University Baptist Church, Austin, Texas
historic place
University Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, was officially chartered on September 27, 1908. It was organized between 1907 and 1908 to serve students at the University of Texas. The main church building, completed in 1921 at 22nd and Guadalupe Streets, was designed by Philadelphia architect Albert Kelsey. Its Spanish Colonial Revival style complemented the university's architecture. Throughout its history, the church has taken progressive stances. It welcomed African American members in 1943 and ordained women as deacons in the 1970s. Its 1990s ordination of an openly gay man as a deacon led to its 1997 disaffiliation from the Southern Baptist Convention. The main building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This site is historically significant for its architecture and its advocacy for social change.