DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of the official marker for Hancock Recreation Center, straight from the Texas Historical Commission's own words. Now, every good Texas story starts with somebody who wants something that doesn't exist yet — and in this case, what Lewis Hancock, Jr. wanted was golf. In Austin.
In 1899. You have to appreciate the audacity of that. Hancock had been Austin's Mayor from 1895 to 1897, so he knew how to organize people around a big idea.
He did it again here, pulling together a group of members to finance the construction of a golf course on this very ground. The following year, 1900, those same members incorporated the Austin Golf Club — and just like that, Austin had itself a golf destination. Nine holes.
That's what they started with. Nine holes that have seen, as the marker puts it, minimal changes since their original construction. When something works, you don't mess with it much.
But they did eventually mess with it — productively. In 1913, the course was doubled in size. Nine new holes added on a large plot of land to the northeast.
Eighteen holes now, and Austin was in the business of being serious about this game. Seven years before that expansion, though — back in 1906 — Austin had already announced itself. The Austin Golf Club's participation in Texas' first pay-for-play golf tournament put this city on the map as a premier golf destination.
First pay-for-play tournament in the whole state of Texas, and Austin was there for it. Lewis Hancock, Jr. had a vision, and that vision had legs. Now, the clubhouse you see here — the one that became the Hancock Recreation Center — that was constructed in 1934, and there's a remarkable detail baked right into its walls.
Prominent architect Charles H. Page, Jr. designed the building, and he did something that would raise an eyebrow today: he built it using materials salvaged from the demolition of the University of Texas Old Main Building. So when you look at this limestone and brick structure with its rhythmic arched windows and that Colonial Revival character — that juxtaposition of stone and wood — you're looking at old UT, repurposed and given a second life.
The Austin Country Club used that clubhouse for years. Then in 1946, they sold the golf course to the City of Austin. They held on to the building itself until 1951, when the ACC moved to its new location — and that's when this place became one of the city's first recreation centers.
A club for the few, handed over to everyone. The 1960s brought an addition — brick, white painted brick — tacked on to provide extra activity rooms and storage. The original limestone-and-brick portion stayed as it was.
Today the building holds five activity rooms, a ballroom, a sun room, a pro shop, and office spaces. The course and clubhouse still carry what the marker calls a historically fashioned layout — the kind you simply don't see in courses built over the past several decades. That's the thing about something built with intention.
Lewis Hancock, Jr. organized a group of people around an idea in 1899. Charles H. Page, Jr. built something worthy of the ground it stood on in 1934.
And here it still stands, doing what it always did — bringing people together on a piece of Austin land that's been in the business of that since before the last century turned.
What the marker says
The Austin Country Club (ACC) Clubhouse, later named Hancock Recreation Center, was constructed in 1934. Spearheaded by Lewis Hancock, Jr. and other members, the golf course was constructed in 1899; members incorporated the Austin Golf Club in 1900. Hancock, Austin’s Mayor from 1895-1897, wanted to bring golf to Austin, and organized a group of members to finance this endeavor. In 1906, the Austin Golf Club’s participation in Texas’ first pay-for-play golf tournament established Austin as a premier golf city. The ACC golf course was originally a nine-hole course, which has seen minimal changes since its original construction. In 1913, the size of the course was doubled, with nine holes added on a large plot of land to the northeast of the course. The current ACC Clubhouse was built by prominent architect Charles H. Page, Jr. utilizing building materials salvaged from the demolition of the University of Texas Old Main Building. The clubhouse was influenced by Colonial Revival style, with rhythmic arched windows and material juxtaposition of stone and wood. ACC sold the course to the City of Austin in 1946. ACC continued to use this building until 1951 when ACC moved to its new location, and the building became one of the city’s first recreation centers. The clubhouse was altered in the 1960s, adding the brick portion of the building which provided additional activity rooms and storage. The Community Center has five activity rooms, a ballroom, sun room, pro shop and office spaces. The original portion of the building is built of limestone and brick, while the newer addition has white painted brick. The course and clubhouse maintain a historically fashioned layout not seen in courses built in the past several decades. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2014