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Other
winners
2010
Kane, an 1890s "Folk Victorian" house in
Old Sixth Ward
2337
Blue Bonnet, a 1937 International Style residence
2421
Brentwood, a 1929 Katharine Mott-designed home
201
Main, the former First National Bank Building
Spire
Realty Group for its commitment to preservation downtown
1600
Westheimer, the former Imperial Plumbing Supply Building
3842
N. Braeswood, a 1960 modern office building
4916
Main, the former Weldon Cafeteria
Keck
Hall (Chemistry Building), Rice University
Girl
Scout Troop 12357, San Jacinto Council, for research
and assistance at Glenwood Cemetery
John
L. Nau III for his leadership in preservation
AIA
25 year award: Mies van der Rohe additions to the
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Rice University occupies a very special place in the hearts
of Houstonians who appreciate and value the contribution
of great architecture and landscaping to our city's character.
An important part of the Rice campus was the Chemistry
Building, built in 1925.
The building is significant because it marked the first
time that the architect William Ward Watkin shared design
responsibility with his mentors, Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson.
The Chemistry Building reflected Watkin's preference for
the Lombard Romanesque style. Its design was greatly admired
in 1925 both for the architectural embellishments Watkin
employed and for his skill in positioning the rooms to
catch the prevailing southeasterly breezes, so important
in the days before air conditioning.
Seventy years later, age had taken its toll, and the Chemistry
Building was no longer meeting the needs of a university
poised to move into the 21st century. In 1998, the university
took a giant step toward preserving the architectural
integrity and viability of its beautiful campus when it
retained FKP Architects to preserve the historic integrity
of the Chemistry Building while providing the university
with state-of-the-art laboratories and classroom space.
The result respects the period architecture of 1925 while
providing for the needs of 21st century faculty and students.
In 1925, Watkin went to heroic lengths to match the brick
of the Chemistry Building to the original buildings of
Rice University. In 1998, FKP took equal care to preserve
Watkin's 1925 design of the exterior. The clay tile roof
is completely new, but carefully flashed over to match
what was replaced. The replacement windows were custom-fabricated
to replicate the original bi-fold steel casement windows.
Indicative of the care that was taken, photographs from
the Rice archives and sophisticated petrography testing
were employed to determine and plan for the progress of
aging on the exterior limestone. Equal care was given
to the repair and restoration of such exterior features
as marble columns and ceramic tile mosaics. Many original
design elements were retained, including the carved stone
characters on the capitals of the columns, which are so
much a part of Rice campus tradition.
The restoration and renovation of the Chemistry Building
were financed with a grant from the William Myron Keck
Foundation for Biomedicine and Biosciences, and the building
has been rededicated as Howard Keck Hall in honor of that
contribution to Rice University.
In awarding this Good Brick, GHPA also recognizes the
contributions of GPR Planners Collaborative Inc., laboratory
planners; Burns, DeLatte & McCoy Inc., engineers;
Walter P. Moore and Associates, structural and civil engineers;
David Hoffman & Co., restoration architects; and Linbeck
Construction Corp., project manager and builder.
See
more photos from this project >
Next
winner: Girl Scout Troop 12357 >
Text: Martha Peterson
Copyright 2003, Greater Houston Preservation Alliance
This
year's sponsors >
GHPA home >
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