Preservation Austin releases free virtual homes tour of Austin’s only Black designated historic district — Sightlines
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For this year’s home tour, Preservation Austin highlighted the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Historic District, Austin’s newest and only black designated historic district.
The video tour is now available for free on Preservation Austin’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/preservationaustin/videos
Narrated by Austin actor Marc Pouhé, Preservation Austin’s virtual city tour “Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross: Black Heritage, Living History” shows seven modern homes from the post-war and mid-century.
In the 1950s, when Austin was still segregated, black families breaking barriers into education, the military, science, civil service, and business built houses and started their own mid-century churches in the East Austin neighborhood.
Related: “Common Ground: The Story of Austin’s Newest and Only Black Historic Quarter”
In addition to the 50-minute tour video, there is also a self-guided tour that shows other homes in Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross as well as key landmarks in East Austin. Download the tour information here.
Built in 1958, the David Chapel Missionary Baptist is one of two East Austin churches designed by John S. Chase.
One such site is the 1958 David Chapel, a masterpiece by the architect John S. Chase, the African American who graduated from the University of Texas School of Architecture and his only black licensed architect in Texas.
Another is the Teachers State Association of Texas, built in 1952, one of Chase’s first buildings. This later became the House of Elegance beauty salon, a long-term common property. In 2018, UT bought it to the Community Engagement Center of its Diversity and Community Engagement department.
The building at 1191 Navasota Street, designed by John S. Chase in 1952, was originally the Teachers State Association of Texas
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