Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Future

We are heirs to a historic, mid-century modern masterpiece.

Our Skyline Campus is a treasure for future generations. The Trinity campus is distinctive with its significant collection of regionalist and mid-century modern buildings by renowned San Antonio architect O’Neil Ford. In the early 1950s, Trinity’s 14th president, James Laurie, and Ford empowered each other to create a vision of building a campus on the site of an abandoned rock quarry. As the University constructed the Skyline Campus, the “Miracle on Trinity Hill” transpired. Designation on the National Register of Historic Places is the most appropriate way to honor the campus’ architectural history and maintain flexibility for a 21st century liberal arts and sciences education.

Establishing a historic district is central to Trinity’s Campus Master Plan.

It pairs the University’s mission with its architectural legacy. Boundaries to the historic district will encompass all of the University’s buildings designed by O’Neil Ford. The Campus Master Plan reinforces the historic nature of campus and establishes criteria that will guide decisions for renovations, enhancements, space usage, and new construction in the coming decades.

The Campus Master Plan goes beyond the decision to seek designation as a national historic district. A few of the signature strategies include:

1. Creating a new wayfinding program to provide signage for better navigation of campus.
2. Enhancing a “corridor” through the core of campus that meanders from the upper to the lower part of campus. The “corridor” will improve pedestrian navigation without bifurcating the campus and enhance opportunities for connections.
3. Replacing two existing parking lots on lower campus with intramural green space.
4. Redeveloping the Coates Student Center as the central dining facility on campus and adding a 500-guest ballroom that can be reconfigured for use as a conference facility.
5. Establishing a northern gateway to provide an outward face to the University for visitors, prospective students, and our connections with the city of San Antonio.
6. Improving existing student housing and adding independent living options for juniors and seniors. The plan identifies the need for more single rooms, kitchens, and common space in residence halls.

A northern gateway would provide an outward face to the University from Hildebrand Avenue.

An enhanced corridor weaves through the core of campus.