Places of worship around UT

Have you ever noticed how many religious places of worship sit on the borders of the University of Texas - Austin campus? I spent the afternoon walking around campus locating and photographing the architecture of each church or synagogue, which students frequent regularly. The designs of each of them are surprisingly unique, and you might be surprised at just how many religious establishments there are next to the expansive public university.

University Catholic Center

The University Catholic Center is located at 2010 University Ave, Austin, TX. The center includes a large chapel, a small Blessed Sacrament chapel, a conference room, kitchen, a library and several offices and classrooms. The outside is significantly more modern looking than many of the other places of worship near campus. The rectangular shaped building has symmetrical windows on all sides of the building to provide ample natural light, and the exterior is divided into a half-stucco and half-stone material.

University Christian Church

The University Christian Church is located at 2007 University Avenue, Austin, TX. According to the UCC website, the exterior stone of the building was quarried from Cedar Park and the bases' trim is a Cordova cream cut limestone. The Sanctuary, the tower-like central structure with Gothic architecture, rises 62 feet above University Avenue.

University United Methodist Church

The University United Methodist Church is located at 2409 Guadalupe, Austin, TX. The church was opened in 1887 and stood as only a small chapel. Today, it has been renovated a number of times, most recently in 2008, and contains a sanctuary, a chapel and an Early Childhood center. The sanctuary has the capacity to fit 850 people, the chapel can fit 85 people and the Childhood center cares for children aged 2 months to five years old. The outside has a blend of Gothic architecture and Southwestern tones.

All Saints' Episcopal Church

All Saints' Episcopal Church has some of the most contradictory architecture in one building. Located at 209 W. 22nd St, Austin, TX, the chapel is built entirely of gray stones with intermittent stained glass windows and spires on the roof, while the back of the church is similar to Mies van der Rohe - simple, gray and modern design. The reason for the discrepancy is the chapel was constructed in 1899 and the back, modern portion was built in 1952 to function as a day school for children. Personally, I think the building would have been nicer if it was more uniform in style with the architecture of the chapel, but perhaps they saved the money on design to help others in need.

Austin Presbyterian

Located at 100 E. 27th St, Austin, TX, the Austin Presbyterian chapel was founded in 1902 along with the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Shelton Chapel is the pictured building and stands prominently down Wichita St. This tall tower is very similar to the one seen at University Christian Church. The steeples have been cut short and instead, the prominence is in the actual height of the burnt-orange bricked tower. It is definitely worth taking a look at if you are near campus!

University Baptist Church

The University Baptist Church is located at 2130 Guadalupe, Austin, TX. The sanctuary was completed in 1921 and contains the Fellowship hall, Bible study rooms, pastoral offices and the Sanctuary. Much like the All Saints' Episcopal church, the back of this church has been allocated to an Education Building and a children's Sunday school.

St. Austin Catholic Church

The St. Austin Catholic Church is located at 2026 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX and the church was founded in 1908. The church features a simple layout on the inside with mostly natural light and stained glass windows. Attached to its right is a Pre-K through 8th grade school. The facade of the church is simple, much like the University Catholic Center. There are no intricate stone details on the outside.

Texas Hillel

Built in 2006, the Texas Hillel located at 2105 San Antonio St, Austin, TX, spans 18,000 feet. Inside lies multi-purpose rooms for dining, classes, meetings, studying and holding worship services. The newest and most modern of all worship facilities around campus, the aesthetically pleasing structure does not look like a traditional place of worship on the outside. Behind the Hillel is Austin's only Orthodox-supervised commercial kosher kitchen called Lucy's European Cuisine.

University Lutheran Church

The University Lutheran Church is located at 2100 San Antonio St, Austin, TX. If the exterior cross and the name of the church were removed, this building could easily be passed as anything but a place of worship. Much like many of the other churches around campus, there is a focus on natural light and, thus this building provides rows of windows to allow for this.

University Presbyterian Church

The University Presbyterian Church is located at 2203 San Antonio St, Austin, TX. The building was constructed in the 1950s and the inside was renovated to be covered with finished sheetrock. There is an impressive pipe organ in the Chancel in the sanctuary. The red tiled roof and burnt orange brick matches the buildings on campus making it cohesive and balanced. There are also stain glass windows like many of the Christian-based churches around campus.




(Side Note: The following places of worship located within two blocks of campus were not photographed:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Nueces Mosque
University Avenue Church of Christ)