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HomeMy WebLinkAboutScardino_Cite4124 CITE ii u». 1 - W«fcrv»A ,4**'^*M<\ C*$toj*jz&. Fred Fenlon House, Austin, Caudill & Rowlell , architects, 1446, FLYING HIG H JAY BAKE R AN D BARRI E SCARDIN O ^ £lftflA.awjKix3ti.t ^ V s j y Fenlon Haute . The drawing s Caudill ft Hewlet t produced in the 1940s hod o graphic simplicity intended to make modern archilecluiF more accessible. I I n 1946 , whe n Willia m W. Caudil l jiitl Jrthti M. Rowlct t returne d to | Texas from oversea s dut y in World Wa r II, the y poole d thei r muster - inn "i " Pity to form an architectura l part - nership. With th e flip of ,i coin , th e tw o decided whos e nam e woul d com e first. Hill Caudil l won . An d MI wa s sel th e first name of th e compan y that , as Caudil l Rowlctt Scot t (CRS), woul d on e da y gro w into th e world's largest architectura l firm . Though CR S eventuall y settle d in Houston , it wa s in Bryan-Colleg e Statio n ih.ir it too k its hrsl step s towar d becom - ing a self-propelle d machin e devote d to client service , change , an d growth . Th e home of Texa s Aev.M offered CR S an incubato r in whic h a 12-year perio d ol invention an d experimentatio n coul d occur. Such CR S legacie s as arehitetlnr.i l programming, squatters , diversification , and architectur e by tea m bega n to devel - o p in Colleg e Station . I lie youn g archi - tects forge d a convergenc e of moder n an d rural sensibilities, develope d bot h individ- ual an d tea m capabilities , an d produce d ambitiou s design s using hard-nose d busi- ness practices . Fro m th e star t an d throughout its history , CR S investigate d the limit s of professiona l practice . Bill Caudil l receive d his II.Arch , from Oklahoma A W I (no w Oklahom a Slate University) in Stillwate r in 193 7 an d his M.Arch. from MI T in I9.W . He bega n leaching .il Texas \c \ \1 before cnli rin g the Nava l Reserves in 194.?. On his retur n t o Lxa s in r>4r,, he resume d Ins leachin g position in Colleg e Station . Joh n Rowlett , who ha d taugh t with Caudil l at Acv M before th e war , receive d his H.Arch. Iro m the Universit y of Texa s in 1938 . He moved to Austi n in 194 6 to live nea r his family an d teac h pan-tim e at th e Univer- sity nt Texas. The firm ol ( audill fr\ Rowlett use d Rowlett's sister's Austi n address unti l it obtaine d a pos t office bo x and, finally, an office at 1401 1/2 Lavaca Street in Austin . Caudill sk Rowlett's initial success wa s due in par t to th e optimis m an d expan - sion tha t followe d Worl d Wa r II. let , more to th e point , th e tw o partners , hav - ing grow n up durin g th e Crea l Depres - sion, equate d har d work , energy , an d self- relianc e wit h survival , growth , an d suc - cess. Ye.irs later, Caudil l said , "I n th e beginning ou r mott o wa s simple : to pro - duce goo d architecture , to mak e som e money, an d to hav e som e lu n doin g it."1 As the y bega n thei r practic e together , albeit in separat e cities , th e tw o me n shared an interes t in schoo l architecture . Caudill's thesi s at VIIT ha d been a long- range plan lo r school s in Stillwater, Okla - homa. At lexa s Acv M he ha d assigned schools as researc h project s to his stu- dents, focusin g on suc h issues as lighting , ventilation, an d circulation . In so doing , ( audill discovere d th e poo r conditio n of schools in Texas. I lis researc h culminate d CITE a n d FAST T h G e n e s i in his first book , Sfwe /o r Teaching.* (tudilJ's interest in school architecture was complemented hy Rowlett's doubl e major in education an d architecture. Without ever havin g designed a school, the pair garnered a reputation as innova- tors in school design, An d even though they promote d their fir m on the basis of producing schools, their first commissions were primaril y residential.' The wor k executed by Caudil l &C Rowlett during its Bryan-College Station period is decidedly mode m an d consis- tently rooted in the specifics of site and climate. At times the wor k also displays a rustic, rugged materiality. Despite a devo- tion to modernism , the firm's commit - ment to client service and architectural problem-solving formed the philosophical core of (aud i 11 {s; Rowlett's practice. As Caudill responded to one complaint : "I told them that it woul d improv e the air flow partem and , if there was no water problem, to leave the* window s installed upside down,""1 Their Hrst commissio n was a small house for Fred Teuton at the come r of Raleigh and Gilber t in Austin . This result- ed fro m a chance meeting between Caudill an d Fcnton, a woodworke r by trade. Rowlett followe d up on the contact and wrot e back to College Station regard - ing the firm's initia l job . "W e are laying a firm foundation that wil l pay off divi - dends in the future. I thin k a few houses to tie us over migh t be the answer to OUT problems.'"' From College Station Caudill sent plans an d sketches to his partner, wh o supervised the construction . I he Fen to n I louse, completed in late I'Hti, is a collage ot opaque and transpar- ent volumes, layered to separate livin g an d sleeping areas. Abstract principles of mod - ern design , includin g a flat roo f and full - height windows , are evident. The Fenton I louse displays Caudill's knowledge of Frank I loy d Wright's tlsonia n houses, but the house more closely resembles the small-scale residential wor k of Richar d Neutra and Marce l Breuur in the 1940s. During constructio n of the l-'enton House, Kill Caudil l buil t a house lor his family at 23 H Truma n Street in the Lake- view Additio n of llryan . I his became Caudill & Rowlett's first project to he published in a nationa l architectura l jour- nal/1 Caudill , wh o called himself the "Pub- lic Relations Department," continuall y sent out letters urging publicatio n of Caudill is; Rowlett's work . Throug h the linn's many transformations , Caudill's pre- occupation wit h publication , exhibition , and communicatio n remained intense, li e managed to get drawings of wha t were then Caudil l & Rowlett's only pro|ccts, the unfinished1 lento n and Caudill houses, included in an exhibitio n on contemporary architecture at the Dallas Museum of Fine \rts in i >ctoh< i I1 ')(-. In early DM -, |oh n Rowlett moved his 26 Spun 199 9 CITE Philip G. Muid«h Home. 718 South Roiemory, Bryan, Coudill Rowlett Scolf I Afwiialt v 1948-50. Wurdoih Houtt interior with suspended itoi i and cjUtiior view. * ii Fled Weltk House, IM S Longford. Bryan, Coudill Hewlett Stott tV Assodotn, 1948-50. family and the firm's address to College Station. Caudil l & Rowlett's first real architectural office was located above the Southside l-'ond Market , winc h Mill st.nuk across (nu n Texas AeVM at Ml ) Ceorge Bush Drive . Domestic commissions continue d to dominate the practice durin g I 94 7 and 1948, whic h gave Caudil l is; Rowlett an opportunit y to refine their architectura l ideas. With a house for A8c M professor Philip C. Murdoc h [\94%-49) 00 Sorth {now Nort h I Rosemary in Bryan , Caudil l tV Rowlett attempted a more complicated composition. Oriented fo r view and breeze, the Murdoc h I louse used vertical circulation as the hinge between publi c and privat e spaces. A transparent nserless stair, suspended over an interio r plaine r next to a full-height glass wall , blurs the line between house and garden . Also in 1948, Caudil l & Rowlet t designed a house at 1 I 15 l.angfor d in College Station for bred Wcick, an aero- nautical engineer am i pilot.H I he Wclck I louse is cl.nl in stone and vertical board - and-hatten and features a shallow-pitched gable roof . A description of the project by Caudill indicated his awareness of current trends: "Th e bi-nuclear plan is fro m Hreiter, the structure fro m Drake , and the sliding wall s fro m Neutra."*' The use of stone fro m an ol d corral was described as "regional, not primitive," and the inser- tion of glass between beams resting on load bearing stone wall s was intended to look "discovered . . . no t designed.""1 The Wcick I louse was the first oi what woul d become the most charactcri s tic type of modern house buil t in College Station and Bryan durin g the 1950s. C. Gale Cook , an A &M architecture student who worke d fo r Caudil l ik Rowlert in 1948, described the gla/.ed gable inserted above a planar wal l and beneath the rake o f a shallow, pitched roo m as Wrightiau , but Caudil l & Rowlett's treatment of thi s formal patter n was, like Brcuer's and Neutra's, consistently crisp, lightweight , and tectonic.1 ' In 19s}, Caudil l designed a new house for Ins famil y in the College Station neighborhood know n as The Knoll , which had been laid ou t wit h Caudill's help in 1947. A number of houses designed either by CRS or by fir m mem- bers for thei r ow n families were buil t on I he Knoll , whic h was intended as a modern enclave. Some streets on The Knoll were named for A &M architects and engineers.1' Caudill's second house is the out - standing architectural accomplishment on The Knoll , and it was probabl y the best small-scale wor k produced by the fir m in Bryan and College Station . Thi s Caudil l I louse is one large volum e wit h livin g spaces divided by movable storage cabi- nets. The shallow-pitched gable root is supported by a steel structure independent of its bric k perimeter walls . Extensions into the landscape — a carpor t wit h brick garden walls , a brick-paved patio , and a wooden wal l leading to a small bric k stu- dio-guest house — provid e a counterpoin t t o the main volume of the house. Other architect-designed houses buil t o n The Knol l include the I rank l.aw\e i House (19551 ,ii 1214 O n Street, designed by Lawyer, wh o became one of CRS's most highly regarded designers. Dave Varbrough , a production drawin g specialist at ( ks , built his house at 1215 Windin g Road about 1958. The Yarbrough f louse was the only one of these houses designed lo r air condition - ing. I'heo K. I iolleman and Ben H. Evans, tw o A8c M architecture facult y members wh o worke d on occasion to r CRS, also built their houses on The Knoll. Mos t of The Knol l houses have suffered unsympathetic modifications . While located in Bryan and College Station, CRS designed fewer than 20 houses there, but by 1955 the fir m had designed almost 100 in other Texas and Oklahoma cities.1 ' Thi s client pattern w.is even more dramatic in terms of school commissions t RS received, Of more tha n 100 schools the fir m complet- ed fro m their Bryan-College Station offices, only the A &M ( onsohdated Hig h School in College Statio n was a local pro - ject. After CRS moved to I louston in 1958, it grew rapidly, eventually receiving commissions all over the world , but as in Bryan-College Station , the fir m was no t busy at home. CRS partners sought a few large projects rather than many small ones. Consequently, the firm's promoter s traveled in search of larger and larger commissions, bot h in terms of dollars and square footage. CRS grew in this wa y because ol another early decision. Bill Caudil l and John Rowlert were not afrai d to continu - ally expan d their staff, hirin g youn g architects as soon as they could fin d a place fo r them to sit. They brough t good assistants into the partnership and fos- tered a productive, democrati c atmos- phere in thei r practice, whic h eventually led to a polic y of specialization and archi - tecture by team. Recalling the beginnings o f CRS , Willia m M. I'cna said, "Non e of us were geniuses, but we coul d have a c team of specialists, . . . |and by] pooling ou r talents together, we migh t be a genius.",4 The first employees ol Caudil l iS. Rowlett were Jo I bins and |ohn Zemanek , recent architecture graduates who worke d for Rowlet t in the Austin office, and Gordo n McCutchan , an A &M graduate and architecture instructo r wh o worked for Caudil l in College Station.1 ' McCutchan became .1 iiinm r partner in llM(> to r an investment of $250 , then left i n pursue .111 ii ademti career ,u Ics.is reck Wallie E. Scott, Jr., became the thir d partner in 1948, and the fir m name was changed to Caudill , Rowlett & Scott.1 6 In 1950, Willi e IVna became the fourth partner, but he insisted that the linn's name expand no further I Itimatcly, eight men, al l of who m joined the fir m during the 12-year Bryan-College Station days, wonUl be know n .is the founders of CRS. A l Martin , a structural engineer, became the nex t partner, but he left in 1955. Thomas A. bullock , wh o began working for CRS part-time in I'MS , was brought in as a partner in 1954. Bullock worked in the offic e in Oklahom a City that Rowlet t opened in 1950 and eventu- ally became the linn's managing partner. A l Marti n was replaced by Kd Nye , another engineer and a longtime friend of Caudill's wh o graduated three \cars ahead of Caudil l fro m Oklahom a AfrvM . O f the Bryan-College Station period at CRS, To m Bulloc k said: "W e heard abou t our new partne r |Nyc | by a phone call from Bill Caudill. We flew pretty high and fast in those days."1 7 Charles F. Lawrence, a particularl y gifte d designer, became the seventh part- ner, and C. Herbert I'aseur, the last found - ing partner nt CRS, began workin g lor John Rowlet t and Tom Bullock in Okla - homa Cit y in 1955. Many young architects wh o worke d for CRS in College Station or Bryan wenl on to other local firms. Mos t well-know n members of the Bryan-College Station architectural communit y fro m the 1950s, to the 1970s had some ti e to CRS."1 As Caudill & Rowlett became success- ful, it also became the target of Bryan architects wh o saw competition fro m A&M faculty members as out of line. Caudill wrot e Rowlett: "Yesterday the Dean of Kngineering received a letter fro m 1 he Dean of the College saying the Bryan architects had been complainin g abou t Mr. Caudill's activities. . .. I thin k 1 am in the clear as the Board gave me permission i n practice architecture, so I am calling their bluf f and bringing this thin g to a head once and for all . . . . The College is sending a reply to whoever wrot e the let rer to cite specific cases, dates, etc. so tha t we ta n really argue it mil."1 " A complain t was also filed wit h the America n Institut e of Architects asserting that the fir m got jobs by cuttin g fees an d using student labor.'" The fir m di d use paid students, bm 11 Ju l iin ! cm its fees ( aiidil l sen I Rowlett a suggested list of fees, saying, "( heck them to see ho w they compar e with architects in Austin , bet's not under- bid anyone."-1 Caudill fought these issues because he was committe d to practice and teaching. The complaint s soon simmered down , sealing the relationship between teaching and practice not |ust tor Caudill , but also for others wh o both practiced architecture and taught. Some 20 years later, as both director ol the Rice University School of Architecture an d leader of CRS, he woul d say, **l run my school lik e a firm , an d my firm lik e a school."" The relationship between CRS and Texas A&M's architecture school was strongly rooted . Of 26 early CRS employ- ees wh o have been identified , eleven taught at A & M . 2 ' Caudill , a full profes sor, taught throug h 1949; Rowlet l began teaching at A8c M as an associate profes- sor in 1948 an d was promoted to profes- sor the followin g year. Other s wh o taugh t for a tim e were Tom Bullock , Frank Lawyer, James Lemmon, Ben T.vans, Cordon McCutchan , Harr y S. Ransom, Edward J. Rotnieniec, The o R. Hollcman , and Melto n Harper. CRS also had a policy, unusual at the rime, of associating wit h local architects on out-of-tow n projects. Thi s facilitate d lis access to the then lucrative school business, givin g the fir m a chance to exe cute some of the principles established in Space for Teaching, whic h questioned the rigid guidelines of the federal School Buildin g Taw of 191 \ j n j showed what might be possible if progressive school architecture responded to progressive edu- cation . Caudil l theorized that natural light, movable furniture , outdoo r circula - tion, ventilation, anil soundproofing wel t anchors aroun d whic h flexible , low-cos t schools could be produced. In 1949, CRS received a commission for tw o elementary schools in Black well , Oklahoma. Similar in design, they were based on an inversion of a student project by Willi e l'cna. Th e Blackwel l projects — I lusto n Elementary and Washington Lle- mentary — provide d tangible et idence of CRS's commitmen t to a new approach to TE WHAT BEGA N AS A C O I N T O S S school architecture . The \ comprise d 75 percent of the firm's fees in 1949. The success ot thes e schools , whic h opene d t o an enthusiasti c receptio n in April 1950, brough t CR S an expandin g list of schoo l commissions.-4 Hut no t unti l 1952 wa s CR S ottere d an opportunit y to produc e a schoo l at home. Th e mos t strikin g featur e ot th e AScM Consolidate d Hig h Schoo l in Col - lege Statio n wa s a 600-sea t mushroom - domed auditorium , th e onl y componen t of th e schoo l still standing . Th e auditori - u m is supporte d by laminate d timbe t but - tresses space d at regula r interval s aroun d a cylindrica l base.-1 In 195 3 CR S receive d a particularl y significant commissio n to desig n th e Bra- zos < oinii y Courthous e an d Jai l in down - town Bryan . Altere d in th e D'Klls, th e complex originall y consiste d ol a four- story bloc k tha t house d jail , jur y rooms , civil defense offices, an d courtrooms . Th e building's progra m wa s visually dimin - ished by breakin g the structur e int o com - ponents an d by raisin g par t of th e build - ing on concret e piers . In 19.57, ArchiUi tni\iI Record recognize d th e CR S court - house as a constructiv e chang e in th e character of count y courthous e designs : "Unfortunately , on e is seldo m abl e to visualize th e typica l count y buildin g — most likely 50 to 10 0 year s ol d — as eithe r attractiv e or convenient . Th e space s behind its usuall y pompou s facad e ar e often ill-planned , poorl y lighted , an d depressing for th e publi c an d employee s alike. Thus , whe n a ne w count y buildin g does provid e a generou s measur e ot bot h aincniH an d goo d looks , it assume s unusual significance . Th e Brazo s Count y building so qualities."-1 ' Th e interiors , furnished by Knoll Associates , wer e streamlined example s of modernism . As a result ot ilus notabl e commissio n an d its fast-growing schoo l business , in 19.54 CRS move d its offices from Colleg e Sta- tion to a considerabl y larger spac e on (IK edge ot downtow n Bryan .it -425 Sout h Main Street. By I95 S CR S had 50 employee s working in Bryan an d Oklahom a City. Most of th e partner s ha d pilot's licenses, and th e lin n owne d five airplanes . Realiz- ing that CR S worke d on a regiona l scale instead of relying on local opportunities , managing partne r To m Bullock an d accountant Joh n Stambaug h researche d other Texa s location s tha t migh t mor e adequately ensur e stabilit y an d growth . Different partner s preferre d Austin , Dal- las. San Antonio , or Houston . But Stam - baugh, Cau d ill's childhoo d friend an d life- long financia l adviser , stressed th e need for a dynami c cit y with trave l connec - tions. (Stambaug h wa s war y of havin g bus; t RS architect s livin g their ow n planes aroun d th e country.) Bullock enlisted planner s to produc e statistic s on banking , competin g firms , clien t base , and projecte d growth ; I lousto n wa s the clear choice . Bullock too k th e proposa l t o I .im.liII an d convince d him to agree . Still, despit e th e move , CH S neve r re.lib leli Brv.in-t College Station . It con - tinued its contribution s to th e develop - ment of th e Colleg e of Architectur e at Texas Aik M University, establishe d the CR S Cente r for Architectura l Research at A&M in 199.1 , and , mos t recently, designe d th e Georg e Bush Presidential Library, t Ks brough t post-wa r modernis m to Bryan-College Statio n an d fostered ne w ideas ther e bot h by buildin g an d by teaching. The firm's expansio n int o a regional an d ultimatel y an internationa l practic e shoul d no t eclips e th e legac y its partners left as teacher s to th e student s of Texa s A&M an d mentor s to th e man ) young architect s wh o worke d for a tim e in th e Colleg e Statio n an d Brya n offi a S. It wa s in Bryan-Colleg e Statio n tha i CR S establishe d its stronges t an d mos t lastin g value: a consciou s belief in th e interd e pendence of th e idea ot designin g an d th e action ot buildin g architecture . • CITE 41 Spun] 1 9 9 8 29 BECAME A S E L F - P R O P E L L E D M A C H I N E DEVOTED TO C L I E N T S E R V I C E , C H A N G E , A N D G R O W T H I . CASS Stories: Mutant in ()N/V One l)irci'tt*tn — Forward. Houston : i Ks v I " " J . 2 . Willia m Wayne Caudill , Spai t for reaching in The Bulletin of the Agricultural .mil Mechanical Col legfi'l if.\.is. 'til l scries, m l . 12, mi . •* (Augus i I. I*MI1. t ollege Station : lexa s Knginictui g Experiment Station scries no . 59, I'MI . Space ftir Teaching was positivel) reviewed m luc h magazines at Atchitactttral hirwn (Ma y l ^ 2 i and the KJJ M Journal (December I "»42l. I, I he partners too k .my wor k they coul d get, which, in the R m year, consisted ol homes, .i chapt a mom lo r SAP, (LaudiU's fr.itcrnii i i .11 l >sl MI StJJIwa i,T, .mil .i mul l Methodis t churc h in Taylor, Ics.is. In addition in ihi- ( .milill an d Fenian houses, l'i*> cor- respondence mentions the Walter Britten Minis, 11946-47, JL * 11 > South i ollege Avenue.Hry.m); the Waltei Griffc n House (1946 , on SouoS College Avenue, llry.iu near llu ' v .uuJill House i; the I ir. I. O, Walton, |l.. House ! I'Md , ill Nort h I i.ikwood); .mil tin- Mom s |. Carrier lluuselory.ini . ( Ks < inter . School "t Architecture , fexa i ASc M University, 4 . Cfludil l to al l partners , August 7, l*M|, rcgard - Ing Washington School m Stillwater. Oklahoma . I US f enter. 5. ftowlen in Caudil L Apri l S, |4J n . t Ks < enter 6. "I louse in lev.is Provides Maximu m Livin g in Two Majo r Rimrns." Art'hitctlnriit itirum October 1946, p. 109. 7. i nhlil l m Rowlett , August 16. I'Mr.. ( US I. enter. B, Caudil l in I red Went , Apri l I". I"n>t. twent y one years .iiier the constructio n ol tin s In .use. (audil l iiinii \\. i.k wiil i his cusromar i humo r and energy; "You're tin- only genius I know and I aw prou d to know vim I inusr iay, however, you were •> lul l ol .i client. Vmi wante d ili.i t t ollege Station house to fly , i..i. i RS i niter. 9. Caudill, "Wcisk I IOUM- - 1948," CRS promo - tional brochure, u.d. CRS t enter, 10. Ibid . M i Gale t ooke interview, Ma y I 1 . 199 12, lis,- s.niil i kiml l was lai d out m ll,^4 based i m a plan b) architecture student Uoylc Lower), according to I r.mk Lawyer l>r. I h t lark , \x M economics professor anil developer or I he knol l and rlie South Knoll , named streets for I awyet I owery s studio instructor) and t audil l m appreciation. I V Other Brvan i ollege Station area houses designed hv CRS include the Robert I • Puerifory House (1950 , 101 I. Brookside Drive , Bryan] and the Carle (.. "Spik,•" Whir , I louse 11951, "1*2 South rhonus st m i . r ollege Station). Outside ol Bryan t ollege Station, the firm designed houses m otbe j imall Ks.i s and Oklahom a towns includin g S<| for the Mast.in Constructio n company and till (or Warr limit I loiues t o. m Oklahom a Of ) {Architectural Forum, |(ine lis"), pp. 100-1011 , t KS designed several plans and option s lo r these spet houses. 14. lonarha n King . "A n Ora l Histor y of < Us," 1997, n script, Ji . 10, p. 2 . 15. ( audil l to Rowlett , Ma y 2H . 1946 (Hans); June JO, 1946 lAm.uicki ; and August 16, ISMh IMcCutchan). < K s ( entei I6i < u s has (seen know n ovei iKi rears by variou s combinations ol the founders1 names. I he hrs i three- name title was t audill , Rowletl s\ Scott, then ' audill Rowlett, Su m & Associates,an d later t audill , Rowlett eV Scon Architects. The engineering firm I. R. Sirtim-s o. merged wit h i Ks . creating t Ks s in i"s ; rheri the arehuivuu.i l division ol v Ks s was sold i" MttK ni 1994, and C KS was droppe d from the firms n.iitie all together. P . King , ch . I, p. 2 l*i. In additio n to Zemanek , Md utchan , and Willu Ten.i. early employees ol CRS included Han i s. Rai n (1949-53), wh o worke d later r..r Will i im I Nash [1953—57). Ransom designed die Pefla House in Brownsville and the much publicized elementary school m Industry, lis.i s I hen R, Hullem.m also worked for Willia m I-. Nash 11949-51I . Othe r early C K S employees were t Icon ( . liellomy ; Mertiil l I I.ii per , | " s s - M I ; I: |-.„| Merrill , |t „ |.tii,is II I , tn mon. |r.; am i Charles l l sies, wh o designed the Bryan Fire Station and Dril l lowe r to r ( KS m |y?2 . I u . c audill to Rowlett, September 4. 1946. On October 4, r'4r., ( audil l wrote: " lml.i v I r d win . ni...I id , complain t about me practicing . It wasn't I'lnl .titer .ill . i w.is Mi ni \ M.isriel J So r.u the ail linn is- rraiion is backing me up." t KS ( enter in. Students were an importan t pa n o l t Ks \ research and production fro m the beginning.l audill wrote m M^ undate d letter to Rowlet t m |946 i I se been workin g on I entou's house A student is helpin g trie." On Inly 17. I"4h . he wrot e again: "I am goin g r o put one ol ou r better students on ou t payroll." Harold [ordaa , a lili h year architecture student , was credited wit h helping in supervision . i l [he firsl t .auihll I louse in Bryan, 11, < audil l to Rowlett , n.d., ca. September 1946. 22. To m Bullock interview , Octobe r 17, 1995. 1\, l.s.isAesMc.n.ilogtics , I945-I9S5 . Cuslnn g Library, Texas ABcM , 24.' "IHira . Ultra , Ultra." Blackwell Dotty lotmtal- Tribune, Apri l 2.!, 1950. CRS developed dusters ..i ichoo] work , somerirnes based on the partners ' per sonal connections . Because Wallie Vo n was fro m Port Arthur , les.is, ( Us «.i s .ihle m gam entree, col laborating wit h the Port Arthu r architect |. Earte Neff o n numerous schools there . Likewise , Willie l'en.i's hometown connections and long-ter m association with Laredo architect A.A . Leyemdecker hrough r CR S school lominissioit s in Laredo , Tyler in las t Texas, Andrews in West lis,is , .mil the Wharton-Bay City - Palacios-LJna area touthweM ol Housto n are other locales wher e t RS's wor k was clustered il l the inslls . 25, "Hig h School Withou t Moors," Architectural Forum, Apri l |t^5 . pp . l2K-!2 . Th e small , two-stor y classroom hiulihn g ot les.is A es.M t onsolidared High School w.is demolished m IV'M , as 4 0 years ol space needs, demographics , and educational pattern s caught up wit h the progressive plannin g so valued lit I"s4, 2f>. Architectural Record, January, 1957. 27. * KSS vs.ts awarded the design contract lo r (he Much Presidential I ihr.iry , hut , before the plans were complete, CRSS was bought by Ht>K . However, the same team fro m CRSS continue d to wor k lo r 1IOK . completing the protect. Broios County Courthrwu and Jail, 300 E. l&lb Sires I. Bryan, CRS, artbileclt, 1956.