Our Campus
Click on buildings shown on map below for descriptions
The First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio had its beginning on April 29, 1945, with 46 original members. Initially the Unitarian congregants met at a founder’s home before buying a house near the Witte Museum (now Circle School). Our current site was purchased in 1956 and services began in 1961. Stones for our original buildings are Hill Country stones our members collected.
First
Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio
Symbolism
The symbol of the Church is a flaming chalice. The shape of the sanctuary,
with its rising mass and pinnacle skylight (which is lit at night), represents
this symbol. The mass may also be seen as the sacred world mountain.
The Church’s relationship to nature is symbolized in the four trees
which were planted in the courtyard outside the sanctuary entrance. Each tree
blooms in a different season. Phrases relating to each season were selected
by members of the Church and engraved in the limestone pavers below each tree.
The truth of the building structure is expressed in the interior. All of the
structure is exposed: the structural wood deck that supports the roof, the
structural wood beams, the structural steel trusses that span the space, the
structural steel columns, the structural concrete slab and its limestone aggregrate.
The focus of the interior is abstracted “trees.” The “trunks” are
made from the structural wood beams; the leaves are the same maple plywood
panels that sheath the interior. In this way, the structure of the roof, and
the finished material from the walls, also become the symbolic focus of the
church interior. In addition, the north wall is glass, allowing a view of the
exterior courtyard and an existing large oak tree. Visually, then the interior
symbolic tree relates to the natural exterior tree. Finally, light is also
let into the Sanctuary from the courtyard, symbolically illuminating the interior
with light from the outdoor tree.
The skylight at the peak of the roof has prisms adhered to it. These prisms
were donated by members of the Church, and are from meaningful sources, such
as from grandmother’s chandelier. These prisms throw small rainbows on
the walls and floor. These rainbows move with the sun, the weather, and the
time of the year. This color, then, is made naturally by the sun filtered through
the histories of the family members. This has been referred to as 21 st Century
Stained Glass.
The original campus was composed of two buildings on the east and west of
an informal courtyard. These buildings made a “zone” of consistent
width on each side. These zones continue in the wings of the sanctuary building,
and are bent together and focus on the skylight. This makes a dynamic interior
shape.
- BUILDING A.
- This building houses the 500 seat auditorium and a classroom.
There are restrooms and a wiggle room for visiting infants. This sanctuary was added in 1997. This award winning facility (Dan Widgodsky) includes in its design a lot of things we are especially proud of: the wooden design of majestic trees in the front of our sanctuary and the rainbows that our formed inside the Sanctuary during the service. Church members donated over 100 prisms which were embedded in a glass pyramid at the highest point which allows the sun to shine through it to form rainbows inside our church. The Allen organ and now our latest acquisition of a Steinway Concert Grand piano are two of our finest treasures. In our sanctuary foyer, members collected leaves to form impressions on the Sanctuary foyer floor? And a previous minister’s wife created the two “stone windows” that we think add considerably to the beauty of our sanctuary.
In the building’s classroom a weekly adult forum is held and after the service the book cart is open for Beacon Press selections.
The Buddhist interest group meets here first Sunday night of each month. This room is available for wedding receptions and community rentals. Also in front of the sanctuary we have planted four trees, one of which will be blooming at each season of the year.
-
- BUILDING B.
- The Channing –Murray Building houses our fellowship hall, kitchen, and library. The hall is used by a Sunday adult religious education group, which enjoys discussions of great philosophers, and in the evening is rented to a Christian group called Spirit of Peace. On Saturday morning it is rented to Beth Am Jewish congregation.
We use this hall for our monthly soup lunches, weekday rentals, and an annual auction.
Social events such as a Mardi Gras party are held here.
- Library: Leah Carter Johnston Library (for whom the Johnston Branch Library,
within the San Antonio Public Library system is also named. Leah Carter
Johnston was San Antonio Public Library’s first Children’s Librarian.
Mrs. Johnston established the Children’s Department in 1922, and she
served as Children’s Librarian until 1955. In 1927, she created the
first children’s poetry competition in the United TX States. Known
as "Young Pegasus," this contest continues to inspire and encourage
children to use words to express their dreams and make books of their own.
Mrs. Johnston was also an author and a reviewer of children’s books
for Horn Book Magazine and the Texas Library Journal. In 1947, she published
a children’s local history, SAN ANTONIO—SAINT ANTHONY’S
TOWN, which remains a part of the library collection today. After retirement
from the library system, Mrs. Johnston and 12 friends organized the Friends
of the San Antonio Public Library in 1964. [from SAPL web site at http://www.sanantonio.gov/LIBRARY/branch/johnston.asp]
)
-
- BUILDING C.
- The Dorothea Dix building houses the offices of the minister, the church
administrator and the Religious Education director. Church records
are kept here as well as a small food pantry for those in need.
- Rooms from left to right as one looks at the
map: Minister's Office (not named after an individual); Olympia Brown Conference Room; John Adams; Elizabeth Peabody (Director of Religious Education office).
- BUILDING D.
- The Longfellow building is used for children under 5. There is an infant nursery for non-walking children, a nursery for one and two year olds, and a preschool classroom for three and four year olds and its own playground. On Sunday mornings, child care is available during the service.
- Rooms from left to right as one looks at the map: Beatrix Potter;
Frank Lloyd Wright; Sophia Fahs; P.T. Barnum
- BUILDING E.
- The Jefferson building contains 3 rooms for Sunday elementary school age classrooms. It has an adjacent playground. The large meeting room and kitchenette are used for adult church meeting and rented for community use.
- Rooms listed clockwise from upper left: James Reeb, Susan B. Anthony; Paul
Revere; Clara Barton
- BUILDING F.
- The Thoreau building is used for middle school, high school and parent classrooms. Other community groups rent these spaces. The Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) meets here on Sunday.
- Rooms from left to right as one looks at the map: Wade Richmond; Charles
Darwin; Tim Berners-Lee; Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Our thriving congregation continues to grow and prosper, as it assists our
members in their individual spiritual journeys.
