Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center

The Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Phase 2 project expanded and renovated the City of Austin’s campus dedicated to Mexican American and Latino arts and culture. Located near Rainey Street and Lady Bird Lake, the expansion was designed by a joint venture of Miró Rivera Architects and Tatiana Bilbao Estudio and built by RO, honoring the original architecture of Teodoro González de León.

The work added and renovated music rehearsal spaces, classrooms, galleries, a teaching kitchen, and performance areas, including a redesigned black box theater. New reception areas and utility upgrades supported the expanded facility, while a circular shade structure transformed the central zócalo. Site improvements enhanced circulation, landscaping, and accessibility throughout the grounds. Community outreach helped inform the project, and coordination with the City, design team, and artists supported the careful protection and reinstallation of Benito Huerta’s Mexican Milk Snake Path.

The completed campus gives the center more room for cultural programming while preserving the architecture, artwork, and gathering spaces that shape its identity.