Arch B. Swank Jr.:

An Inventory of his Drawings, Photographs and Papers, 1951-1979

Biographical Sketch of Arch B. Swank Jr.

Arch B. Swank Jr. (1913-1999) was one of the great innovative figures of Texas architecture. He was born in Wills Point, Texas. He graduated in 1936 as a member of the first class to complete Texas A&M's five-year architecture program.1 Upon graduation he moved to Dallas, where his professional career flourished.

In 1937 he entered a partnership with O'Neil Ford, the architect whose detail drawings Swank had handed out during his first job as a docent at the Southern Pine Association House at the Exposition in 1933~34.2 The two men worked together with a small group of artisans in a creative workshop, mostly designing residences and researching various aspects of construction. In 1939 he and Ford designed the "Chapel in the Woods" at Texas State College for Women (now Texas Women's University). The building, known for its embodiment of Regional Modernism, was the team's "first significant nonresidential commission."3

The partnership with Ford dissolved in 1941 when the Army required Swank's service as a commissioned officer in WWII. One year after his discharge, he entered a partnership with Roscoe DeWitt.4 The architectural firm of DeWitt and Swank emerged as one of the most successful in Texas after the war. Among their most prestigious jobs was the Preston Center branch of Neiman Marcus department stores (1952), which consisted of 63,000 square feet of luxury shopping space.5 In 1951 Swank was elected president of the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, promoting the importance of urban design and environmental causes. He returned to individual practice in 1952.

Throughout his career Swank consistently sought out opportunities for innovation and collaboration with others. He worked frequently with O'Neil Ford in the 1950's and 60's. Under the name Associated Architects and Land Planners, Swank, Ford, Richard Colley and planner Sam Zisman designed the semiconductor complex in Richardson (1958) for Texas Instruments. The same team, joined by Mexican architect Felix Candela, also secured the project of the Great Southwest Corporation's industrial park in Arlington (1958). These projects are well known for their innovative hyperbolic paraboloid building structures.6 At the time of their design no building codes existed which addressed these structures. Swank and his associates constructed a thin concrete hyperbolic paraboloid and performed the load tests themselves. The test shell was a tremendous success, holding two and a half times its design load.7

From 1955 to 1967, Swank oversaw the design and construction of a complex of buildings, United Presbyterian Homes, in Waxahatchie, Texas, housing a program of care for needy children and the elderly." He continued to work on this project, designing additions for UPH until well into the 1970's. Kerr Couny commissioned other significant projects during this period, including the Correction/Detention Facility and the Courthouse Annex (1974-1979).

He was married to Patsy Swank, an award winning journalist, who has been recognized for her excellent coverage of architecture.

Notes:

• Good, R. Lawrence, "Arch B. Swank Jr.,"TexasArchitect 39:6 (Nov/Dec 1989), p.73.
• Ibid
• Henry, Jay C., Architecture in Texas. 1895-1945, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1993, p.278.
• Good, p.73.
• "Station wagon Store Neiman-Marcus Co., Preston center, Dallas,"Magazine of Building (Architectural Forum ed.) 96:136-43 (Jan 1952), p.136
• Good, p.73.
• Ibid

--Randy Jensen.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Architectural drawings and reproductions, building specifications, financial documentation, correspondence, legal documentation, reports, photographic material, maps, minutes, creative works, printed material, and material samples (1951-79, 18 cu. feet excluding drawings) document the Texas-based work of architect Arch B. Swank Jr. The records are accessible through a preliminary inventory that arranges them into three sub-groups: project files, professional files, and personal papers. Especially well represented are the project files of 65 architectural projects, arranged alphabetically; the bulk of these materials document the projects of the Great Southwest Corporation (1956-58, 2 cu. ft.), United Presbyterian Homes (1955-79, 2 cu. ft.), and Kerr County (1974-79, 2 cu. ft). The other 62 project files constitute only a few folders each. The roughly 8000 unprocessed drawings (representing 323 projects) are the largest representation of a single physical form, while correspondence and financial documentation comprise the bulk of most project files. Also included are files documenting Swank's affiliation with the American Institute of Architects (1951-65, 1.5 cu. ft.), including newsletters and conference papers of the national organization, as well as minutes and administrative records of the Dallas chapter, of which he was president in 1951. In addition to the unprocessed drawings mentioned above, project files and professional organization files are not fully processed.

When called to service in WW2, Swank left some of his papers with Jack Finney at Texas A&M. Finney suffered a house fire and this Swank material was lost.

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

Arch B. Swank Jr. collection, the Alexander Architectural Archive, the General Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin

Acquisition Information

Gift of Arch B. Swank Jr., February 28, 1992

Processing Information

Preliminary Inventory by: UT GSLIS class: Alexandra Botelho, Randy Jensen, Darren Leander and Tina Mason, December 1997. Revisions and additional processing by Kristy Sorensen, 2003. Drawings transcribed from cards by Lu Berry, 2002.

This collection has not yet been completely processed. Please see the archive's staff for more information.

Other Finding Aids

References to works by or about A.B. Swank Jr.

Detailed Description of the Collection: