An Architectural Archive in San Antonio, Texas
Kathryn E. O’Rourke, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
Robert Ayres, Ayres & Ayres, San Antonio. Design for an unidentified building; purchased at auction for the proposed archive.
La Villita Workshop, San Antonio. Design for a Table Lamp, c. 1940. Drawing discovered in the basement of a San Antonio architecture firm in 2014.
Although it is young by world standards, San Antonio, Texas is considered old in the United States. Long home to indigenous Americans, the area that became San Antonio was colonized by Franciscans beginning in the 1720s, when Texas was part of Mexico. The city was shaped by European and Mexican immigrants and enslaved and formerly enslaved Blacks in the nineteenth century. Varied vernacular traditions and diverse currents of modernism defined it in the twentieth century, giving the city a collection of buildings of exceptional depth and breadth. Along with its architecture, San Antonio’s cultural and natural landscapes make it one of the most distinctive cities in the U.S. Yet it has no dedicated architectural archive.
Recognizing that the absence of an archive has contributed to the loss of many important records, and hinders the collection of remaining materials, architects and academics have for some time discussed the need for such a repository. Just prior to the pandemic an architectural historian at a local university, the daughter of San Antonio’s most important modern architect, and a prominent local real estate developer joined forces to begin the process of creating an archive.
How does one build an architectural archive from the ground up? What should a twenty-first-century archive be, and what should it retain and jettison from historical models? Given that funding for such a project would come overwhelmingly from private philanthropists, how does one make the case for an archive, especially in a time and place where there are so many needs? When considered apart from the traditional confines of research, what is the value of an architectural archive, and can it be shaped to reach a wide audience?
Archive planning conversations quickly turned to the potential for creating an archive that included a substantial public component and included a vision of using architectural historical knowledge to actively inform contemporary decision-making about urban planning and design. Such an archive might contribute to a broader appreciation of architecture and architectural history, and help multiple publics understand design decisions contextually.
A case in point is the controversial proposal to redesign the plaza in front of the Alamo as an open-air history museum focused on the famous 1836 battle. Several schemes envision demolishing a neighbouring building that was an important site in civil rights history. As architectural historians, might we use archival materials in new ways to stimulate open and inclusive conversations about our cities and histories?
Aerial view of Alamo Plaza, 1940.
