State commission could give landmark status for historic UT-Austin building set to be demolished

The State Antiquities Landmark status is the highest level of historic destination from the state, according to the Texas Historical Commission.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A state commission could take steps to delay the University of Texas at Austin's plan to demolish a historic campus building.

The university plans to demolish the Steve Hicks School of Social Work building to make way for a football practice facility.

The Texas Historical Commission is expected to consider giving the social work building State Antiquities Landmark status during its July 25-26 commission meetings. This wouldn't give the building full protection from demolition, but the status would require UT to consult with the state commission ahead of changes to the building, according to Preservation Austin.

The State Antiquities Landmark status is the highest level of historic destination from the state, according to the Texas Historical Commission. Properties with the status must have a permit from the Texas Historical Commission before they are removed, altered, damaged, salvaged or excavated.

The commission's Antiquities Advisory Board recommended in April that the full commission give landmark status to the social work building.

Preservation Austin is working with grassroots group Save the Past for the Future to preserve the historic UT building.

Meghan King, the policy and outreach planner for Preservation Austin, said the organization is stepping in because of the story the building tells. The building was the first voluntarily integrated junior high school in Austin in 1957 before becoming a UT school. Most other Austin schools did not integrate until the 1970s.

"We are very interested in telling stories of Austin's racial past, and we find the story of University Junior High to be a very hopeful racial story of Austin," King said.

Kathy Armenta and Barbara Anderson, both retired professors from UT’s social work school, started a campaign called Save the Past for the Future to stop the Steve Hicks School demolition. They want to see UT reuse the building and preserve its cultural and historical significance.

In 2023, Texas Athletics shared more information about the new football facility, which will replace the Frank Denius Fields and “The Bubble.” The practice facility was slated to begin construction in 2024.

UT previously told KXAN the decision to move the school was part of a “significant long-term investment in a perennial Top 10 academic program that outgrew its current space more than a decade ago and requires a modernized facility.” The statement also said the building is “beyond its useful life.”

The social work school will temporarily move to Walter Webb Hall before a permanent move to the current McCombs School of Business building, according to UT.

Building history

The building on San Jacinto was built in 1933 as the University Junior High School operated by the university and the Austin Public School System. It was a facility for practice teachers, according to national register documents.

The school became the first junior high school in Austin to integrate in the 1957-58 school year, according to the national register. In 1967, UT took ownership of the property after 33 years and transferred students to other Austin schools.

The campus later became a temporary headquarters for the music department, continuing education department and College of Education, according to the national register. In 1991, Texas’ first childcare center for state employees opened on the campus, and the UT School of Social Work moved into the building in 1994.

The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.