Corneil G. Curtis:

An Inventory of his Drawings,c.1930s-1950s

Biographical Sketch of Corneil G. Curtis

Corneil G. Curtis (1890-1963) spent his architectural career in Texas, first apprenticing for the firm Lang and Witchell before establishing his own practice in Paris, Texas in 1912 as Curtis, Broad, and Lightfoot (later Curtis and Lightfoot). The firm helped rebuild the commercial district there after it burned in 1916. The Paris City Hall and Fire Station is considered one of the firm's best efforts.

Curtis' career continued in Houston, where he had relocated in the early 1920s. The Rusk County Courthouse in Henderson and the Liberty County Courthouse in Liberty were two early commissions. Curtis collaborated on the Liberty Country Courthouse with Albert Thomas of Dallas, and as Curtis and Thomas they took on commissions for hotels, including one of the first Hiltons. Curtis also continued to work on his own, designing for public and commercial buildings and residences in an eclectic style.

After moving to Austin in 1934, Curtis and his wife Mary became proponents of registration and certification for Texas architects, which came into being in 1937. Declined for combat service in World War II because of age, he instead contributed by helping to build military installations in the Caribbean. He returned to private practice after the war, becoming partners with A.B. Benson, then with Alvin Newbury with whom he worked in Dallas. From the early 1950s to 1962 Curtis was architect-in-charge of the Texas Highway Department. He died July 1, 1963 in Austin at the age of 72.

Source: Liberty County Courthouse National Register nomination.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Content of the collection

The collection consists of 134 drawings and .25 linear inches of specifications of architect Corneil G. Curtis.

Return to the Table of Contents

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

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Corneil G. Curtis collection, the Alexander Architectural Archive, the General Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin

Processing Information

Processing is not completed. Please see archival staff for more information.

Return to the Table of Contents

Detailed Description of the Collection

This collection has not been processed. See archival staff for more information.