Docomomo US National Symposium 2014: Modernism in Texas

The Chapel of St. Basil, designed by Philip Johnson in 1997, on the University of St. Thomas campus in Houston. Photo by Kelly Little. 

Fans of Modern architecture flocked to Texas this March for the second annual Docomomo US National Symposium.  The symposium, which took place at the Philip Johnson-designed University of St. Thomas, examined Modernism's legacy and considered its future in Houston and throughout the country.  The conference was co-hosted by our friends at Houston Mod.

Charles Peveto, President of Mid Tex Mod, with
Liz Waytkus, Executive Director of Docomomo US. 

The symposium kicked off with a chapter forum at the Brutalist-style Alley Theatre in downtown Houston.   Leadership from Docomomo US chapters throughout the country came together to discuss issues facing their organizations including general chapter operations, the challenges of building membership, and the importance of social media.  The forum was followed by a walking tour of downtown Houston and a kick-off reception.  Friday and Saturday were filled with an impressive series of presentations by leading architectural historians, archivists, architects, preservationists, and educators about Modern architecture and preservation.  Specific topics ranged from Texas Modernism, the current state of preserving Modern buildings, the ground-breaking work of architectural archivists, and the challenge of preserving the ephemeral.  The symposium provided a national audience of Modern enthusiasts the chance to see many of the significant Modern resources we have here in Texas:  attendees learned about the work of O’Neil Ford at San Antonio’s Trinity University, the Superdome, the El Paso Public Library, radical Architect/Artist Doug Michels and his art agency Ant Farm, and how Modern architects dealt with the abundance of sunlight and heat here in Texas.  The sessions were followed by a bus tour of Modern Houston.

More information about the symposium is available on the Docomomo US website at http://www.docomomo-us.org/news/thats_a_wrap_houston.  

Mid Tex Mod would like to thank Docomomo US and Houston Mod for organizing the symposium, and we join Docomomo in recognizing the sponsors, supporters, and volunteers who worked to make the event a resounding success: AIA Houston, Debner and Company, DSGN, Kuhl-Linscomb, Lantz Architects, Minnette Boesel Properties, Mitsubishi Electric, Susan Vaughan Foundation, SWCA, Texas Architect, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, University of St. Thomas, the Menil Collection, Brochsteins, and the Alley Theatre. 

Stay tuned for the next Docomomo US National Symposium, planned for June 3-7, 2015 in Minnesota. 

Attendees toured Rothko Chapel before an evening reception at the Menil Collection. Photo by Kelly Little.

HemisFair ’68 at Risk

Confluence Theater (now John H. Woods, Jr. U.S. Courthouse), Marmon Mok Associates, 1968 (image credit:  Kim Barker)

By Kim Barker on behalf of the Docomomo US/MidTexMod Chapter

Changes are planned for San Antonio’s world’s fair site, HemisFair ‘68, and they have fans of modern architecture concerned. Intended to celebrate the city’s 250-anniversary and a confluence of cultures, HemisFair ’68 was a six-month exposition opened by First Lady Ladybird Johnson in April 1968 .  Typical of a world’s fair, various states, nations, and corporations built new exhibition halls in the styles of the period, some of which are exceptional examples of modern architecture.  Given San Antonio’s established preservation ethic, they also retained and repurposed some of the nineteenth century residential buildings already on the site before the rest of the neighborhood was sacrificed for fair construction.  HemisFair ’68 attracted 6.3 million visitors but under-utilization since is now prompting redevelopment plans.

A number of iconic buildings were constructed specifically for HemisFair ’68, including but not limited to the Tower of the Americas, Institute of Texan Cultures, and Confluence Theater.  The Tower of the Americas stands 622 feet tall with a rotating top house that served as an observation deck and restaurant.  Designed by Ford, Powell & Carson, the Tower served as HemisFair ‘68’s theme building, and remains the tallest observation tower in Texas.  The Institute of Texan Cultures, designed by Caudill Rowlett Scott and Collins & Wagner to house exhibits and archives on Texas history, is a strong example of high style architecture of its time with its sculptural massing and constructivist minimalism. And, the Confluence Theater by Marmon Mok Associates of San Antonio is an exceptional example of New Formalism with tapered concrete columns around book-matched travertine on one side of the round building, and bronze-colored glass panels on the other half.

Overall, changes to HemisFair ’68 since the fair have been fairly minimal, with the loss of a few mid-century buildings and the addition of fairly limited new construction.  In 1975, the federal government adaptively rehabilitated the Confluence Theater as a U.S. Courthouse and the associated Exhibit Hall became a training center.  A new seven-story federal office building was constructed nearby.  A convention center and the Institute of Texan Cultures continue to anchor opposite sides of the site although the growing convention center market has demanded regular expansion of the original building; the Institute of Texan Cultures remains unaltered. 

Fair planners envisioned that the site would continue to serve various fairs after HemisFair ’68 closed, but it has been largely under-utilized in the ensuing decades.  Small efforts to draw visitors to the fair site, including a large playscape and a welcoming archway, have proven unsuccessful.

Tower of the Americas, Ford, Powell & Carson, 1968 (image credit: Kim Barker)

In 2009, HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation was formed to manage and oversee large-scale redevelopment of the fair site.  Two years ago, they developed a Framework Plan, endorsed by the City of San Antonio, that includes demolition of all buildings constructed for HemisFair ’68 except the Tower of the Americas, reinstatement of the residential street grid that existed prior to the fair, large-scale mixed-use development, and the creation of additional parkland.  Redevelopment plans are now moving forward.   The Confluence Theater is further threatened by demolition by the City of San Antonio after the building transfers from federal ownership to the City in the next few years.

The pre-HemisFair ’68 buildings are all protected by Texas’ highest designation, State Antiquities Landmark, which requires a permit from the Texas Historical Commission (TX State Historic Preservation Office) before any modifications may occur.  But none of the buildings constructed for HemisFair ’68 are protected in this way, and they do not have other state or federal designations either (redevelopment is subject to review by the City’s Historic & Design Review Commission as a local historic district). 

Texas Historical Commission previously determined that both the Tower of the Americas and Institute of Texas Cultures are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and, at the time of writing, eligibility of HemisFair ’68 as a historic district is under consideration.  MidTexMod is hopeful that the other architecturally significant HemisFair ’68 buildings, including Confluence Theater will also be determined individually eligible.  We believe that determinations of National Register eligibility are important to gathering the community support necessary to save these unique buildings from the wrecking ball.

Institute of Texan Cultures, Caudill Rowlett Scott and Collins & Wagner, 1968 

(image credit: Charles Peveto)

Local opinion appears to be shifting towards recognizing the importance of HemisFair ’68 and the architectural significance of at least some of its buildings, aided in part by various organizations drawing attention to the site.  In 2011, MidTexMod hosted a Tour Day event at HemisFair ’68.  The San Antonio Conservation Society, a non-profit advocacy organization, hosted a day-long symposium on modernism in 2012, and has come out in support of retaining significant HemisFair ’68 buildings.  And, AIA San Antonio will host a design charette entitled, “A Brutal Redesign:  Reimaging HemisFair’s Modern Buildings” in mid-April.  We are optimistic that such efforts will lead HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation to revise their redevelopment plans and retain these important buildings.

O'Neil Ford's Campus Architecture: A Sense of Home and Place

By Isabel Howard

Not long ago, in a conversation with a friend, I mentioned the architect O’Neil Ford and the fact that he had built my grandmother’s house, my high school, the university across from my house, and the church in which my grandmother’s funeral was held. My friend looked at me seriously and said, “O’Neil Ford is the architect of your life.”

This couldn’t be more true – O’Neil Ford is the architect of my life, and a fairly great portion of my time, throughout my four years at Middlebury College, has been spent attempting to understand why. When I arrived at Middlebury, after having spent a gap semester in Texas and Mexico, thoughts of my high school wouldn’t leave my mind. I consigned my feelings to nostalgia – a normal state of mind, I thought, considering my distance from home. It wasn’t long, however, until I realized that it wasn’t just the people that I missed – it was the place. My mind would go back to the outdoor courtyards with their hard wood benches and the low walls surrounding those courtyards. I thought about the small fist-size stones that were set to pave the mini courtyard where the benches were, and I thought about the way that the irregular paving stones, round on top, would cause the soles of our shoes to bend over the rocks we balanced on them. My mind went back to the way the library scanner’s dinging would bounce off the gleaming, cold tiles on the library floor. Yes, I missed many parts of high school – the teachers, the friends – but most of all, I missed the place.

It didn’t take much time – just four months of being removed from Texas– for me to realize that this place was unique – that my school, Saint Mary’s Hall, was a school not like many others. I realized that I talked about my school in a different way than the way in which my friends spoke of theirs. My school wasn’t just a place – it was a home.

Ford’s ability to make a home environment within a school setting began with his work on Trinity University during the campus’ move from Seguin to San Antonio in 1949. Trinity’s new campus, like that of Saint Mary’s Hall, was built on an empty (and at that time) rural site. In the case of Trinity, the site was an old quarry, the tallest part of which gave striking views of downtown. The dorms, which maximize the use of such a natural site, give students the best access to views, to nature, and to each other. One cliff in particular, between the student center and the easternmost dorms, creates a natural grotto of vines and trees through which a stream runs over mossy, shaded rocks and into shallow moss-filled pools.

I grew up just around the corner from Trinity and have many memories of riding my bike on the campus trails. As I grew older, I realized there was much about the campus still to be discovered. In high school, after my tennis practices on the Trinity courts, I would walk around the campus for hours and peek into empty buildings, which were dark with age and cool from the tile floors. Outside, after my way through one breezeway and then another, I would step out onto the neighborhood streets and make my way back home.

In 1949, Ford was directed by consulting architect William Wurster at Trinity, “Get rid of all this anonymous Texas space. Bring the buildings close together. Create significant spaces.” Looking at the Trinity campus now, one can see that Ford put Wurster’s advice to use. Each aspect of the campus, from the brick-walled, tile-floored buildings to the small courtyards and gathering spaces, comes together to ensure that Trinity is a school that truly feels like home.

Isabel Howard is from San Antonio and recently graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in History of Art and Architecture. The blog entry above was a partial excerpt from her thesis, At Home in the Campus Architecture of O’Neil Ford.

More about the upcoming O'Neil Ford Symposium

Vote for Inter-Continental Motors and Modernism Texas-style

We need your help! Dedicated O'Neil Ford fans have entered an outstanding example of Texas Modernism to Dwell's Rethinking Preservation contest. A panel of judges will select the winner from the top ten entries that receive the most votes. Dwell will donate $10,000 to a worthy preservation organization. Follow this link to vote for it and help us spread the word.

The Intercontinental Motors Building at 3303 Broadway in San Antonio, Texas, is one of the last remaining examples of O’Neil Ford’s pure Texas Modernism. Glass-walled, light, and airy, the showroom, at its opening in 1964, was dubbed “One of the World’s Most Beautiful Dealerships” by Weathervane magazine. Now the building's glory days are a distant memory, waiting to be revived.

When the Intercontinental Motors Corporation moved its headquarters to San Antonio in 1964, the President, Charles F. Urschel, Jr., called his old friend O’Neil Ford to design the new building. At that point, Ford was well-reputed as a regionalist who built Texas buildings out of wood, tile, and stone. Ford, however, was also a Modernist. Close friends such as Urschel trusted Ford’s ability to blend Modern design with Texas materials.

After choosing a large, shaded lot just along the banks of the San Antonio River, Urschel and Ford’s design team constructed a front piece that would catch the eye of any citizen driving along down Broadway. Framed by two large trees, the front showroom gleamed with tall windows, Saltillo-tile porches, and polished metal from wall to wall. The most Miesian of Ford’s designs, the building still boasted some class Ford details, such as the concrete coffered ceiling.

Ford’s partner Howard Wong once said: “[Ford] couldn’t do a pure Mies building to save his life.” Pure Mies it may not be. It's better. Think commercial vernacular meets High Modernism - Texas-style. Inter-Continental Motors is an outstanding opportunity for the creative reuse of a dust-filled showroom, too long forgotten, to become an icon of popular Modernism once again.

Vote for Inter-Continental Motors. San Antonio deserves recognition and support for its modern architectural gems.

Ford Symposium to Honor Architect of Trinity University

Daylong seminar to explore the legacy of O'Neil Ford, influence on other campus designs

SAN ANTONIO - Scholars and architects from across the United States will gather at Trinity University on Saturday, Feb. 18 to discuss the ground-breaking designs of Trinity's primary architect, O'Neil Ford, and explore his legacy and influence on other educational institutions.

The daylong seminar O'Neil Ford and the Future of Trinity, will provide a forum to review the work of one the most important modern architects in Texas and to explore ways of honoring his legacy at Trinity. Speakers will examine Ford's work at Trinity in relation to education, history, and other Texas campuses as well as to mid-century American modernism.

The symposium will also explore new approaches to landscape architecture, campus planning, and the reuse of mid-century buildings. A panel discussion with San Antonio architects and a tour of several of Ford's buildings at Trinity will conclude the day.

Ford had a 33-year association with Trinity, beginning in 1948, that included consultations with landscape architects Arthur and Marie Berger. In departing from the established, familiar patterns of campus designs at the time, Ford placed the landscape first and emphasized pedestrian movement through modestly-scaled spaces. In so doing, he honored the collegiate tradition of the eighteenth-century picturesque Enlightenment landscape in England. The result was to link the development of the mind and self with the process and experience of walking in planned landscapes.

Kathryn O'Rourke, assistant professor of art and art history at Trinity and symposium organizer, said the University's greatest assets are its campus and its faculty. "Both transform students and are among the only elements of a Trinity education that students can't take away when they leave," she said, adding that the campus and faculty "define the Trinity experience and linger in the memory long after graduation."

O'Rourke added, "Ford's buildings at Trinity, together with the landscape, convey a strong sense of place." She highlighted his distinctive design elements as an innovative and cost-efficient lift-slab construction system, landscaping filled with hearty native plants, and repeated patterns, elements, materials, and forms that create a coherent campus deeply connected to the city and land.

As Trinity enters its next 60 years at the "Skyline Campus," O'Rourke said the symposium will enable scholars "to reflect on Ford's work and consider ways of using the principles that defined his campus to shape it further in support of study, scholarship, and service in the 21st century."

Ford valued:

· The importance of place and distinctive characteristics rooted in local history

· The integrity and economic use of construction techniques, expressions, and materials

· The engagement with architectural history

· An urban fabric that is "walk-able" and "live-able," with cities shaped for people, not cars

· The historic preservation and care of the landscape

· Education, community, and equality

· Environmental sustainability

The symposium will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the foyer of the Chapman Center on the Trinity campus. Speakers, lunch, and the tour are included in the $20 registration fee. To register, click here.

HemisFair '68: Modern Design, Cultural History - More Tour Highlights

More photos have been added. The packet provided on the tour is now available as a PDF for download.

Thanks to those who contributed photos of the tour. These include photos from Marlene Richardson, who produced a KLRN documentary on HemisFair '68. Watch San Antonio Remembered | HemisFair on-line. Photos were also contributed by Jessica Anderson and Josh Conrad.

The tour was also featured in an article in La Prensa.

On Saturday, October 8, 2011 Mid Tex Mod hosted a walking tour of the modern architecture and artwork of HemisFair '68. The fair was the first official international exposition held in the Southwest. It had a major impact on the development of San Antonio. Acclaimed architects designed both temporary and permanent structures for the fair, which was a showcase for art, culture, society, and technology. After the Fair, the site was renamed HemisFair Park in one of numerous revitalization efforts.

Below: William Sinkin awaits the beginning of the tour. Mr. Sinkin was the first President of San Antonio Fair, Inc., the corporate body that organized HemisFair '68.

Photo by Marlene Richardson

Dr. Jennifer Speed, a local historian, shared the history of 19th century buildings at HemisFair Park. These buildings are remnants of a vital urban neighborhood, which was largely demolished in an urban renewal effort associated with the siting of the world's fair.

Photo by Marlene Richardson


Photo by Marlene Richardson

James LeFlore, from the San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, led the group through outstanding examples of modern artwork created for HemisFair '68. These included the The Confluence of the Civilizations in the Americas, 1968, an exquisite glass mosaic tile mural by Carlos Merida (1891-1984) located in the Convention Center.


Photo by Jenni Minner


Photo by Marlene Richardson

The Confluence of the Civilizations in the Americas, 1968 by Fred Samuelson (b. 1925) provides an expansive view of history. It is located in the Convention Center ballroom.


Photo by Jenni Minner

Detail from mural.

Photo by Marlene Richardson

James LeFlore described Juan O'Gorman's rock mosaic masterpiece on the Lila Cockrell Theater.

Photo by Marlene Richardson


Photo by Marlene Richardson

Detail of Confluence of the Civilizations of the Americas, 1968.

Photo by Marlene Richardson

Tour guides Stuart Johnson, from the San Antonio Conservation Society and Mid Tex Mod, and Jenni Minner, president of Mid Tex Mod, described the architectural merit and historical significance of Marmon & Mok's design for the Confluence Theater. The building was re-purposed as the John H. Wood, Jr. Federal courthouse a few years after the fair. Its future is presently in question as it is part of a large land swap between the federal government and the City of San Antonio.


Photo by Marlene Richardson


Photo by Jessica Anderson

According to the official HemisFair '68 guidebook, the Confluence Theater was clad in "pre-cast marble which was quarried in New Mexico, cut in Missouri, and cast in Dallas. Both the inside and outside the theater are innovations in design and building techniques."


Photo by Jessica Anderson

The group assembled at the Schultze House to hear Bill Sinkin speak about the importance of HemisFair '68. Chris Medina, a collector of HemisFair '68 memorabilia, displayed items from his collection.

Courtesy of Chris Medina. Image from postcard of Confluence Theater, part of the U.S. Pavilion at HemisFair '68.

Left: Mr. Sinkin's portrait, which was recently hung in the lobby of the Tower of the Americas. Right: Speaking on HemisFair '68 and recent endeavors as CEO of a solar energy company.

Photos by Josh Conrad, University of Texas at Austin

Tour guides stand in front of hand prints of the prominent women responsible for raising funds for the Women's Pavilion. Mrs. William Sinkin and Mrs. John Connally are among the many names. Originally called the Woman's Pavilion, this building is a testament to the changing roles of women in American society. It is also a significant example of brutalism and of noted architect Cyrus Wagner.


Photo by Marlene Richardson

The interior of the Women's Pavilion shows the hand of a master in light and space.

Photo by Marlene Richardson

It also displays a desperate need for maintenance and reinvestment.

Photo by Marlene Richardson

See more photos of the Women's Pavilion on previous posts:

• Houston Mod + Mid Tex Mod tour San Antonio
• Mod Tour from Young Photographer's Perspective

A photo focuses on the fountain at the Institute of Texan Cultures with Federal office building in the background.

Photo by Josh Conrad, University of Texas at Austin.

The last stop on the tour was the observation deck of the Tower of the Americas. The photo below is from the ground floor of the Tower looking towards the observation deck.

Photo by Jessica Anderson

View of the former U.S. Pavilion from the Tower of the Americas. This two building complex was once the Confluence Theater and the Exhibit Pavilion. These are now the John H. Woods, jr. Federal Courthouse and the Adrian Spears Judicial Training Center.


Photo by Jessica Anderson

Detail of view from the Tower of the Americas showing the Villita Assembly Building designed by O'Neil Ford and constructed prior to HemisFair (Building with flower on top to the left). The Hilton Placio Del Rio Hotel (on the right) was built in record time using an innovative modular construction. Read more about the history of the Villita Assembly building and the Palacio del Rio.


Photo by Jessica Anderson

Send us your photos of the tour to share!
Read about the tour.

Links to more HemisFair information:

HemisFair '68 Online

Women's Pavilion at HemisFair Park

HemisFair Park Master Plan

University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Digitized HemisFair '68 Collections:

http://bit.ly/qq5V7M

http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/UTSA/browse/

Special thanks to: , Women's Pavilion at HemisFair Park, Inc., Public Art San Antonio, National Trust for Historic Preservation Partners in the Field, San Antonio Conservation Society, and many others who have helped!