Historical Fusion by Stephen Sharpe
p r o j e c t Grace c l i e n t Camp
Chapel (at Camp for All), Washington County
for All Foundation
a r c h i t e c t Curry
Boudreaux Architects
d e s i g n t e a m Peter
Boudreaux, AIA; Ray H. Nayle, II; Daniel Ortiz
c o n t r a c t o r Brookstone, c o n s u l t a n t s Wan
LP
Engineering, Inc. (structural); TBG Partners Inc.
(landscape); Curry Boudreaux Architects (lighting/furniture) p h o t o g r a p h e r G.
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t e x a s
Lyon Photography, Inc.
a r c h i t e c t
To drive the backroads of rural Texas is to travel through history. Just below the surface of many small towns, a palpable immigrant heritage dwells. The signs are sometimes obvious, the annual festivals celebrating a community’s cultural origins and the museums dedicated to preserving the locals’ ethnic roots. Also, the old churches, many built by the hands of those who settled the area, often serve as tangible reminders of the unique narrative of a peoples’ journey from faraway native lands in their quest for a new, more tolerant home. The rolling hills between the Colorado and Brazos rivers proved an exceptionally rewarding destination in the nineteenth century for many émigré families who departed northern Europe in search of freedom from persecution and an opportunity to start life again. Vestiges of that era’s migration wave are still recognizable in pockets of Central Texas, particularly in four counties – Lee, Fayette, Washington, and Austin – where several “painted churches” stand as enduring testaments to the religious devotion of transplanted Christian congregations. Organized mostly by conservative branches of Protestantism, these churches were designed as modest expressions of faith. Their humble exteriors, however, belie exuberant interiors adorned with brightly colored surfaces and boldly rendered attempts to depict architectural accoutrements far exceeding the parishioners pocketbooks. In all, 15 houses of worship across Texas are recognized as “painted churches” in the National Register of Historic Places under the thematic category “Churches in Texas with Decorative Interior Painting.” Added to the National Register in 1983, the group represents a variety of religious buildings throughout the state significant for their architectural, historic, and artistic attributes. The majority of these churches are located in the central part of the state within the triangle formed by Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. In late April I drove east of Austin to see a few of the painted churches on my way to tour Grace Chapel, a new project by Curry Boudreaux Architects at Camp for All northeast of Brenham. Established in 1993 by two Houston physicians and a parent who lost a child to cancer, the Camp for All Foundation offers children and adults with chronic illness or disability the opportunity to experience the thrill of camp. Curry Boudreaux of Houston has provided architectural services to the nonprofit organization as the camp has added barrier-free facilities on its idyllic 206-acre site in rural Washington County. (See July/August 2003 Texas Architect.)
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