National Register of Historic Places

Battle Hall

Austin, Travis County, Texas
Listed
August 24, 1970
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
70000763

About this property

Battle Hall, also known as the "Cass Gilbert Building" and "The Old Library," is a historic library on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It is one of four buildings on campus that have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The others are the Littlefield House, University Junior High School (now the School of Social Work Building) and Little Campus (now called Arno Nowotny Building and John W. Hargis Hall). The building was designed by New York architect Cass Gilbert in 1911, using a Spanish-Mediterranean Revival style. It served as the main library until the new main building was completed in 1937. It now houses the John S. Chase Architecture and Planning Library, the Alexander Architectural Archives and the Center for American Architecture. The building's design, particularly its Spanish red tile roof, overhanging eaves and limestone walls, heavily influenced the 1933 master plan developed by Paul Cret, which in turn is a design requirement for new buildings on campus to this day. By the 1940s, the university's archival collections had outgrown their facilities. The Board of Regents voted to use the Cass Gilbert Building as a library once again, and after 1950, the expanding collections were rededicated as the Eugene C. Barker Texas History Center and moved into the "Old Library."

Location

Austin, Travis County, Texas
30.28560, -97.74051

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Battle Hall

This page lists Battle Hall. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Battle Hall report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Kappa Kappa Gamma House
Industrial
0.1 mi
University Baptist Church
Civil War
0.1 mi
University Junior High School
Industrial
0.1 mi
Cambridge Tower
Civil War
0.3 mi
Bertram Building
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Battle Hall listed on the National Register?

Battle Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 1970.

What type of historic resource is Battle Hall?

Battle Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Battle Hall?

The period of significance for Battle Hall is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Battle Hall?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Battle Hall will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Travis County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Travis County.

Explore TravisCounty ›

More historic places in Texas

Browse all historic places in Texas.

View Texashistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Texas history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Texashistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Battle Hall will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report