Cite, The architecture and design review of Houston

Cite 78

Spring-Summer 2009

Letter from the Guest Editors

Let’s start at the end. In order to set the context for the work featured in this issue, we asked Stephen Fox—the preeminent historian of Texas architecture—to trace the descent of architectural stars upon the state. His essay on the last page of this issue reveals just the tip of the iceberg. Visit his post on this blog for a comprehensive list of projects built in Texas since 1886 by prominent architects from other parts of the world.

We visited Dallas and San Antonio to follow up on the latest batch of stars transforming the Texas landscape. Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Antoine Predock, Jean-Paul Viguier, and David Adjaye all figured prominently in our travels. Even before the Wyly Theatre’s completion, it is already apparent that this new building by Koolhaas in Dallas is destined to join the Kimbell Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Menil Collection of Houston in a trinity of must-see architecture in Texas.

The exercise left us with the following questions: Does bringing star architects to Texas help inspire local practitioners, or does it inhibit their growth? Does the flurry of Pritzker Prize laureates converging onto the Metroplex imply that it is taking the lead as the architectural mecca of Texas? Or does the recent decision by the Menil to engage the London-based architect David Chipperfield promise to awaken Houston from an architectural slumber that has lasted almost two decades? Will the current financial meltdown signal the end of an era of architectural upmanship?