DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Campus — make of it what you will. Now, every good Texas story starts with somebody having a dream. And President T.
R. Sampson had a big one. The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary had already found its footing, holding its first classes in a donated building over at 9th and Navasota.
But Sampson had his eye on something grander. He wanted the seminary woven tight to the University of Texas — close enough that the two institutions could feed each other, educate each other, grow each other. And when a man like that gets a notion, you'd best watch what happens next.
In 1906, the seminary board purchased land at this very site. Then the money started moving. A bequest from former Governor Francis R.
Lubbock funded a campus refectory — a dining hall — and they named it Lubbock Hall, constructed in 1907. Right alongside it went a second, larger building, later named Sampson Hall, built to house dormitory rooms, offices, classrooms, and the library all under one roof. Both buildings came out of the drafting table of Austin architect George Endress, constructed of buff brick with Mission Revival detailing.
That's a fancy way of saying they had a look to them — arched parapets, a certain elegance, something that said permanence. And in 1909, five faculty homes went up on seminary property to round out the campus. Now here's where the story takes a turn nobody planned on.
World War I arrived, and the Presbyterian Seminary closed its doors — temporarily, but closed nonetheless — and leased its buildings to the United States government. The campus sat in government hands until the seminary reopened in 1921. Six years of silence where there had been sermons and study.
But it came back. By 1941, a seminary chapel was constructed, and it gave the whole campus a focal point — a center of gravity that anchored everything around it. That chapel said: we're here, and we're staying.
Of course, time has a way of editing even the sturdiest brick. By 1996, Sampson Hall, Lubbock Hall, and the original faculty homes had all been razed to make room for other facilities. The buildings George Endress designed, the ones that opened this chapter — gone.
Only the story remains to carry their weight. But President Sampson's original dream? That one held.
The seminary's relationship with the University of Texas kept right on evolving — through regular classes, Bible chair courses, lecture series, professor exchanges. Two campuses, close enough to keep talking. The relocation to 27th Street, as the marker tells it, fulfilled that dream: educational opportunities for students at both institutions, built exactly the way Sampson had hoped all those years before.
Some dreams outlast the buildings they were poured into.
What the marker says
The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary held its first classes in a donated building at 9th and Navasota. President T. R. Sampson, hoping to create a strong association between the seminary and the University of Texas, promoted the relocation of the campus closer to the university. In 1906, the seminary board purchased land at this site. With funds from the bequest of former Governor Francis R. Lubbock, a campus refectory (Lubbock Hall) was constructed in 1907. A second, larger building (later named Sampson Hall) was built to house dormitory rooms, offices, classrooms and the library. Both buildings were designed by Austin architect George Endress and constructed of buff brick with Mission Revival detailing. Five faculty homes were built on seminary property in 1909. During World War I, the Presbyterian Seminary closed temporarily and leased its buildings to the United States government until reopening in 1921. The seminary chapel, constructed in 1941, provided a strong focal point for the seminary campus. By 1996, Sampson Hall, Lubbock Hall and the original faculty homes had been razed to make room for other facilities. The seminary's relationship with the University of Texas, spurred by the proximity of the two campuses, continued to evolve over the years through regular classes, Bible chair courses, lecture series and professor exchanges. Relocation to 27th street thus fulfilled President Sampson's dream for many educational opportunities for students at both institutions. (2002)