Council Watch

In the old days, congregants entered St. David's Episcopal Church from San Jacinto Street, and while some arrived on foot, others left their horses tied up outside while they worshipped. Things have changed. Today, most people arrive at St. David's by car; to accommodate them, the main entrance has become the one in back, through the alleyway that leads to the parking garage. The hill that once sloped south from the church is gone -- excavations have lowered San Jacinto by about 27 feet, and large retaining walls have been erected to make up for the steep grade. The Rev. Janne Alro Osborne, St. David's associate rector, says that part of the church's planned $7 million-plus renovation and expansion will include alterations to make the front of the church accessible to people again, in order to accommodate the increased foot traffic that Austin's burgeoning "24-hour downtown" will bring. "People are going to want to walk to worship," she says, "people who live in the lofts."

But St. David's does more than just serve the loft people. It also serves other downtown denizens, including the homeless, the children attending its new Montessori school, and their parents, who work in tall downtown buildings. That's why the City Council was firmly on church supporters' side when they anxiously petitioned council members not to zone a 19th-century home on St. David's property as historic -- a move church supporters said would have scuttled the church's proposed expansion, planned for the space where the house now sits. Council ruled for the church, casting a 7-0 vote to deny historic zoning of the house.

The dilemma was this: Though most agree that the Castleman-Bull house, located at the corner of San Jacinto and East Seventh, is indeed a piece of Austin history worth saving, to acknowledge that with a historic zoning designation would prevent the house from being moved without a determination from the Historic Landmark Commission -- thereby prolonging the until-now-indefinite postponement of the church's expansion. But to deny the house historic zoning -- and allow the church to move forward with its expansion, which would include a 3,500-square-foot space for its new outreach ministry, medical facilities, and space to share with other service groups that want a downtown presence -- would mean leaving the house vulnerable to demolition.

The church has owned the 1873 Castleman-Bull house, which was home to four generations of the Castleman family, since 1963. Since 1964, St. David's has donated most of the house to Caritas, one of downtown's most venerable social service providers. Over the years, both Caritas and St. David's grew and prospered, offering expanded services to the downtown area. When it came time to expand, St. David's offered Caritas a 7,000-square-foot space in its planned new facilities, but Caritas, which needed even more space, turned down the offer, and recently moved into a new, 25,000-square-foot facility nearby at 611 Neches.

Despite an expressed interest in saving the historic home from destruction, the council showed appreciation for the church's stated commitment to help move the old house to a new home. St. David's stewardship director Margie Monroe, who says the church is "committed to making [the move] happen," adds that it's going to take "big-time dollars" to do so; she says the church is looking for a partner to take the historic house off its hands. A potential investor has approached the church about moving the house to 802 San Antonio, and the church says he can have it. "We're not charging for the house," says Monroe.

So it was a matter of faith that the church would do what it said, and the council believed.

Another reason for the council's faith in St. David's was the church's demonstrated commitment to serving downtown. In the early 1960s, as more of the church's membership moved to Austin's suburbs, there was a movement afoot to relocate the church outside downtown. Instead, the Rev. Charles A. Sumners convinced the congregation not only to stay downtown, but to make the area a special part of the church's mission. Almost 40 years later, the church has aided numerous Austin charities, housed Caritas, provided food and shelter for the homeless, lent out its facilities for meetings of 12-step groups, and offered other kinds of assistance to anyone in need who turned up on their doorstep.

After a few remaining legal transactions go through, St. David's will own the entire block that includes the St. David's parking garage, a surface parking lot, the sanctuary, and additional church facilities, including the house in question. The 1856 sanctuary, which predates the Castleman-Bull house by almost 20 years, is where St. David's representatives say the church has proved its commitment to historical restoration. A painstaking restoration project is underway, demonstrating, according to Rev. Osborne, that "we have been the absolute best stewards of this building that we could be."

Recognizing the preservation community's potential concerns about the future of the Castleman-Bull house, St. David's brought the interested parties together early this summer to discuss the house's future. Though more than a few preservationists argued that the council should not have opened up the possibility that the building could be destroyed by denying historic zoning, opposition was minimized through an almost yearlong consensus-building process.

Unlike other churches that shall remain nameless, St. David's could not credibly face charges of seeking expansion for expansion's sake. The church has started holding six Sunday worship services in order to accommodate its 2,000-plus members; and, as the church and its programs have grown, the staff has taken over bathrooms and janitors' closets, and doubled or tripled up on office space when necessary in order to economize.

Rev. Osborne is excited about the church's continued interaction with downtown, and the effect on future generations of the partnerships that are forged today. Speaking of the 100 or so students in St. David's Montessori school, she says, "These kids come [downtown] to the city to go to school. Who knows how that forms and shapes a new generation?"

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ARA Gets Windfall

The ARA is one more step closer to turning dirt on 11th and 12th streets, with City Council approval last week of more than $9 million in federal loans that will serve as a catalyst to spur private investment in the area. The city will start the ball rolling by updating badly obsolescent infrastructure, including storm drainage pipes that are more than 50 years out of date.

The project moved forward amid collective handwringing over the amount of time it took to get to this point. As is his wont lately, Council Member Willie Lewis styled himself the most outspoken critic of the ARA's foot-dragging. The council approved a preliminary action plan in January, and it has taken 10 months for revisions to be made and the final plan to be submitted for council approval. In the interim, the ARA's director, Bernice Butler, resigned, and the 11th and 12th St. corridor remains distinctly un-revitalized.

Though the promise of all those millions can only help things in the fallen-on-hard-times 11th and 12th St. corridor, the urban renewal project has been troubled from the start, and everyone from Lewis to city housing director Paul Hilgers to City Manager Jesus Garza expressed dismay at the pace of progress -- though Garza had to be goaded into it by Lewis, who remarked, "I know the city manager is [satisfied] because he hasn't had it [finished]; undoubtedly he's satisfied with it."

This Week in Council: Two-week break! The council will be back on January 6, 2000. Agenda items are still in the works, but one issue council will likely consider is an ARTS Center Stage proposal to give the city $1 million to add support structures onto the planned parking garage at the new performing arts center on Town Lake. The structures would enable the later addition of two more levels onto the parking garage. Neighborhood and parks representatives don't fancy the idea of a bigger parking garage. Should the city accept ARTS' $1 million "gift," ARTS would retain naming rights of the garage.

Also, negotiations on the proposed settlement with developer Gary Bradley are still under way to determine how he can develop the remainder of his southwest property. The promised, more detailed version of the proposal has yet to materialize, but Mayor Kirk Watson says the city is making substantial progress toward an agreement. Stay tuned.