University of Texas Buildings Collection:

An Inventory of Drawings and Papers, 1882-ongoing, Part 1 of 3

Administrative History of the University Supervising Architect's Office

The 1876 Constitution of Texas provided for the establishment of a state university. It was not until 1881, however, that an election was held to determine the location of this public institution. The cornerstone for the first University building was laid on November 17, 1882 on College Hill in Austin, Texas and the first classes were held the following fall in the unfinished west wing of the new building. The “Old Main” Building, demolished in 1933, was only the first in a long succession of building campaigns that have continued to this day.

The University hired architects as needed to design individual buildings in a variety of eclectic styles from 1882 through the turn of the century. Included among these architects were James O'Connor; Coughlin and Ayres; Cass Gilbert; and Frederick Mann. Cass Gilbert, however, was the first architect to receive the title of “University Architect,” serving from 1910 until his dismissal in 1922. Under pressure to hire a Texas architect, the University appointed the Dallas firm of Herbert M. Greene as university architect in 1922 with a ten year contract, but in 1923 named James M. White as “University Consulting Architect” to develop a comprehensive master development plan for future construction on the campus. Shortly thereafter, Robert Leon White, a professor in the School of Architecture, was named as the University's “Supervising Architect” in 1924.

The University operated under this team approach with one or more consulting architects and a staff supervising architect until 1968. Subsequent consulting architects included Harbeson, Hough Livingston and Larson of Philadelphia; Mark Lemmon of Dallas; Page, Southerland and Page of Austin; and Jessen, Jessen, Millhouse and Greeven of Austin. Since the late 1960s, the University has hired individual architects for the design of campus buildings with the work coordinated through the Facilities Planning and Construction Division of the University of Texas System Office.

Biographical Sketch of Robert Leon White

Robert Leon White (1898-1964) was born near Cooper, Texas and graduated as valedictorian from Cooper High School in 1916 before attending the North Texas State Normal School during the summer of 1917. In 1918, he entered the University of Texas and completed his Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1921 after serving in the infantry during World War I. He subsequently worked for several architectural firms in San Antonio, including Ralph Cameron and Phelps and DeWees before returning to the University of Texas for a masters degree in 1923. His thesis, completed in 1930, was a study of the Mission San Joseph de San Miguel de Aguago.(known as Mission San Jose). He married Viola Baker of Austin in 1922.

While attending graduate school at The University of Texas, he also served as instructor and adjunct professor. In 1924, he was appointed to the newly created post of “supervising architect” for the University wherein he coordinated the University's largest building campaign during the 1930s. Among the many buildings erected at this time were the Main Building, Goldsmith Hall, Home Economics, the Texas Union, and Hogg Auditorium. He served as supervising architect for the University until 1958.

In addition to his work for the University, White was responsible for the design of other important structures in Texas including the Central Christian Church in Austin (1928); the Masonic Grand Lodge Temple in Waco (1948); and numerous structures for the John Sealy Hospital in Galveston (1928-1937). Robert Leon White died on July 28, 1964.

Scope and Content of the collection

The University of Texas Buildings Collection consists of approximately 10,000 architectural drawings in addition to 164 linear feet of manuscript material. The primary bulk of the material consists of that which Robert Leon White generated during his tenure as the University's Supervising Architect (1924-1958). These records encompass the University of Texas at Austin as well as buildings from other University of Texas System campuses, such as the Medical Branch at Galveston. The Collection holds original drawings for buildings that no longer exist, or for changes in interior or exterior design that have been superceded in later years. The Collection contains prints (not original drawings) for extant buildings, but by no means includes every building represented within the University System. The papers of the University's Supervising Architect's Office include extensive correspondence, specifications, Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant applications, shop drawings, and construction photographs.

The oldest drawings in the collection are for the Old Main Building and date from 1882. The building campaign of the 1930s, during which time the University constructed 17 buildings funded by oil money and WPA funds, is comprehensively documented. The period after World War II is not as well represented in this collection. Documents are continually being transferred from the relevant departments to this collection although no formal records management schedule is in place.

Material was transferred from both the Center for American History (formerly the Barker Texas History Center) and the Architectural and Engineering Services of the UT Austin Physical Plant. Related material on UT buildings can be found in the following collections within the Architectural Drawings Collection: Ayres and Ayres Records; Paul Philippe Cret Drawings; Greene LaRoche and Dahl Records; Donald Nelson Papers and Frederick Ruffini Papers. Important material related to the building campaign of the 1920s and 1930s may be found in the William Battle Papers at the Center for American History. The papers of Cass Gilbert at the New York Historical Society also contain important materials relating to the history of the campus.

Current records and architectural drawings (including as-built documents) are maintained by Architectural and Engineering Services of the Physical Plant Division at The University of Texas at Austin and the Facilities Planning and Construction Division of The University of Texas System Office.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Access is by appointment only to any serious scholar. Rolled materials must be flattened before viewing. A three day advance notice is required to flatten rolled materials. Portions of this collection are not processed and may not be accessible.

Restrictions on Use

Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Alexander Architectural Archive's Use Policy.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

University of Texas Buildings Collection, Drawings and manuscript material, 1882-ongoing, University of Texas campuses throughout Texas, the Alexander Architectural Archive, the University of Texas Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin

Processing Information

Knight, 1982; Means, 1998; Vasquez, 1998; Patel, 1999; Kam, 1999; Kammerer, 2000. This collection is not completely processed because acquisitions are ongoing.

Other Finding Aids

References (1924-1958) to works by or about University Supervising Architect's Office

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.