St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church at 606 W. 15th Street in Austin.
Photography credit: PICA 25856, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

Docomomo US featured an important Austin mid-century resource in their February newsletter. Many of us have admired St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church while driving down 15th Street. The article "Saint Martin’s Evangelical Lutheran Church: Modernity and Continuity" by Jason John Paul Haskins, Assoc. AIA, LEED BD+C, provides an opportunity to learn more about this 1960 building by Robert Mather of Jessen Jessen Millhouse and Greeven. Haskins says that this "[m]id-century abstraction of the primitive Christian basilica represents a synthesis of international movements in architecture and liturgy uncovering archetypal models of inhabitation and ritual." We encourage you to read the full article on Docomomo's website at http://docomomo-us.org/news/saint_martin's_evangelical_church_modernity_and_continuity.  

10 in '10 : #8 - First Baptist Church of Austin

Photo credits: Grace Cynkar
First Baptist Church of Austin
Architect: Barnes, Landes, Goodman, Youngblood; Page, Sutherland, Page (1970)
Contractor: Ricks Construction Company
901 Trinity Street, 78701

The First Baptist Church of Austin is extremely significant for the history of it's congregation and it's status as a work of the firm, Barnes, Landes, Goodman, and Youngblood. The congregation was purportedly founded by Sam Houston after selecting the location of the capitol. The first services were held in July of 1847 in the capitol itself. Shortly thereafter, services were moved to a house on 12th and Lavaca. By 1856, the congregation had grown large enough to merit it's own church and construction was begun. The original structure was a two-story stone building with a flat roof and large square windows. In 1880 the church was made to appear more gothic by heightening the grade of the roof and replacing the square windows with pointed-arch windows. In 1915 this original church was demolished to make way for a larger brick building which was in turn torn down when the church moved to the current location in 1970. The current structure was designed by both Barnes, Landes, Goodman, and Youngblood, and Page, Sutherland, Page. Three of the members from BLGY and one of the Page's were members of the congregation. The building received an award from the Austin AIA Chapter. It is significant as the work of BLGY, a firm responsible for the designs of several other mid-century modern churches in Austin.
Text: Grace Cynkar Edited by: Ken J.

10 in '10 : #7 - St. Austin's Catholic Church

Photo credit: flickr.com user rutlo
St. Austin's Catholic Church
Architect: __________ (1954)
Contractor: __________
2026 Guadalupe Street, 78705

St. Austin's is significant for its foundation and congregation. The church was founded shortly after the foundation of the University of Texas to serve the eight catholic students in attendance. Since this time it has served the Catholic body of UT as well as surrounding Austin residents. The current building is the second church of St. Austin's. The first, on the same site, was demolished to make room for the current structure. St. Austin's is a modernist limestone church. The high ceilings, steeple, and stained glass windows offer reminders of gothic revival.Photo credit: austinartisan.org Text: Grace Cynkar Edited by: Ken J.

10 in '10 : #6 - Covenant Presbyterian Church

Photo credits: Grace Cynkar
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Architect: ______________ (1965)
Contractor: ______________
3003 Northland Drive, 78757

We have been unable to locate the history of this building, but were able to study the current state. The sanctuary runs north to south on the property. The structure itself is light stone, dark wood frame, and glass, dalle-de-verre windows, one of the first dalle-de-verre windows in Austin.

10 in '10 : #5 - Episcopal Church of the Resurrection

Photo credits: Grace Cynkar
Episcopal Church of the Resurrection
Architect: Richard W. Sherk, Inc., Architects and Planners (1977)
Contractor: ______________
Structural Engineer: Clark Craig and Associates
2200 Justin Lane, 78757

The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is significant for both its mid-century modern style and its the history of the congregation. The congregation, begun during the 1950s, exhibits the mid-century modern experience. The first service was held in a shopping center on Burnet Rd. Shortly after, the congregation moved to the property on Justin Ln. where services were held in a pre-fabricated trailer. The first sanctuary was constructed in 1955 and the current building was constructed in 1977. The use of these pre-fabricated and strip mall facilities illustrate the movement of religion away from the strict more-mystical traditions of the past and to the more social, humanitarian themes of the 20th century. The church is steel-frame construction with limestone veneers and dalle-de-verre glass windows.

10 in '10 : #4 - Church of Glad Tidings

Photo credits: Grace Cynkar
Church of Glad Tidings
Architect: ________ (19??)
Contractor: _________
2700 Northland Drive, 78756

We have been unable to locate the history of this building, but were able to study the current state. It is composed of steel frame, brick and wood construction. The sacristy runs east to west on the Glad Tidings property. The sacristy is a tiered structure, concentrating to a single floor to ceiling dalle-de-verre window. The final tier is constructed of wood and is painted white. As the tiers concentrate toward the western end, the roof line steepens, swooping steeply upward at the final tier. The current occupants had sub-divided the original sanctuary, cutting off the original dalle-de-verre window in a closet. Although the structure itself is well-kept, that the current occupants have divided up the original sanctuary, hiding many of the unique details to the structure and illustrating a lack of appreciation for the modernist style of the structure.







Text: Grace Cynkar Edited by: Ken J.

10 in '10 : #3 - St. Martin's Lutheran Church

Photo credits: Grace Cynkar
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary - Trull Administration Building and McMillan Classroom Building
Architect: Creer and Roessner (1961)
Contractor:
100 East 27th Street, 78705

Trull Administration Building and McMillan Classroom Building are part of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, founded in 1902, campus. They are significant due to their inclusion in the 108 year old institution and the range of architectural styles exhibited on the campus. The Austin Presbyterian Seminary campus offers buildings spanning the transformation of religious architecture from gothic revival (chapel) to mid-century modern (Trull and McMillan). These mid-century buildings are characterized by their modern elements: a two-story steel frame and brick facade; glass curtain walls on center, North and South sides; a low pitch roofline, except for the transverse roof section over the glass curtain wall.

Historic photo ca. 1963
Text: Grace Cynkar Edited by: Ken J.

10 in '10 : #2 - St. Martin's Lutheran Church

Photo credit: Grace Cynkar
St. Martin's Lutheran Church
Architect: Jessen, Jessen, Millhouse and Greeven (1960)
Contractor: Archie C. Fitzgerald
606 West 15th Street, 78701

St. Martin's Lutheran Church is significant because of the history of it's congregation and due to the prominence of the architects. The congregation was founded in 1884. It's first church was constructed at the same time as the capitol. By 1959, the congregation had grown to be one of the five largest Lutheran Congregations in the state of Texas. Jessen, Jessen, Millhouse and Greeven was a prominent architectural firm in Austin. The church building was one of several religious structures designed by the firm. The church is in a modernist interpretation of the romanesque style. The exterior character defining feature is the large vaulted roof of the structure.

Photo credit: piarch.comText: Grace Cynkar Edited by: Ken J.

10 in '10 : #1 - Gethsemane Lutheran Church

This post kicks off a series of 10 posts where we show off our favorite projects that were documented in 2010. They are in no particular order.


Gethsemane Lutheran Church
Architect: Eugene Wukash (1962)
200 West Anderson Lane, 78752

The Gethsemane Lutheran Church is located on a 10-acre lot just off highway 183. There are two buildings on the campus. The Sanctuary itself is a double height structure built into a hill. The sanctuary building runs north to south with the narthex at the northern end resting on top of the hill so that the congregation may enter directly into the sanctuary. Tile mosaics on the wall above the entry to the sanctuary are beautiful but cannot compete with what awaits inside. The 36 ft. wall of dalle-de-verre glass forms the southern wall and was crafted by Gabriel Loire of Chartres, France and reassembled on site. As the hill drops away to the south, it reveals a bottom story beneath the sanctuary used for church offices and meeting rooms. A 12,000 sq. ft. educational wing connects to the narthex. Running perpendicular to the sanctuary, one enters the wing through the eastern side of the narthex. Tile mosaics on the floor of the lower level entry depict bible verses. The educational wing holds several classrooms and a nursery used for the church’s day care facility. An exit at the eastern end of the hall opens on to the church playground. On the far, eastern side of the playground sits the children’s ministry building. This building and the sanctuary are the two original 1963 structures. The educational wing and narthex were added in 1979. The children’s ministry building, like the sanctuary is built into a hillside. Approaching from the educational wing it appears to be only a single story. Once next to the building, however, one can see a second, lower story opening on the northern face of the hill.

Sanctuary interior

Photo credits: Grace Cynkar Text: Grace Cynkar, edited by Ken J.