five decades.
Beyond ACL tapings, the hall is booked approximately 100 nights a year with touring concerts, private events, and special broadcasts, making it one of the busiest mid-size rooms in the country. Its stage, sightlines, and acoustics are calibrated for both intimate listening and television camera work — an unusual dual mandate that shapes every aspect of the design.
Design, Sustainability, and the Block 21 Complex
Andersson-Wise Architects designed ACL Live as the entertainment anchor of Block 21, a full-city-block development that also houses the W Austin Hotel & Residences. The complex achieved LEED certification, recognized at the time as the first mixed-occupancy building of its type to earn that designation. Groundbreaking took place on October 13, 2007, with Thornton Tomasetti handling structural engineering and Austin Building Company serving as general contractor.
Free guided venue tours run Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon, departing from the ACL Live box office — giving visitors a rare look at both the concert hall and the production infrastructure that powers America’s most storied music television program.
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ACL Live at the Moody Theater FAQs
What is ACL Live at the Moody Theater best known for?
ACL Live is best known as the permanent taping home of Austin City Limits, the PBS series that has run since 1976 and is the longest-running music program in American television history. The venue opened in 2011 specifically to give the show a larger, HD-equipped studio.
How many people does the Moody Theater hold?
The Moody Theater has a capacity of 2,750, a dramatic increase from the original Austin City Limits studio on the University of Texas campus, which held only about 320 guests.
Can visitors tour the Moody Theater?
Yes. Free public tours of ACL Live at the Moody Theater are offered Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon. Tours begin at the venue’s box office at 310 W. 2nd Street in Downtown Austin.
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Photo: Michael Barera / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.