T E X A S P L A C E S

/

CKe THE A R C H I T E C T U R E

and D E S I G N R E V I E W

o F H O U S T O N

F a l l 1 9 9 7 S p e c i a l D o u b l e I s s u e $ 1 0 . 0 0

Guest Editors

N o n y a Grcnadcr

Bruce C . W e b b

Editorial Commit tee

Chairman

N o n ya Grcnader

Stephen Fox

Gabricl la Gutierrez

Lynn, Herbert

G . N o r m a n Hoover

Karl Kih,in

Harry M o o r e

Ann W a h o t i Siebcr

W i l l i a m F. Stern

Drexcl Turner

Rives Tay lor

Bruce C . W e b b

Joe Douglas W e b b

M a n a g i ng Editor

li.ii i ii- Scardino

Assistant Editor

M o l l y Kelly

Graphic Design

M i n o r Design G r o u p

Photography

Paul I [ester

Advertising

Lynn Kelly

Rice Design Alliance

Board of Directors

President

( iwcndulyn 11- Goffc

I'rcsidcnt-Elcct

Mar i lyn Archer

Vice President

David H . Watkins

Treasurer

Jory Alexander

Secretary

Kathy Heard

Natalyc L. Appel

Kciji Asakura

Jay Baker

Thomas I". Bellows

Muiiu-iti- B. Bin M I

l.niiis I ) . Burnett

Paul I ) . Chapman

Kudnlph Cnlby

Wi l l iam Curtis

lares el-Dahdah

Charles W . Elder

Leslie K. Elkins

Kdwin A. Eu ban Its

Hon. Jessica lar rar

Gerry I i hn

David 1 . (ienrge

Alfred Glassell I I I

Nonya Grcnadcr

Ciabriclla (luticrrcz

Jennifer Harding

G . Norman Hoover

Katherinc S. H o w e

Carlos Jimenez.

Catherine M . Johnson

Susan Booth Keeton

Wil l iam D. Kendall

l-ars larrup

Ching-Fung Lin

Rafael l.ongona

Rick Lowe

Judy R. Pesek

Charlotte A. Rnthwcl!

Jeffrey D. Ryan

Danny Marc Samuels

Louis I I . Skidmorc, Jr.

Wil l iam F, Stern

Phoebe Tudor

Drexel Turner

James Vick

Randall Walker

Brute C. Webb

Joe Douglas Webb

l.»rry E. Wlialey

L. Burke Windham I I I

Executive Director

Linda L, Sylvan

Program Administrator

Mol ly I humming

Office Assistant

M a r y Swift

Rice Design Alliance

Corporate Members

A & K Products Co . Inc.

Air Canada

Anchorage Foundation of Texas

S. L. Andersnn Company

Baker & Botts L L P .

W . S. Bellows Construction Corporation

Bcrgcr I ronWorks, Inc.

British Airways

Brothstcms Inc.

Burns Dcl-attc 8c M c C o y , Inc.

ccrd partners

T h e Chase Manhat tan Foundation

Clark Condon Associates

Coktnos, Bosicn Sc Young

Compaq Computer Corporation

Continental Airlines Inc.

Corporate Express

A. i r.un Construction Company, Inc.

C H I N Flooring Resources

C R X , Inc.

L, Barry Davidson Architects A I A , Inc.

The dc Meni l Family

Debntr + Company

The Decorative Center of Houston

Duke Kncrgy

The Carl cV Phyllis Detering Foundation

Douglas/( lallaghc-r

KIcgaill Additions

M r . and Mrs. Fares I. Fares

Fret* CuuMlUUOOG

F'ugrO'McCk'lland

Gamma Construction Company

CiL-nsler

Gilhanc Building Company

Cioldman, Sachs & C o .

Creenwood King Properties

I l.iynes Whaley Associates, In. .

l l c l lmuth , Ohata and Kassabaum, Inc.

1 fines

Houston Chapter - Associated General

Contractors of America

Houston Lighting & Power C o .

lacksnn and Company

Jackson & Ryan Architects

Kendall/Heat on Associates

I he Knoll Croup

l.csley & Associates, Inc.

M 2 L Associates, Inc.

The Marck Family of Companies

Harris Masterson Ml

Matrix/Structural Engineers, Inc.

M i l Of inc.

McDugald-Steele 1 ji idscapc Architects

M i l a m 8c Co. Printing, Inc.

Miner-Dederick G m M l u U D H Int.

Walter P, Moore and Associates, Inc.

Morganti

Mor iar ty 8c Associates

Morr is Architects, Inc.

Moss Landscaping, Inc.

Office Pavilion

I'appas Kc-staurants, Inc.

I he Powell ( . roup

Ridgway's

Louisa Stmle Sarofim

Schentk and Company

Roben Shaw Manufacturing Co. , Inc.

Wi l l i am F. Stern 8c Associates, Architects

Tellepsen Corporation

Thomscn Company, Inc.

MVIuternational

The Toronto-Dominion Bank

Truffles 8C Flourishes Catering

Vanguard I-nvironmcnts, Inc.

W a l l Company Printing

Watkins Carter Hami l ton

Weingartcn Realty Management

Wells Design, Inc.

Mrs . Wesley West

Wil l is, Bricker & Cannady, Architects

T o m Wilson and Associates Architects

Windham Builders

Wylie & Associates, Inc.

Notes on Contributors

Joel W . K a m a , a f requent c o n t r i b u t o r

t o Cite, is d e v e l o p m e n t m a n a g e r o f the

M c D o n a l d O b s e r v a t o r y in A u s t i n , T e x a s .

Kosc l lcn B r o w n is the a u t h o r o f n i n e

b o o k s , i n c l u d i n g her recent n o v e l , Before

and After, a n d a co l lec t ion o f p o e m s ,

Cora Fry's Pillow liitok. She t a u g h t

c rea t ive w r i t i n g at the Un ivers i ty o f

H o u s t o n for m a n y years.

Pau la C h a m l c c , w h o lives in Bucks

C o u n t y , P e n n s y l v a n i a , is a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l -

ly k n o w n p h o t o g r a p h e r w h o s e w o r k is in

the p e r m a n e n t col lect ions o f n u m e r o u s

m u s e u m s . High Plains Farm, C h a m l e e ' s

second b o o k , w a s pub l ished in 1 9 9 6 .

M a r g a r e t C u l h c r t s o n is l i b r a r i a n o f the

W i l l i a m R . J e n k i n s A r t a n d A r c h i t e c t u r e

L i b r a r y in the G e r a l d I ) . H i n e s C o l l e ge of

A r c h i t e c t u r e , U n i v e r s i t y o f H o u s t o n .

T e r r e n c e D o o d y is a professor in the

l-nglish D e p a r t m e n t o f R i c e U n i v e r s i t y .

S tephen F o x is a f e l l o w o f the A n c h o r a g e

F o u n d a t i o n o f T e x a s .

M a r t a G a l i c k i is a n a r c h i t e c t u r a l h is to r i a n

a n d preserva t io n consu l tan t in H o u s t o n .

J o h n G r a v e s lives a n d w r i t es in ( i l e n

Rove , T e x a s . I le b i s received m a n y h o n -

ors fo r his w r i t i n g , i n c l u d i ng a N a t i o n a l

B o o k A w a r d n o m i n a t i o n for Goodlrye to

a River (I960).

N o n y a G r c n a d c r is a n arch i tec t w h o

teaches at the Rice U n i v e r s i t y School

o f A r c h i t e c t u r e .

J o h n H c j d u l t is d e a n o f the I r w i n S.

i l i .mm School o f A r c h i t e c t u r e at the

C o o p e r U n i o n in N e w Y o r k ,

Sims M c C u t c h a n is a reg iona l m a n a g e r in

the H o u s t o n Puhl ic L i b r a r y system w i t h a

pa r t i cu l a r interest in H o u s t o n u r b a n l i fe.

D a n n y M a r c Samue ls , F A I A , is a p a r t n er

in T a f t Arch i tec ts a n d v is i t ing professor at

t h e R i c e U n i v e r s i t y S c h o o l o f A r c h i t e c -

t u r e , w h e r e he is th e d i r e c t o r of the Rice

B u i l d i n g W o r k s h o p .

B a r r i e Scard ino is m a n a g i n g ed i ror o f O r e .

J o n S c h w a r t z is a d o c u m e n t a r y f i l m m a k e r

in Los Angeles whose credi ts inc lude This

Is Our Home, It Is Not For Sale, a h is tory

o f H o u s t o n ' s R ivers ide a rea .

S h a r o n S t e w a r t , a na t ive T e x a n , is a

c u l t u r a l d o c u m e n t a r y p h o t o g r a p h e r

n o w l iv ing a n d g a r d e n i n g in C h a c o n ,

N e w M e x i c o .

G e o r g e F. T h o m p s o n , f o u n d e r a n d presi-

dent o f the C e n t e r f o r A m e r i c a n Places

in H a r r i s o n b u r g , V i r g i n i a , is the a u t h o r

a n d ed i to r o f four b o o k s , i n c l u d i n g

Landscape in America.

D r e x c l T u r n e r is a c i ty p l a n n e r a n d assis-

t a n t t o the d e a n at the G e r a l d D . H i n e s

C o l l e g e o f A r c h i t e c t u r e , Un ive rs i t y

o f H o u s t o n .

Bruce C . W e b b is d e a n a n d professor

o f a rch i tec tu re a t the G e r a l d D , H i n e s

C o l l e g e o f A r c h i t e c t u r e , Un ive rs i ty

o f H o u s t o n .

Cite The Architecture

and Design Review

of Houston

A Publication of

the Rice Design Alliance

39: Fall 1997

Special issue on the 25th anniversary ol the RDA

Copyright O 1997 by the Rice Design Alliance.

Reproduction of all or part of editorial content with-

out pcrniiuion is srncrjy pruhihitrd. I he opinion!

expressed in Ci/r Jit inn necessarily represent the

views uf the board ol directors ill the Rice Design

Alliance. I'ublic.iiMiii id thti issue of Cite is*nppomd

in part by ((rants from the Anchorage roundjtuHi nf

1 cvas, I Illusion Endowment Inc., the National

Endowment for ihe Arts, tin- Susan Vaughan

foundation, and die City of Houston through the

Cultural Arts Council.

Cite (ISSN: 8755-04151 is published quarterly hy the

Rice Design Alliance and is indexed in the Avery

Index to Architectural l'irlodicaU.

'the Rice Design Alliance, established in 1*71, n •

nonprofit educational organi/.itinn dedicated to the

advancement of architecture and design.

WebChe:

http://riccinio.rice.edii/pm|ccTs/RDA

» * Cite i i printed on recycled paper.

OveKate:

Regarding the El Portal Competition in Laredo

(Cite is, p. 27), images of I he first and lecnnd r

winners were reversed.

HMI Riviito B M A . Ptiolo dy Ikimt SiuidniD 199/

10

14

18

24

30

34

40

46

50

58

60

62

63

64

65

Larry McMurtry

( onversarion with Nonya (ircnadcr, Bruce C. Webb, Dri\L'l Turner

Our Piece of the Country

John (iraves

On Leaving Texas

Rosellen Brown

II or ton Foote

(.Conversation with Terrence Doody and Nonya (irenader

High Plains Farm

Paula Chamlee with an essay by George F. Thompson

Road Trip: Blue Star Highway 59

Bruce C .Webb

Riding the Sunset

Margaret Culbertson

Most of the Coast: Sabine Pass to Boca Chica

Barrie Scardino

The Architecture of Oil

Marta Cialiki

Toxic Tour of Texas

Sharon Stewart

Farmers and the Dell Plant

Joel Warren Barna

Texas Movie Landscapes

Jon Schwartz

McMurtry's Houston

Sims McCutchan

The Texas Room

Stephen Fox

Boundaries

Book reviews by Danny Marc Samuels

Cicada

John Hcjduk

Cover: rriim ihc scries W)(b 1'l.iim (;inn,

Adrian, Texas. O Vault Chamlee. 1996