{"nrhp_refnum":"04001398","name":"Gethsemane Lutheran Church and Luther Hall (Boundary Increase)","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"105 W 16th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.27965587700004,"lon":-97.74020480499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-12-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A boundary extension adding Luther Hall, a 1940 two-story Modern Movement parish hall, to the already listed 1883 Gethsemane Lutheran Church at 105 W 16th Street (corner of Congress Avenue), Austin, Texas, just north of the State Capitol.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the church and hall are significant under Criterion A for religion and Criterion C for architecture. The hall documents the growth of Austin's first Lutheran and first Swedish Lutheran congregation, and its plain, functional design contrasts with the Gothic Revival church. The period of significance is extended to cover the hall's 1940 construction.","narrative":"Luther Hall is a two-story brick parish hall built in 1940 directly behind Gethsemane Lutheran Church, three blocks north of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. It was added to the already listed 1883 Gothic Revival church. The hall has a boxy plan, a symmetrical facade with a stepped parapet, limestone panels over a recessed entry, and a medallion showing Martin Luther's coat of arms. The congregation, founded by Swedish immigrants in 1868 as Austin's first Lutheran church, built the hall for Sunday school, youth activities and meetings. A.H. Edburg was the contractor. The congregation moved to a new campus in 1961 and sold the buildings to the State of Texas, and the Texas Historical Commission now occupies both. The hall has been altered little apart from painted brick and divided interior rooms. It is recognized for its role in the congregation's religious life and as an example of restrained Modern Movement design that contrasts with the ornate church beside it.","period_of_significance":"1940 to 1954","architect_builder":"A.H. Edburg, contractor","architectural_style":"Modern Movement","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Both buildings are owned by the State of Texas and occupied by the Texas Historical Commission; the church serves as the agency library. The property is described as in excellent condition with a high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.792171-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/41/9738/40973841/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/04001398.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001398/7e83cd0021-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001398/7e83cd0021-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gethsemane_lutheran_church_austin_2009.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gethsemane_lutheran_church_austin_2009.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973841","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gethsemane_Lutheran_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5554462"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/gethsemane-lutheran-church-and-luther-hall-boundary-increase-04001398/"}