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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
Museum of Fine Arts |
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Wrightian lines of the Weldon Cafeteria building,
now the offices of Ray + Hollington Architects,
are typical of the work of MacKie & Kamrath.
(Photo by Janice E. Ashton) More
photos from this project > |
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Many of Houston's most beloved buildings of the mid-20th
century are the work of MacKie & Kamrath Architects.
Their interpretation of the principles of Frank Lloyd
Wright have produced many landmark buildings in Houston.
Much of MacKie & Kamrath's architectural legacy has
been altered or destroyed, but the building at 4916 Main
St., which most Houstonians remember as the Weldon Cafeteria,
has been spared that fate. This architectural treasure
will continue to be an important part of the Main Street
scene as the office of Ray + Hollington Architects.
The Wrightian features of the building garnered significant
media attention at the time of its opening. The volume
of the two-story dining room balanced a cantilevered balcony
in the best Wrightian tradition. The balcony was a space
that MacKie & Kamrath described as "an elevated
sidewalk café."
The Weldon Cafeteria closed in the early 1970s and a series
of occupants subjected the building to unsympathetic alterations.
The two-story volume of the original dining room was lowered
with the installation of a 9-foot suspended ceiling. A
gas station was built immediately south of the Weldon
Cafeteria building, obscuring the dramatic horizontal
lines of the exterior.
The future of 4916 Main took a turn for the better in
1999 when the building and the adjacent gas station were
purchased by a single owner and the gas station was torn
down. Ray + Hollington Architects leased the former cafeteria
space and adapted it for use as their studio, restoring
the MacKie & Kamrath features of the interior. The
exterior remains much as it looked when the building opened
in 1949.
Greater Houston Preservation Alliance congratulates
Ray + Hollington Architects and awards them the Good Brick
for restoring the Weldon Cafeteria Building, which is
now positioned to be an important part of Houston's revitalized
Main Street in the 21st century.
See more photos from this project >
Next
winner: Keck Hall >
Text: Martha Peterson
Copyright 2003, Greater Houston Preservation Alliance
This
year's sponsors >
GHPA home >
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