National Register Listing

University Baptist Church

2130 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX

The University Baptist Church was established to provide a place of study for Baptist students and faculty at the University of Texas. The church's first stage was designed by Philadelphia architect Albert Kelsey and the second stage was designed by John C. Townes.

The University Baptist Church was established to provide a place of study and worship for Baptist students and faculty at the University of Texas. As the University student body grew rapidly through the first two decades of the 20th century, the surrounding community responded in kind. Amidst the growing community, churches of several denominations established congregations and constructed buildings near the campus to serve the spiritual needs of the University's students and faculty. Designed by Philadelphia architect Albert Kelsey, the University Baptist Church sanctuary and its adjoining classroom wing survive as an early example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, popular in Texas during the 1920s and 1930s. Designed and built in a period of severe economic strain in the U.S. during and after World War I, the church's final form and details reflect the time of its construction. The church was built in two stages and Mr. Kelsey's original design was altered to facilitate the project's completion. In November of 1918, the classroom wing, originally named the John C. Townes Bible Chair, and the sanctuary basement were completed, followed by the sanctuary three years later in November of 1921. Spared from extensive renovations, the University Baptist Church has survived relatively unchanged since its constriction. The property is nomination to the National Register under Criterion C in the Area of Architecture, at the local level of significance as the work of a prominent American architect and as an important example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Texas.

Local significance of the building:
Architecture

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

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.