Battle Hall - Austin, TX
Posted by: 
Raven
N 30° 17.124 W 097° 44.409
14R E 621165 N 3351082
Added to the NRHP on Aug 25th, 1970 (under #70000763), Battle Hall on the University of Texas main campus was built in 1911 as the educational institution's official library; it currently houses UT's School of Architecture (among other functions).
Waymark Code: WMNKN2
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/30/2015
Views: 3
"Designed in 1909-10 by the New York architect Cass Gilbert [at a cost of approx. $280,000], Battle Hall is the only academic building on [the University of Texas at Austin] campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As University Architect (1909-1922), Gilbert was given carte blanche over the design for what was originally intended to be The University Library. His design credentials included designs for the U.S. Supreme Court Building, the Minnesota State Capitol, and the Woolworth Building in Manhattan. He excluded all ornamentation indigenous or identifiable to Texas and adopted a Spanish-Mediterranean revival style, in place of Collegiate Gothic, as that which best suited the image of the fledgling university as well as the Texas climate. This style became the model for future buildings on campus, including Sutton Hall (1918), Gilbert's only other structure at The University.
[The building is] a beautifully proportioned two-story symmetrical rectangular structure of smooth cream colored limestone with a large red tile roof and wide projecting eaves in the Mediterranean Renaissance style. The first and second stories are given the Renaissance proportions of basement and piano nobile, with deep set trabiated first story openings with iron grills and a paneled double front door with wide architrave carved in low relief with plants and plant form urns and large cartouche-keystone. The door is flanked by two massive and ornate wrought iron lanterns derived from Spanish Renaissance proto-types.
The seven second story windows are also deep set and are very large, arched, and have polychrome terracotta archivolts with fruit and flowers in relief. Terracotta medallions with zodiac signs are on the spandrels between the arches. There are delicate iron grill balconies at each window. The wide eaves have polychrome coffers and pendants and carved acanthus brackets.
The exterior is reminiscent of McKim, Mead, and White's Boston Public Library although this building is more feminine and delicate. The interior has offices on the first floor and a grand marble staircase with ornamental iron balustrades tucked in a rear corner of the building. The second floor is given monumental proportions with a large beamed and paneled reading room with Spanish reja inspired grills.
The east walls of the building are [...] faced with limestone and rest on a granite base. Five arched windows let light into the Reading Room. A border of colored terra cotta extends around each window, and each border consists of a rich design of plants and mythological heads. White zodiac signs are emblazoned on blue terracotta.
Gilbert's building served as The University Library until the Main Building's completion in 1937 [at which time Battle Hall became the "Old Library". A year later, it got re-used for fine arts classes and administrative office space]. In 1950, the building became known as the Eugene C. Barker Texas History Center to recognize the fact that it housed the University's collection of Texana. In 1973 the Texas Collection was relocated and the building named for Dr. William James Battle (1870-1955), the sixth president of The University of Texas. From 1973 to 1980, Battle Hall contained administrative offices for the College of Fine Arts and the library was comprised of the collections for Music, Library Science, Education & Psychology, and Architecture. Today, Battle Hall is the home of the Architecture and Planning Library, the Alexander Architectural Archive, and the Center for American Architecture and Design.
In February 2007, the American Institute of Architects announced that Battle Hall was included on its list of America's Favorite Architecture."
Sources: the "
University of Texas Libraries" website, intertwined with the
Texas Historical Commission's Atlas NRHP listing.