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University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture Archives: Office of the Dean records

 Collection
Identifier: SOAD

Scope and Content of the collection

The School of Architecture Office of the Dean records include documents created or received by the Office of the Dean: correspondence, sfinancial records, faculty and committee meeting records, Dean's Council and Foundation Advisory Council meeting records, and stategic planning notes and reports.

Dates

  • Creation: 1963-2013

Creator

Policies Governing Use and Access

This collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using archival materials. As all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site, advance notice of at least three working days is required for retrieval. Certain items may require additional time for flattening or humidifying before they can be viewed. Access is by appointment only. Please contact the archives’ reference staff for further information.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasions of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person).

The Alexander Architectural Archives operate in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and regulations, providing unrestricted access to university records not covered by state and federal right to privacy acts.

The Alexander Architectural Archives, The University of Texas Libraries, and The University of Texas at Austin, assume no responsibility for infringement of literary property rights and copyright or for liability to any person for defamation or invasion of privacy that results from a researcher’s use of collections.

Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless The University of Texas at Austin, and their officers, employees, and agents from and against all suits, claims, actions, and expenses arising out of use of collections held by the libraries. Please alert staff if anything inappropriate is found during research.

Copyright interests in this collection may not have been transferred to the University of Texas. Researchers assume full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply. Additionally, the public use of material must be cited. See citation information below.

Administrative History of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture

The School of Architecture was established within UT's Engineering Department in 1910, when Dean T.U. Taylor of the Department of Engineering appointed Hugo F. Kuehne the School of Architecture's first faculty member. The university's first degree in Architecture was granted to Bertram E. Giesecke in 1913. In 1920, the Department of Engineering became the College of Engineering, and the School of Architecture became the Department of Architecture within the College of Engineering.

The Department was granted membership in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in 1925. 1927 saw the Department move from its original home in the Engineering Building to B Hall (now destroyed), a move necessitated by the Department's growth.

The Department of Architectural Engineering was associated with the Department of Architecture from its inception in 1928 until 1951, when it was granted autonomy.

In 1930, $300,000 was budgeted for a new Architecture building; Goldsmith Hall, designed by Paul Phillipe Cret, was completed in 1933. The program was accredited by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards in 1935, and the Department was accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board in 1940.

Student enrollment stood at 600 in 1948. A "semiautonomous school," a division of the College of Engineering, was created that year and granted full autonomy in 1951.

Deans, Directors, and Chairmen

  • 1910-May 1912: Hugo F. Kuehne, Chairman
  • June 1912-August (?) 1927: F.E. Giesecke, Chairman
  • September (?) 1927-May 1928: T.U. Taylor, Acting Chairman
  • June 1928-May 1935: Goldwin Goldsmith, Chairman
  • June 1935-May 1946: Walter T. Rolfe, Chairman
  • June 1946-June 1950: Hugh McMath, Chairman
  • July 1950-August 1951: Robert Talley, Acting Director
  • September 1951-June 1955: Harwell Hamilton Harris, Director
  • July 1955-July 1956: Hugh McMath, Acting Director
  • August 1956-August 1967: Philip D. Creer, Dean
  • September 1967-August 1968: Alan Y. Taniguchi, Director
  • September 1968-May 1972: Alan Y. Taniguchi, Dean
  • June 1972-July 1973: Sinclair Black, Acting Dean
  • August 1973-December 1975: Charles Burnette, Dean
  • January 1976-August 1976: John A. Gallery, Acting Dean
  • September 1976-1992: Harold (Hal) Box, Dean
  • 1992-July 2001: Larry Speck, Dean
  • August 2001-May 2016: Frederick (Fritz) Steiner, Dean
  • June 2016- June 2017: Elizabeth Danze, Interim Dean
  • July 2017-2023: Michelle Addington, Dean
  • August 2023-current: Heather Woofter, Dean
  • Partial Extent

    5.5 Linear Feet

    Language of Materials

    English

    Abstract

    The School of Architecture Office of the Dean records include documents created or received by the Office of the Dean. Records include correspondence, financial records, faculty and committee meeting records, Dean's Council and Foundation Advisory Council meeting records, and strategic planning notes and reports.

    Arrangement

    Material is not fully processed. Please contact Archive for information.

    Other Finding Aids

    Alexander Architectural Archives houses other collections created by the University of Texas School of Architecture.

    References to works by or about the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture:

    • Architecture; Architectural Design; Architectural Engineering; City and Regional Planning. Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Industry. November 1944. pp 8-10.
    • Consultative Committee on Selection of a Dean for the School of Architecture. Appendix 11: A History of the School of Architecture. June 8, 1932. pp 115-121.
    • The Departments of Engineering: Architecture. pp 83-90.

    Directors/Deans and Faculty, School of Architecture.

    • Futch, Ida Calhoun. History of the Department of Architecture. Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Industry. February 1946. pp 31-32.
    • Rolfe, Walter T. Appendix 10: A History of the School of Architecture. June 6, 1932. pp 106-114.
    • Rolfe, Walter T. Letter to Professor Hugh L. McMath and Professor Werner Dornberger. November 7, 1962.
    • School of Architecture. The Alcalde. May 1948. p. 181, 188-189.
    • SOA Prospectus Committee. Memo to Hal Box. February 17, 1986.

    Processing Information

    Processing is ongoing. Please see Archives' staff for more information.

    Subject

    Title
    University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture Archives: Office of the Dean records
    Author
    Finding aid created by Donna Coates
    Date
    August 2016
    Language of description
    English
    Script of description
    Latin

    Repository Details

    Part of the Alexander Architectural Archives Repository

    Contact:
    University of Texas Libraries
    101 E. 21st Street
    Austin Texas 78712 United States
    (512) 495-4621