21.3 - 3001SCongress - St. Joseph Hall - History_HLC 2 — original pdf

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City of Austin, Historic Landmark Commission Review – March 2024 St. Joseph Hall - St. Edward’s University St. Joseph Hall opened in 1961 as the faculty residence hall. San Antonio architects Julian and White designed a two-story, Modern brick masonry building. The two-wing structure originally housed a card room, library, lounge, chapel, and 65 private rooms. A class C bomb shelter was built in case of nuclear threat. It measures 20’ x 35’ and has a concrete floor and ceiling. The chapel’s interior was complete with linden wood sculptural reliefs of Madonna and St. Joseph and can accommodate 60-90 people for worship and special occasions. The new faculty residence hall had replaced a previous wooden structure that was acquired from war-surplus in 1947, also named St. Joseph Hall. The old St. Joseph Hall was renamed “the Annex” and was used as a dormitory and office building for several years before its demolition in 1967. An old quarry, which provided stone for the Main Building, was once located at the site of St. Joseph Hall. The old quarry was filled, and St. Joseph Hall was built on top. A statue of St. Joseph was once located at the main entrance of the Hall. It originally sat at the university’s main entrance prior to being moved to the Hall. The statue honors St. Joseph as a patron saint of the University. For many years, the feast of St. Joseph - March 19, was observed as a holiday at St. Edward’s. In 2019 the statue was relocated to a new Brother’s Garden. Dallas | Austin | San Antonio www. architexas.com 1907 Marilla St. Second Floor 1023 Springdale Road 417 8th Street Bldg. 11, Suite E San Antonio, Texas 78215 Dallas, Texas 75201 Austin, Texas 78721 p 214.748.4561 p 512.444.4220 p. 210.998.2422  As a residence hall, the building has been altered over time with the addition of a kitchen, dining facility, clinic area, and air conditioning/heating updates (1979). The Hall was permanently vacated in 2019 after the Brothers of the Holy Cross determined the building was no longer needed for housing a large portion of its members. Upon vacating the building, the Brothers removed all of the furniture (pews and sculptural reliefs) except for the altar. Because the building was used for private residences and designed with simple finishes, there are no spaces with exceptional materials seen in more significant Mid-Century Modern buildings. The former lounge and chapel would have been the most “public” spaces within the building and are not especially unique. A large stylized cross and concrete block screen are situated outside of the former chapel. Congregation of Holy Cross Brothers When St. Edward’s University was established in 1885 it was owned and operated by a province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In 1967, the brothers transferred control of the university to a board of trustees and in 1971 transferred ownership of the university to St. Edward’s University, Incorporated. The brothers have also played a key part of teaching students at St. Edward’s University. Religious brothers served as faculty and were unsalaried with room and boarding provided. The dynamics of the faculty began to change in the mid-1920s as more “laymen” were hired and provided with small salaries. Even in the mid-1950s, the majority of faculty were religious brothers. As late as 1969, St. Edward’s was providing new residences for the Dominican fathers who joined the faculty in the late 1950s. Brothers of the Holy Cross have resided at St. Joseph Hall until 2019 when low numbers prompted the closing of the former faculty residence. Julian & White Architects Alvin J. Julian (1913-1999) and Donald Noble White (1915-2002) practiced together on liturgical buildings throughout Central Texas. Together they designed over 75 churches, primarily for the Catholic Church. Their work also includes many buildings on catholic universities including University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio; Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, and St. Edward’s University, Austin. From the 1940s-1960s the firm produced many designs with modernist ideas. Their buildings are often categorized as background buildings which are designed to not distract from older grander structures. Such is the case at St. John’s Seminary, San Antonio, and St. Edward’s University, Austin. At St. John’s Seminary, Julian and White designed St. Mary’s Hall, a two-story building that referenced the Romanesque style of the larger 1920 Seminary Building. St. John’s Seminary was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The firm’s many religious structures are adorned with simple ornament including crosses and single sculpture, usually of a saint. Many Catholic churches hired Julian and White Architects to add classrooms and convents to their impressive historic cathedrals. St. Edward’s University began their association with Julian and White around 1950. At this time the university sought accreditation from the Southern Association. The reports from early attempts to gain accreditation required that the university have a library, science building, and dormitory. Julian and White were commissioned to design a library for the campus. Due to budget constraints and changing programming needs, the project was never built. Eventually, a library-administration building was built in 1954. It was designed by Valdez and Williams Architects. Lack of funds were a major problem for the university during this time period, which slowed down construction of other buildings needed for accreditation. In 1957, construction began on a new dormitory building. The dormitory building, named Andre Hall, was designed by Julian and White and was dedicated in early 1958. A science building (Fleck Hall) was constructed in 1958 leading the Southern Association to finally accredit St. Edward’s University in December of that year. By 1960, P a g e 2 | 4  another dormitory was built, Doyle Hall, also designed by Julian and White. A faculty residence hall was needed (In 1964, Donald N. White designed a dormitory named Premont Hall. In total, 7 buildings were designed and built by Donald White or Alvin Julian. Julian & White Buildings at St. Edward’s University 1953- Library (unbuilt) 1958- Andre Hall (Demolished 2018) 1958- Fleck Hall 1960- Doyle Hall (Renovated in 2009 by Specht Harpman Architects) 1961- Faculty Residence Hall (St. Joseph’s Hall) 1962- Dining Hall (Fine Arts Building) 1964- Premont Hall (Donald N. White and Associates) – Renovated in 2006 by McKinney York Architects 1972- Mary Moody Northern Theater (Alvin J. Julian) ORCO, Inc. Correspondence between St. Edward’s University President (Raymond Fleck) and architect Don White describes a purchase of ten windows by ORCO Company for the chapel at St. Joseph Hall, dated 1963. The hall was officially dedicated in March of 1962. No evidence has been found to explain why the windows were not installed at the time of the building’s completion. University funding may have been an issue. Historic photos shortly after the building’s completion show the absence of any stained-glass windows in the chapel. ORCO (Oppliger-Rams) Inc. was formed ca. 1950 by Fred Oppliger and Harold Rams in San Antonio, Texas. The company specialized in unpainted stained-glass installations. Previously, Fred Oppliger was associated with the Jacoby Art Glass Company base in St. Louis, Missouri. Around 1957, Oppliger sold his interest in ORCO to Harold Rams. Harold Rams and ORCO gained notoriety throughout the Southwest for producing glass installations by Cecil Casebier, Ruth Dunn, and other local artists. Casebier designed two large transept windows for the Immaculate Conception Chapel in San Antonio (a building designed by Julian & White in 1960) and Dunn worked at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas (where Julian & White architects designed Marian Hall Student Center). Several craftsmen contributed to ORCO Inc.’s work. At this time, there is not enough information to determine who designed the windows at St. Joseph Chapel. Many well-known artists were producing faceted glass windows similar to those at St. Joseph (faceted glass is thick stained glass that has a chipped surface with epoxy fill). P a g e 3 | 4 COA Historic Landmark Criteria A building must demonstrate significance in at least two of the following criteria for landmark designation as set forth in City Code: a. Architecture. The building is a concrete-framed dormitory building with reference to mid-century Modern stylistic features, but does not have the requisite distinction or significance to warrant individual designation under the criterion for architecture. b. Historical association. The building is a “college dormitory”; there do not appear to be significant historical c. Archaeology. The building was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the associations. human history or prehistory of the region. d. Community value. The building does not possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group. The Brothers of the Holy Cross have determined the building to no longer be of value. e. Landscape feature. The property is not a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. 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