{"nrhp_refnum":"98000955","name":"University Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2130 Guadalupe St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.28489027100005,"lon":-97.74218619099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-07-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Spanish Colonial Revival Baptist church at 2130 Guadalupe Street in Austin, Texas, beside the University of Texas campus. It has a cruciform sanctuary built in 1921 and a two-story classroom wing built in 1918.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for its architecture as an early example of Spanish Colonial Revival design in Texas, by Philadelphia architect Albert Kelsey. Its cast stone frontispiece, bluebonnet ornament and baptistery reflect his effort to give the building a local Texas character. It also retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"University Baptist Church sits at the corner of 22nd and Guadalupe streets in Austin, facing the western edge of the University of Texas campus. Its brick sanctuary, built in 1921, follows a Greek cross plan with a clay tile roof, and a two-story classroom wing dating to 1918 extends from its southwest corner. Philadelphia architect Albert Kelsey designed the building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, which was gaining popularity across the Southwest at the time. The entrance frontispiece is the most distinctive feature, with cast stone ornament, twisted columns and glazed terra cotta tiles showing bluebonnets, the Texas state flower. Inside, a pink marble wall and baptistery pool form the focal point. Kelsey wanted a design that felt local to Austin, and the bluebonnet motifs reflect that aim. The church has changed little since construction and still serves a student congregation. It was recognized for its architectural significance and its well-preserved original design.","period_of_significance":"1918 - 1948","architect_builder":"Kelsey, Albert / Thomas, Roy L.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church, with its original plan, materials and site largely intact; a 1949 education building and a 1984 day care center were added nearby.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.289537-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/85/9736/40973685/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/98000955.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000955/673506a6a8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000955/673506a6a8-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"WhisperToMe","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UnivBaptistChurchAustinTX.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">WhisperToMe</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UnivBaptistChurchAustinTX.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973685","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Baptist_Church_(Austin,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7894525"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/university-baptist-church-98000955/"}