UT tears down first integrated school in Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A historic building on the University of Texas at Austin campus is now being demolished to make way for a new practice facility.
In July, the Texas Historical Commission approved a State Antiquities Landmark status nomination for the University Junior High School building, the first integrated public junior high school in Austin. Most recently, the building housed the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
On Thursday, KXAN spotted crews tearing down some of the exterior walls and clearing out the property.
In July, Kevin Eltife, the UT Board of Regents chairman, said keeping the building and using it as classrooms does not make sense for the university. He added there are plans to make an exhibit with historical artifacts from the building.
Kim Barker, the UT preservation planner, said rehabilitating the building was "cost prohibitive," and the decision to relocate the social work school was made with the school's dean to a better location with more academic uses than athletic uses in the current location. The school moved at the end of May.
A local grassroots group called Save the Past for the Future was formed in 2023 to stop the building demolition and preserve University Junior High School.
School 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 and students were transferred 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. The UT School of Social Work moved into the building in 1994.
The new practice facilities will be closer to DKR Memorial Stadium.