Architecture

Architect Harwell Hamilton Harris (1903-1990) was an early proponent of regional modernism in California and Texas. He taught architectural design at North Carolina State University and the University of Texas School of Architecture where he was the dean from 1952 to 1955. Personal papers, correspondence, office and job files, articles, photographs, and drawings document the architectural career of Harwell Hamilton Harris.

James Riely Gordon (1863-1937), an architect who practiced in both San Antonio and New York City, was best-known for his Richardsonian Romanesque designs of public buildings, especially courthouses. He was active in professional organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and its chapters in and around New York City, constantly seeking to improve professional standards. The collection contains personal and professional material that documents both the Texas and New York phases of Gordon's career (1890-1937).

The Dallas firm of Lang and Witchell was a leader in that city's construction during the first half of the twentieth century and had a lasting effect on its architectural style. The collection consists of photoprints, drawings, project lists, and manuscript material that document the work of this prolific firm.

Marshall and Fox was a Chicago architectural firm (1905-1926), best known for luxury apartment buildings and hotels. After Charles Eli Fox's death in 1926, Benjamin Marshall continued to practice alone until the 1930s. The collection is comprised of drawings, contract ledgers, account books, photographs, specifications, correspondence, plat books and a scrapbook documenting the work of the Chicago architectural firms of Benjamin Marshall, Marshall and Fox, successor firms Walton and Kegley, and Walton and Walton.

Nicholas Clayton (1839-1916) was one of the first professional architects to establish a practice in Texas and is most famous for his work in Galveston between 1873 and 1900. Drawings, sketches, and specifications a selction of projects designed by Clayton.

Philadelphia architect Paul Philippe Cret was retained by the University of Texas at Austin as a consulting architect for the development of a master plan for the campus (1930-1945). Cret was born in Lyon, France in 1876, attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1897-1903), and specialized in the design of public buildings. The collection contain drawings, floor plans, elevations, sections, details, landscape plans, diagrams and presentation renderings of Cret's work at the University of Texas at Austin (1930-1945).

Robert Hugman (1902-1980) was an architect who left his mark on the city of San Antonio with his plan for the beautification of the San Antonio River. Born in San Antonio, Hugman attended the University of Texas and MIT. He practiced architecture in New Orleans from 1924-1927 before moving to San Antonio in 1927, where he went into private practice and worked for the Works Projects Administration during the Depression. The collection contains working drawings showing Hugman's plan for the San Antonio River Walk (Paseo del Rio).

Texas architect Robert Leon White (1898-1964) served as supervising architect at the University of Texas during the 1930s and designed significant buildings across the state. The collection consists of drawings including examples of White's student work at the University of Texas, measured drawings, and working drawings documenting White's architectural projects in central Texas.

Architect Roy L. Thomas (1886-1968) practiced in Austin and Central Texas from the 1920s through the 1950s. The scope of his work covers many building types, including homes, schools, churches, commercial buildings, apartments and service stations. Correspondence, office files, financial records, job files, specifications, floor plans, photographs, maps, and drawings document the career of Austin architect.

Sanguinet and Staats, headquartered in Fort Worth was one of the largest and most influential firms in Texas (1903-1930), was best-known for design of steel-framed skyscrapers and transformation of architectural practice from the small studio to large office. Wyatt C. Hedrick joined the firm (1922), bought it when Sanguinet and Staats retired (1926), and he continued doing business under his own name. At one time the the firm was the third largest in the country, known for moderne style buildings in Fort Worth.