Teachers State Association of Texas Building
a.k.a. House of Elegance
1191 Navasota, Austin, TXThe 1952 Teachers State Association of Texas Building in Austin, Texas, is significant for its association with the Teachers State Association of Texas (TSAT), which was involved in the struggle to desegregate public schools and to win equal rights and pay for African-American teachers.
The 1952 Teachers State Association of Texas Building in Austin, Texas, served as the headquarters of the state African-American teachers' association from 1952 through 1966. The building meets Criterion A, in the areas of Education, Social History, and Ethnic Heritage/Black at the state level of significance, due to its major association with a segregated state organization for black educators before and during the Civil Rights Movement and for its association with members of the TSAT such as Hazel Harvey Peace that were prominent Texas educators. It is significant to the history of education in Texas, as the Teachers State Association of Texas (TSAT) was involved in the struggle to desegregate public schools and to win equal rights and pay for African-American teachers. The building is important also for its association with John S. Chase, who was the first African-American to register at the University of Texas (1950), to receive an architectural degree from the University of Texas (1952), to become a licensed architect in the state of Texas (1952), and to gain membership to the Texas Society of Architects and the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Mr. Chase was also one of the original founders of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) (1971), the first African American to serve on the Unites States Commission of Fine Arts (1980) and is a noted architect still practicing in Houston.
The building was used as an office by the TSAT up until 1966, when the organization was dissolved. Since the occupation of the building by the TSAT is the main foundation for its eligibility, and the TSAT was active in working for Civil Rights until its dissolution, the period of significance is from 1952-1966. The building meets Criterion Consideration G (Properties that Have Achieved Significance within the Last Fifty Years) because it is exceptionally significant as a building used by a statewide organization to strive for educational equality in Texas during the Civil Rights Era.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.