Independence Hall comes to Houston Baptist University
$10M gift from local philanthropist will go to build replica of historical edifice on school’s southwest side campus
A new building planned for the Houston Baptist University campus will actually feel quite old.
The new Independence Hall building — designed to feel like the original place where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed — is in the planning stages and construction will begin in an estimated 17 months. In September, a $10 million gift from Stewart Morris Sr. established plans for the new building and The Morris Family Center for Law and Liberty. The new center promotes founding principles like liberty, rule of law and free enterprise through university curriculum and community programming.
Morris, a 99-year-old Navy veteran of World War II, said he has always valued patriotism and the core principles that the country was founded upon. Before serving in the South Pacific from 19431945, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, a doctor of jurisprudence from Southern Methodist University and a midshipman’s degree from Columbia University.
At age 10, he began working at the family business, Stewart Title, where he began as an office boy and later became president and chief executive officer. His 80-year legacy at Stewart Title helped build the company into a national and international name in real estate.
With his $10 million donation, Morris is recognized as the university’s “largest lifetime donor to the university,” said HBU President Robert B. Sloan. As a founding father of Houston Baptist University who helped establish it as Houston Baptist College in 1960 and a devoted Christian, Morris said he is committed to HBU as an academic and faith-based institution. In the past, he has funded scholarships for students and established the Morris Cultural Arts Center. He is currently on the HBU Board of Trustees and President’s Leadership Council.
The university, then known as Houston Baptist College, was first approved Nov. 15, 1960, by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Prior to this approval in 1957, Houston land developer Frank Sharp offered 390 acres in southwest Houston to the Union Baptist Association for the physical location of the campus. Rice University also lent most of the money needed for collateral with the land and 25 businessmen “founders,” in-
cluding Morris, each pledged $10,000. The HBU campus finally opened to students in September 1963 with a freshman class of 193 students and 30 faculty members.
“It’s my hope that the new building constructed as part of the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty is a beacon for people, particularly for students, to realize that free enterprise is an essential part of freedom, and freedom is what our nation was built upon,” Morris said. “That is why our nation is so great.”
Christopher Hammons, director of The Morris Family Center for Law and Liberty, said the historic setting will facilitate student learning by bringing their studies to life.
“It will be like students are in the actual room where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created,” he said. “We’ve taken students on trips to Boston and Colonial Williamsburg so that the reality of historical lessons drives home and so that they feel like they are at the center of these events.”
But instead of traveling roughly 1,500 miles to Philadelphia, students will attend classes in their own signing room, gathering room and courtroom on campus. Sloan said the modeled signing room at HBU will differ from the original due to slightly larger dimensions, but it otherwise follows the original design plans closely.
Paul Hoyt, a junior government and history student at HBU, said he is excited to learn in classrooms that have such historical significance.
“The Independence Hall classroom building will be a really great addition to our campus,” Hoyt said. “We have excellent faculty that already teach some great courses that focus on the American Founding and our Constitution, so it makes total sense to teach those sorts of classes in such an iconic setting.”
Sloan said the building will impact many future leaders, especially with the growing interest in fields related to law and government at the university.
“Pre-law is growing and has not historically been one of the larger areas until a few years ago,” he said. “Many students may well go into law schools or serve in policy and government service or public service.”
Hammons said the building will also serve as a museum destination where students, adults and local civic groups can tour and engage in outreach programs to learn about the U.S. Constitution.
Though the building is still in the planning stages, Sloan said there has already been significant progress on initial drawings. Sloan said the earliest expected start date for construction is roughly 17 months from now.
Sloan said the new Independence Hall building is not just a space for academic thinking, but a reflection of the university’s core beliefs as a Christian institution.
“As Christians, we believe in the importance of freedom,” he said. “We believe religious freedom is vital, but all the freedoms: freedom of speech, press, and assembly, as well as religious freedom. We believe this is a direct commitment of our faith.”
Sloan said he looks forward to the role that the Independence Hall building will play within the Houston community.
“Faith is not just an isolated interior experience — it actually has a cultural expression,” he said. “This is a great cultural expression in terms of public service and community building and informing society to live more productive and peaceful lives.”