Demolition of historic Raúl Valdez mural at UT temporarily paused

Trailblazing mural artist Raúl Valdez thought he might be observing his nearly 30-year-old mural for the last time before it was to be demolished by the University of Texas at Austin. But now there’s a chance his historic piece stays intact.

Texas Athletics announced last spring it would start the demolition of the Valdez mural, which is housed inside UT’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work, soon to make way for a new football practice facility. 

“My first thought is, here we go again, because I have lost like seven or eight murals in the past,” Valdez said. It’s a sad recurring theme for Valdez, who has seen the vanishing of significant cultural murals over the years with the gentrification of Austin neighborhoods.

But efforts to save the mural and the School of Social Work space have not gone unnoticed by the state Antiquities Advisory Board. It recently approved a request to apply landmark status to the Depression-era building.

The recommendation now moves to the Texas Historical Commission, which decides whether or not to grant a State Antiquities Landmark designation. If approved, it becomes more difficult for Texas Athletics to pursue their project. If not approved, Texas Athletics can continue its plan where it left off.

The review process delays Texas Athletics’ expected demolition, which the Austin American-Statesman reported was set for June.

Barbara Anderson, a former UT professor at the School of Social Work and founder of the grassroots campaign, Save the Past for the fUTure, collected more than 1,700 signatures for a petition that calls for the football facility construction to come to a halt. She has sent letters to UT President Jay Hartzell and spoken to UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte in an effort to change their mind about the project.

She worked inside the building for 25 years and said the mural was sentimental to her. “Every day I walked up the stairs and this is what embraced me as I came to do my work,” Anderson said. 

Through the coalition and community outreach, she has focused on saving the mural because of its important message and themes. “This building’s mural depicts diversity, equity, and inclusion. To erase this would be would be an act of erasure. This mural represents my profession, it represents social justice. It represents hope for ways that our state could advance,” Anderson said.

As much as Anderson wants to preserve the mural and considers the landmark status an important development, she said public pressure will ultimately make a difference.

“Time is running out in persuading UT to change course. Although our work to achieve State Antiquity Landmark designation is promising, it only halts destruction for the time being.” 

Valdez – a noted master artist and pioneer in Austin’s Chicano mural scene – was commissioned by the university to paint the mural in 1995 and it took him about four months to complete. The mural, often referred to as “Heart & Soul,” depicts a spectrum of images ranging from injustice to community and hope. One section of the wall portrays police brutality against the brown community while on the opposite side community is shown through paintings of individuals bonding together.

“It means stuff to people, meaning a lot to some people. There’s been four, counting, that have actually cried tears here,” said Valdez, a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the local Latino community by the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. One of his iconic murals sprawls across a 4,000-square-foot-canvas and serves as the backdrop for the outdoor Hillside Theater at the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center in East Austin.

At UT, the social work building was formerly called University Junior High and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building was the first junior high school in Austin to integrate in the late 1950’s.

News of the potential demolition has also led to student advocates against the destruction of the mural. Bella Vargas, a UT graduate student, said the mural has cultural significance to the students and staff at the building.

“The aesthetic is just so bright, and colorful. And then I think it just shows like this lovely diverse people and backgrounds. I feel like that kind of ties nicely into our messaging as a school,” Vargas said. 

As a student at the School of Social Work, she said the demolition will affect her studies as well as she will have to relocate to a different building. 

In addition to the coalition, the Latino Studies department of the university has come forward to advocate for the preservation of the mural. In recent social media posts and newsletters, it ushered a call to action to sign the campaigns’ petition and raise more awareness within the community. 

Officials from UT Athletics did not return our requests for comment, however, they told the Statesman that the new field was needed because the current practice football field is about a 10-minute walk from their headquarters. And as far as the recent board recommendation, they said they’d respect the process.

Communications Director of the Texas Historical Commission, Chris Florance, said the commission will make the final decision in July.

“We’re the little guys here in this whole equation,” Valdez said. “It’s easy to be stepped on, but I’ve never lost faith.”