Case Study: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary achieves rapid, precise historic building remodel with Autodesk AutoCAD

AutoCAD plays critical role in revival of historic building

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary tapped its in‑house architectural drafter John Morgan to renovate and update Cowden Hall, a 1926 building that serves the School of Church Music. The challenge was to modernize electrical and sound systems, bring the facility up to code, and replace outdated or imprecise drawings—work that required accurate field measurements and fast stakeholder review. Morgan relied on Autodesk’s AutoCAD and the AutoCAD mobile app for the project.

Using Autodesk AutoCAD and the AutoCAD mobile app (synced to the AutoCAD web app and Architecture toolset) plus a laser distance measurer, Morgan captured detailed field data, edited plans in real time during stakeholder meetings, and produced renderings for approval. The workflow cut field measurement time from days to under 30 minutes per room, let one drafter “do the work of two,” avoided costly rework (e.g., paint choices), and helped complete the Cowden Hall remodel in just under a year.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

John Morgan

Architectural Draftsman