Historic Preservation, Cultural
San Antonio Missions
Located at the corner of San Jacinto and Seventh Streets in downtown Austin, Texas, St. David's Episcopal Church was the first stone masonry religious structure in the city. The church, a Recorded Historic Texas Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was originally constructed between 1853 and 1854 as a rectangular masonry structure, measuring some 70ft long by 34ft wide, in a simplified English Gothic Revival style. Additions to the church in the 19th and 20th centuries altered the original appearance, but are now significant in their own right like the crenelated addition at the south elevation and the apse addition at the north.
The scope of this project was a structural stabilization and rehabilitation of the historic 19th-century sanctuary. The project included high priority exterior and interior repairs, as identified in the preservation master plan for the church campus, completed by Ford, Powell & Carson in 2021. Before the project, there were significant preservation and repairs needed for the masonry walls of the historic church, water infiltration issues at roofs, doors, and windows throughout the building. The church had carried out various structural interventions over the years including the addition of exterior steel pipe bracing at the east wall and tie-rods connecting exterior walls in the nave in 2017. The goal of the current project was the determine if the exterior steel pipe bracing could be removed. Structural probes were conducted at observed cracks along with additional analysis to determine that the interior tie rods were doing their job. With some additional modifications at the juncture between the top of the wall and roof trusses, the exterior bracing was removed.
Other significant rehabilitation needs included replacement of deteriorated exterior stucco and interior plaster wall coatings; roof, door, and window repairs to address leakage and water infiltration; upgrades to the fire alarm system, IT and audio visual upgrades; replacement/repair of the wood flooring to match existing; repairs to wood pews and altar rails; pipe organ repairs; upgrades to the lighting and conversion of historic fixtures to LED; and HVAC and electrical upgrades.
The 19th-century stained glass windows were conserved and new protective glazing was installed on the exterior. Original historic features were discovered during construction and restored during the project including the original gothic pointed arches at the chancel apse and historic floor tiles at the main south entrance doors.
A historic finish analysis was conducted to reveal the 1880s Victorian paint scheme that was then replicated throughout the nave of the sanctuary. Replication of the historic stenciling in the altar area is planned for a future project. The discovered faux “Texas Red” granite columns at the chancel mimic the granite at the State Capitol building a few blocks away, which was built during the period this paint scheme was installed in the church.
The project was completed on August 4, 2023. Rehabilitating and restoring the historic sanctuary during the church’s 175th anniversary year was a passion project for the congregation. Undertaking a major construction project in a post COVID world of limited funds and high prices was a daunting task, but the building committee was committing to completing the project correctly. The structural issues were a significant challenge, but the committee placed their trust in the design and construction teams to develop a solution that would be sensitive to the historic fabric, preserving the sanctuary for generations to come.
Before vs. After