On the verge of demolition, neighborhood seeks recognition for Holy Cross Hospital

Recent history has given us little reason to take note of 2600 E. MLK Blvd., where for decades a vacant concrete building has served largely as a canvas for graffiti. But before it was scenery, Austinites traveled miles to visit, pursuing the latest breakthroughs in radiation treatment for cancer patients.

The former Capital Area Research and Radiation Center is all that remains of the Holy Cross Hospital complex, which from 1950 through 1989 was home to some of the city’s best medical professionals. Now, those who recall its zenith are preparing to say goodbye, as a permit to clear the path for redevelopment makes its way through the Historic Landmark Commission.

In its place, the developer is proposing a glossy mixed-use project, though the specifics remain vague. Judging from a handful of renderings, the new seven-story building appears to consist mostly of residential units, perhaps with ground floor commercial space.

The staunchest preservationist would be hard-pressed to argue that the building is worth saving – the more impressive hospital and nursing wing are long gone, while the building itself houses radioactive material unfit for reuse. Still, landmark commissioners voted last Wednesday to postpone the case to their next meeting, buying time for neighbors to offer their thoughts on the coming transition.

Founded in 1940, Holy Cross Hospital was the first medical facility in the city to employ Black doctors and treat Black patients, holding a distinguished reputation in the field of pregnancy and childbirth. Originally on East 11th Street, it would relocate to East MLK Boulevard in 1951, leveraging federal funding to upsize to a bigger and better facility.

Longtime natives may recall the site’s nursing wing, a five-story flat-roofed rotunda designed by architect Charles Henry Page, whose New Deal style still looms large in the city landscape. Five years later, Holy Cross was exploring new frontiers in cancer treatment, adding a research center with walls 7 feet thick to conduct radiation therapy with cutting-edge medical devices.

Today, the former hospital is home to Campbell Elementary School, and a diminishing number of locals remain to tell its story firsthand. Among those locals is Berri McBride, who was born at the original Holy Cross Hospital on East 11th.

For McBride, Holy Cross is foundational to East Austin’s legacy, epitomizing the caliber of achievement and strength of community that blossomed there, in spite of segregation and disenfranchisement, in the mid-20th century. In 2021, McBride joined fellow neighbors to form the Rogers Washington-Holy Cross historic district, the first to secure protective zoning for a predominantly Black neighborhood in Austin. 

Since then, he has been working with the Texas Historical Commission to formally recognize the Holy Cross’ East MLK site with a designation and plaque (currently, one only exists for the original location on East 11th Street). At last week’s Historic Landmark Commission meeting, McBride says he is hopeful that the new development can pay its due respect.

“(In 1991), the site’s other buildings were demolished very suddenly and unceremoniously, and that’s so unfortunate because of the unique benefits and vitality that it gave the East Austin community over nearly 50 years,” McBride said. “It’s not that I oppose demolition … (but) there are a number of things historically connected with the hospital that we may want to see incorporated into the new structure – we’d like to have these kinds of discussions with the developer … so this can be a win-win situation for everyone.”

Luckily, the applicant’s legal team says the developer is already taking steps to pay homage. In addition to the building’s curved facade, a nod to Page’s iconic circular nursing wing, attorney Leah Bojo says her client hopes to adorn the project’s northern facade with a mural telling the story of Holy Cross’s legacy.

“We were thinking that it could face Campbell Elementary, and we would be happy to collaborate with the community on materials, artists and the concept to tell the story of the hospital and its importance,” Bojo said.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.