Old Austin Country Club building -- Hancock Park Recreation Center, Austin TX - Preserved Architectural Remnants and Ruins on Waymarking.com

This building, the former home of the Austin country club, has been the home of the Hancock Recreation Center in Hancock Park since 1946.

The building was originally built in 1934 with bricks salvaged from the 1883 Old Main Building at the University of Texas, which was razed in 1930 to permit construction of the current University of Texas Main Building, better known to the general public as the Tower Building.

A historic marker at the waymarked building in Hancock Park reads as follows:

"HANCOCK RECREATION CENTER

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"

Type: Remnant Fee: No Hours: Daily, dawn to dusk Related URL: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Original photographs showing additional views of the Ruin/Remnant or even just its current condition are encouraged. Please describe your visit, especially if no additional photos are available. Did you like the Ruin or Remnant? What prompted you to see the Ruin or Remnant?

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   11/26/2016 Benchmark Blasterz visited it