For Immediate Release – Oct. 11, 2021
Contact: Camille Garcia Director of Communications (512) 713-4262
[email protected]
This morning, Most Reverend Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of Austin, and Rev. Chuck Kullmann, Paulist Father and Pastor of St. Austin Catholic Church on Guadalupe Street near the University of Texas, broke ground on a redevelopment project of the entire church campus, which will include the construction of new facilities for St. Austin Catholic School. This redevelopment has been in planning and design since 2016.
Working with Greystar Development, the redevelopment will include new buildings for St. Austin’s award-winning school as well as new parish offices and a new rectory for the Paulist priests who minister at the parish and who serve the greater Austin community. The main portion of the new building will be located at 21st and Guadalupe, immediately adjacent to the current church at 2026 Guadalupe Street. Additionally, the current school building, located at 1911 San Antonio Street, will be razed to make way for a new downtown residential tower that will serve both university students and residents of the area.
Once completed, the school will serve up to 400 pre-k 3 through 8th grade students with state-of-the-art classrooms and a greater emphasis on STEM education through the new science lab. The school will also have a new gymnasium and outdoor spaces. The school has been a part of St. Austin Church since 1917 and occupied the same building for over 70 years. Scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2023, classes will resume on-site for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Father Kullmann said this morning, “This parish and school community, which has been at this location for over a century, looks forward to carrying into the future the mission of ministry and evangelization.” Bishop Vásquez said, “As Austin continues to grow, we are blessed to break ground on a development that will serve the community for generations to come allowing us to continue to bear witness to the Gospel.”
Bishop Vásquez also expresses his gratitude to the staff and many volunteers at St. Austin Catholic Church and School, the parish and diocesan finance councils, and members of the diocesan staff who spent countless hours in developing and implementing the plans necessary for this ambitious project. By rebuilding on its current site, St. Austin will remain part of the local community it has served faithfully for over 100 years.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all its partners who have helped bring this project to life, particularly its development partner Greystar, lead architect Page Southerland Page, consulting architect FGM Architects, General Contractor Hensel-Phelps, its broker CBRE, its owner’s representative Project Management Advisers, Inc. and the Windsor Group, LLC, and our legal team at DuBois, Bryant & Campbell.
About the Diocese of Austin
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin includes 127 parishes, or faith communities, in 25 counties in Central Texas. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez leads the diocese, which stretches over 21,000 square miles. More than 620,000 Catholics live in the diocese. For more information on the Diocese of Austin click here.