The Texas Antiquities Advisory Board recommended the Texas Historical Commission grant landmark status to the University Junior High building in an April 3 meeting.

The recommendation, which delays the University’s plans to demolish the building and replace it with a new football practice facility, was brought to the floor after a request from District 7 candidate Edwin Bautista. While the demolition was originally slated for June, the University will have to wait for the Texas Historical Commission’s ruling in a future meeting.

The Antiquities Board said it would still be possible for the University to demolish the building should it get State Antiquities Landmark status, but it is often used as a reason to prevent the demolition of a building and will add extra scrutiny and review.

“This was a significant victory for us because it shows that the board recognizes the significance of the cultural value of the building and the history that it embodies,” said UT alumnus Bautista. “The next step is to continue pushing forward with support for this nomination so that when it does go before the Texas Historical Commission … they know that the community wants this to be preserved.”

The 9-1 ruling in favor of the recommendation from the Antiquities Advisory Board puts the application in the Texas Historical Commission’s hands. The Commission will meet in July, however, it has not posted an agenda yet, said Chris Florance, a spokesperson for the Texas Historical Commission. Florance said the University can’t move forward with changes to the building until the Texas Historical Commission considers the State Antiquities Landmark application.

If the University decides to oppose the recommendation, then the Texas Historical Commission will go into an administrative hearing, where they would make a final decision on whether the building will become a State Antiquities Landmark or not.

“My hope is that the Commission will now understand that this is more than affecting UT,” Bautista said. “It goes beyond the UT campus to the city of Austin’s history, but (also) to the history of the state of Texas as far as what this building represents for our shared collective history.”

The University Junior High, which became the first fully integrated public middle school in Austin in 1957, has housed the Steve Hicks School of Social Work since 1994. The building also houses Raul Valdez’s “Heart and Soul” mural, which was painted in the mid-1990s. Bella Vargas, a Master of Science in Social Work student, said the mural emphasizes the power of advocacy for social workers.

“You’re seeing (in the mural) the people that we talk about and the communities that we discuss and want to help protect,” Vargas said. “That mural is important to us as a school because that’s what we’re being taught and (what) we’re learning and so it symbolizes the things that we’re gaining in the classroom.”

Bautista said he hopes the Texas Historical Commission recognizes the value the building has—both for students and the Austin community as a whole. 

“We need to take a pause,” Bautista said. “Hopefully UT will recognize that this is more important and we should preserve it instead of demolishing it.”