St. Martin's Evangelical Church: Tour and Lecture

Date: Saturday, May 16 
Time: 2-4pm 
Location: 606 W 15th St, Austin, TX 78701 
Cost: $5 Suggested Donation

Join us to learn about one of Austin’s most striking Modern examples of ecclesiastic architecture – St. Martin's Lutheran Church. Completed in 1960, the church was designed by Robert Mather of Jessen Jessen Millhouse and Greeven as a Modern abstraction of the Christian basilica. The building features an arresting Modern chapel with a soaring vaulted nave and dramatic stained glass, a remarkably intact sanctuary, and sculpture by Charles Umlauf, as well as a more utilitarian education wing including classrooms, kitchens, and a basketball court.

St. Martin's dedication booklet (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Mid Tex Mod will be hosting a tour of the church with a lecture on the building's design, significance, and art by MTM member Jason John Paul Haskins, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C. Jason is a church-building researcher and design consultant who writes about liturgy, architecture and history on the blog Locus Iste. He holds a B.S. in Architectural Studies and an M.Arch from University of Texas with additional course work at Columbia University and a research emphasis on the architecture of the 19-20th century liturgical movements. Jason’s lecture will be followed by a presentation on the building’s preservation by Dennis Cordes, congregant and Preservation Architect (retired from the Texas Historical Commission and Texas Parks & Wildlife).

Mid Tex Mod is excited by the opportunity to highlight this remarkable Modern resource. Our tour will be in conjunction with Preservation Month, established in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to highlight historic preservation across the country.

Please email midtexasmod@gmail.com to RSVP by May 14. Tickets are not required, but we will be accepting donations at the door (with a $5 suggested donation).

Preservation Austin’s Historic Homes Tour: Austin Through the Ages

Date: Saturday, May 2

Cost: $25 for Preservation Austin Members, $35 for Non-Members
Time: 10am-4pm 

Preservation Austin’s Historic Homes Tour is just around the corner and Mid Tex Mod is thrilled to be participating! Our board and volunteers will be staffing the Butterfly House, designed and built by master architect-builder-developer Arthur Dallas Stenger in 1964. Marketed as “Sinfully Contemporary,” the house’s scalloped roof pays tribute to Fehr & Granger’s award-winning 1959 design for the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (demolished in 2002). The current owners purchased the Butterfly House in 2008. They soon enlisted board member Rick Black and wife Cindy Black to design a stunning renovation which brings Stenger’s vision into the 21st century. Completed in 2013, their work has been featured in Dwell and won a 2014 Preservation Austin Merit Award.

Austin's Butterfly House, featured in this year's Preservation Austin Historic Homes Tour (Image from Dwell Magazine - Brent Humphreys, Photographer).

The Butterfly House is just one of six homes featured on this year’s tour. Two others hail from the mid-century era as well, including a rare 1940 Art Moderne residence renovated by architect Jay Farrell and an elegant 1955 ranch renovated by Tom Hurt Architecture.

Tickets are available the day of the tour, but you can buy yours now through Preservation Austin’s website here. Don’t miss this chance to see these beautifully rehabbed homes, and we look forward to seeing you at the Butterfly House on May 2!