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FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT: Susie P. Gonzalez
Nov. 7, 2007
San Antonio Architecture Group Presents
Trinity University with
25-Year Design Award
SAN ANTONIO – The signature red brick buildings of Trinity University, along with Parker Chapel and the Murchison Memorial Tower that serves as a distinguished symbol in the city’s skyline, have captured the 25-Year Design Award from the San Antonio chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Announced during an Oct. 24 ceremony, the award recognizes 46 buildings designed by local architects O’Neil Ford & Associates and Bartlett Cocke & Associates as part of a collaboration that began in 1948 and lasted until 1981. The 25-Year Award has been given twice before in honor of architectural projects with significant cultural importance.
The San Antonio AIA chapter lauded Parker Chapel, completed in 1966, for its excellence and noted that it is a unique place within the university. The chapter also cited the Murchison Tower, completed in 1964, for its extraordinary architectural value.
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Margarite B. Parker Chapel |
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Trinity was built atop a former stone quarry, and the hilly terrain did not lend itself to a traditional mall plan as originally envisioned. Instead, Ford and Cocke, along with architect Harvey P. Smith, opted to group the buildings in a village arrangement and embellished the campus with live oak trees and simple landscape elements. That element of campus master planning was noted by the San Antonio AIA chapter.
A commemorative
bronze marker to be presented to Trinity University is engraved with:
Trinity University, a beloved icon on the San Antonio Skyline, is distinguished for its campus master planning, harmonious use of materials and pioneering lift-slab technology. Built in a former rock quarry, the campus’ signature red brick buildings blend rigorous modern forms with thoughtful craftsman details. This esteemed institution of learning, nestled amongst spreading live oaks, continues to evolve from this original vision begun more than 50 years ago.
Other finalists for the 2007 25-Year Award were:
- The McNay Art Museum, formerly the Marion Koogler McNay residence, designed by Atlee and Robert Ayres, completed in 1928;
- The Intercontinental Motors building, designed by O’Neil Ford & Associates and built in 1960, and
- Thomas Jefferson High School, designed by Adams & Adams and built in 1932.
Previous winners were the San Antonio River Walk and the Tower Life Building.
The awards presentation marked the end of AIA San Antonio’s annual “Architecture Month,” a series of events designed to increase public awareness of the importance of architecture in everyday life.
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© 2007 Trinity University