Student government president Greg Hale, a communications major, in front of the Rio Grande St. entrance to the Rio Grande campus
As the Fall 1975 semester approached, nearly 10,000 students registered for fall classes– 60 percent more students than the previous spring. Fortunately, ACC enjoyed twice as much classroom space in which to teach them, thanks to the availability of the former Stephen F. Austin High School campus, located at 12th and Rio Grande streets. Austin Independent School District had relocated Austin High School to a new campus near Town Lake and agreed to lease the old campus’ main building, which had been constructed in 1911, for use as a full-time, day/night facility. The arrangement exemplified the benefits that accrued to ACC, still without local taxing authority, from its connection to AISD. The campus was initially Christened the “Austin Campus” and then changed to the “Rio Grande Campus” of Austin Community College.
The high school cafeteria was later converted to a student lounge.
Preparing the 64-year-old Rio Grande Campus for a full schedule of daytime and nighttime classes was an enormous challenge due to the age of the building, limited office and classroom space, and tight budgets. But eager and resourceful employees responded to the challenge. Many spent Labor Day holiday weekend of 1975 painting their new offices, which in some cases were actually converted closets. College officials turned the former school cafeteria into a student lounge. ACC also acquired an abandoned H.E.B. grocery store one block west of the Rio Grande Campus and utilized it as an occupational and technical Skills Center. The ACC Board of Trustees negotiated the purchase of property once owned by the Austin Athletic Club, including tennis courts, and leased them to the City of Austin to enhance the College’s constricted cash inflow.
A view from 12th St. ACC purchased an abandoned H.E.B. grocery store at the corner of 12th St. and Shoal Creek Blvd. and converted it into a vocational/technical Skills Center.
ACC also acquired the old Austin Athletic Club building and tennis courts adjacent to the Skill Center on Shoal Creek Blvd.
The covered walkway between the main building and the Annex, part of which the Austin Independent School District continued to utilize for students with special needs, provided a comfortable place to hang out between classes.
A Rio Grande campus student computer lab, circa early 1980s, was equipped with modern Apple IIe and Macintosh machines.
A computer programming classroom