Restoring History
Honoring the Home of I.Q. Hurdle
Words by Sean Saldana Photo by Will Bowling
The former home to African American education advocate Isaiah Quit Hurdle had fallen into disrepair. The home was purchased with the agreement to restore and relocate it, according to the former owner. Since that purchase, the restoration had stalled—until recently.
Born in 1886 in Greenville, Texas, about 50 miles northeast of Dallas, Isaiah Quit (I.Q.) Hurdle would become instrumental to the establishment and growth of the African American education system in Austin during the first half of the 20th century.
The son of runaway slaves, Hurdle was among the early generations of African Americans to attend school in the United States, and he would go on to head the Northeast Texas Christian Theological and Industrial College in Palestine, Texas, and earn a graduate degree from The University of Colorado.
In 1920, Hurdle moved to Austin to teach at L.C. Anderson High School, also known as the Old Anderson High School, for five years. From 1927 to 1930, he served as principal of the Gregory Town School which was later renamed Blackshear Elementary, and in 1930, he then became principal of the newly-founded Kealing Junior High School, Austin’s first junior high school for African American students.
After his retirement from the Austin school district in 1954, Hurdle continued his advocacy alongside Colored Teachers State Association of Texas (CTSAT) and other organizations championing racial equity in education.
In addition to his involvement in education, Hurdle had a lifelong dedication to his faith as he was head of the 12th Street Christian Church and served as president of the Texas United Christian Missionary Convention in 1943.
The Historic Landmark
Today, Hurdle’s legacy is most visible through a year’s long restoration effort that has been underway at his former home at 1416 East 12th Street.
In 2016, after sitting in years of disrepair, the house was purchased by Dallas-based firm Eureka Holdings. According to former-owner Irving Henry Allen Jr., the home was purchased with “arrangements for the buyer to fix it up and move it.” But after a few years with little progress made on the house’s restoration, the Historic Landmark Commission came together in April 2019 to open a demolition-by-neglect case on the property: an attempt to expedite the repair process by setting a timeline for owners to make necessary changes.
However, before the meeting could take place, Eureka filed a Certificate of Appropriateness, a request to ensure that the proposed changes were in line with the historic status of the building.
And thus, the restoration process has accelerated at a noticeably faster pace. The graffiti and boarded up windows that once covered the home’s facade have been replaced with a fresh coat of paint and a new set of windows have replaced the plywood that once held out the light. Another noteworthy addition to the property is the large sign out front commemorating I.Q. Hurdle’s contributions to the community.
