Laguna Gloria
The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, originally known as the AMOA-Arthouse at Laguna Gloria, is located on the beaches of Lake Austin in Austin, Texas, and is the former home of Clara Driscoll. It was the Austin Museum of Art’s first home and currently contains part of its treasures. The structure is currently one of The Contemporary Austin’s two locations.
The structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
Native Americans visited the location before the arrival of European settlers because of the adjacent spring (today underwater). The property’s land was previously held by Stephen F. Austin, who stated in 1832 (seven years before Austin was created) that he wanted to build a residence there. This never happened.
Hal Sevier, editor of the Austin American, and his new wife Clara Driscoll acquired the property in 1914. They finished their property two years later after being inspired by a honeymoon trip to Lake Como in Italy. Clara, an ardent gardener, spent many years around the site growing local and exotic species and constructing the tiered gardens that still exist today. Driscoll gave the homesite to the city as a museum in 1943.
The Laguna Gloria Art Museum was established in 1961 and quickly became an essential component of the Austin cultural scene. Soon after, the museum began providing art lessons, and in 1983, a 5,300-square-foot (490-square-meter) structure was constructed expressly for the expanding art school.
The institution’s name was changed to the Austin Museum of Art in 1992, and four years later, its principal exhibition space was relocated to 823 Congress Avenue in the center of downtown Austin. The Art School stayed at Laguna Gloria, and in 2003, the Driscoll Villa was refurbished and reopened as an exhibition venue focused on local and regional artists.
Mayfield Park, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places, is right next door.
The Contemporary Austin is divided into two locations: the historic Jones Center on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin and Laguna Gloria, a fourteen-acre art-in-nature complex that includes the landmark Driscoll Villa, the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park, the Art School at Laguna Gloria, and the Moody Pavilions.
JONES CENTER ON CONGRESS AVENUE
1851 – On the junction of 7th Street and Congress Avenue, Austin’s first three-story brick structure is built.
Tobin’s Drug Store opens at 700 Congress Avenue in 1877.
The Texas Fine Arts Association (TFAA) is founded in 1911.
In 1926, 700 Congress Avenue is transformed into the Queen Theater, which has a balcony and a proscenium stage.
Lerner Shops relocates to 700 Congress and renovates it by adding storefront windows, a second storey, and a new front elevation on Congress, complete with an awning over the sidewalk.
The Texas Fine Arts Association purchased the unoccupied 700 Congress building in 1995 and renovates the first level.
The Jones Center for Contemporary Art / TFAA opens to the public in 1998.
The TFAA is renamed Arthouse at the Jones Center in 2002.
Lewis.Jones Tsurumaki’s Center refurbishment and extension plans are unveiled by Arthouse in 2008.
Architects Lewis.
The Jones Center’s Arthouse reopens in 2010.
In 2011, Arthouse at the Jones Center and the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) commemorate their respective centennials. At the same time, the two institutions establish a merger under the interim name AMOA-Arthouse, reuniting the Texas Fine Arts Association’s two principal entities.
AMOA-Arthouse unveils its new name and brand, The Contemporary Austin, in 2013.
The Contemporary Austin received a $1.3 million grant from The Moody Foundation in 2015, allowing for a substantial refurbishment of its downtown facility.
2016
The Contemporary Austin celebrated the Grand Reopening of the restored Jones Center and the introduction of The Moody Rooftop in December 2016. LTL Architects led the project, which was later won the 2017 Best of Design Awards for Adaptive Reuse by The Architect’s Newspaper.
The Texas Fine Arts Association (TFAA) is founded in 1911.
1943
Clara Driscoll, a Texas icon, offers her lakefront house in west Austin in 1916 to be used “as a Museum to impart joy in the appreciation of art to the people of Texas.”
The TFAA separates into two different entities in 1961. The Laguna Gloria Art Museum was founded with the intention of owning and administering the museum and grounds, as well as presenting exhibits and educational events at the Driscoll Villa.
1983
The Laguna Gloria grounds are home to the Art School’s 4,100-square-foot building.
The Laguna Gloria Art Museum is renamed the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) in 1996, and its principal exhibition space is relocated to 823 Congress Avenue.
2003
A $3.6 million Laguna Gloria Renewal Project successfully refurbishes and restores the Driscoll Villa and gardens, as well as major components of The Art School complex.
2008
The old Gatehouse has been renovated, and the Art School studios have been enlarged by 2,500 square feet to accommodate more ceramics and painting space.
In 2011, Arthouse at the Jones Center and the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) commemorate their respective centennials. At the same time, the two institutions establish a merger under the interim name AMOA-Arthouse, reuniting the Texas Fine Arts Association’s two principal entities.
AMOA-Arthouse unveils its new name and brand, The Contemporary Austin, in 2013.
The Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation funds the building of the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria with a $9 million contribution from the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation.
2014
Reed Hilderbrand, a landscape architectural firm, is working on a Master Plan that will turn Laguna Gloria into an excellent location for the public to see art in a dynamic natural environment.
2017
At Laguna Gloria, the Contemporary Austin begins Phase I of the Master Plan, which includes invasive species removal and heritage tree preservation. More information may be found here.
The Boston Society of Landscape Architects has awarded Reed Hilderbrand the 2017 Excellence Award in Analysis and Planning for its ongoing work at the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria.
More on Laguna Gloria’s history may be found in “Glorious Renewal,” published in the Austin Chronicle on March 25, 2015, or here in the Austin-American Statesman on May 6, 2016.
The Contemporary Austin will open the new Moody Pavilions at Laguna Gloria in 2019, which will include a new visitor center, museum café, and artist-designed museum store.
Text from a Texas Historical Commission marker
“Henry H. and Clara Driscoll Sevier commissioned the construction of this Mediterranean-style mansion in 1916. The stuccoed mansion, named Laguna Gloria after a neighboring lagoon along the Colorado River, contains a beautiful window at San Jose Mission in San Antonio. Clara Driscoll, widely known for her work to preserve the Alamo, donated the land to the Texas Fine Arts Association in 1943. Laguna Gloria Art Museum presently owns her homesite.” Texas Historic Landmark since 1983.
Next Point of Interest: Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum