William N. Bonham papers

Collection

Identifier: BONHM

Scope and Content of the collection

The papers document an international conference 3D/I organized in 1981. Bonham asked architects to list works of 20th century architecture they admire and discuss architecture and its influence. Respondents to the questionnaire include William Turnbull, Gene R. Summers, Robert Stern, John Powell, Charles Gwathmey, Bruce J. Graham, Bill Caudill, and William Morgan.

Dates

Creation: circa 1981, 2010

Creator

William N. Bonham (contributor, Person)

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Biographical Sketch of William N. Bonham (1928-2010)

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William Norton Bonham was an architect born on October 19, 1928. He grew up in Houston and graduated from Allan Academy in Bryan in 1945. In 1951, he received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife Sandra had one daughter, Cody.

After graduation, Bonham established his own practice that he maintained until joining Pan American World Airways as director of architecture for Inter-Continental Hotels. His global experience with Pan Am helped Bonham later found and build the San Antonio-based Diversified Design Disciplines/International (3D/I) into a major firm. After serving as president and eventually vice chairman of 3D/I, Bonham established an international consulting practice he maintained until joining the Texas Facilities Commission. In 1981, Bonham put together a conference on architecture that drew interest and participation from several of the most influential architects of the time.

In 2003, Bonham published James Butler Bonham: Messenger of Defeat, the story of his great-grandfather's cousin James Butler Bonham, who died defending the Alamo. William N. Bonham died on December 25, 2010, and is interred at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

Partial Extent

0.08 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

William Norton Bonham was an architect who established his own practice until joining Pan American World Airways as director of architecture for Inter-Continental Hotels. Bonham later founded and built the San Antonio-based Diversified Design Disciplines/International (3D/I) into a major firm and established an international consulting practice. The William Bonham collection documents the 1981 international conference that 3D/I organized on architecture and its influence. Records include correspondence, notes, list of respondents, and memoranda relating to the 1981 conference organized by William N. Bonham.