As we near the end of the academic year, many of us are starting to wax nostalgic about the time we have spent at The University of Texas at Austin.  Even though I’ve only been here for a relatively short two-year graduate program, I, too, have created memories in some of the University’s iconic buildings.  For over 100 years, Battle Hall has held a special place in students’ lives, and because of my time spent here I will always fondly remember the physical space I occupied as a student and Archive employee.

Early in the history of the School of Architecture (then Department of Architecture in the College of Engineering), students and faculty alike cherished another important building, B. Hall.  Brackenridge Hall, as it was fully known, stood on the east side of the main building, where steps now descend between Will C. Hogg Building and Garrison Hall over the Computation Center towards Inner Campus Drive.  Built in 1890, the building served as a dorm and was later converted to office space for various campus departments.  It was the gift of benefactor and University Regent George Washington Brackenridge.

The building was built as a dorm for men, and students were to agree “not to play cards, or use liquor of any kind or indulge in any practice calculated to disturb the young men in their studies” (Lane, 284).  The building was also said to have spacious rooms with plenty of natural light and modern heating, lighting, and plumbing.  Also included was a restaurant where students and other University faculty and staff could eat dishes such as “Slice of cold ham” for 3 cents or “Slice of corned beef” for 1^1/2 cents (Lane, 285).

Goldwin Goldsmith came to the University in 1928 and in 1929 penned a poem titled “The God of B Hall.”  The poem alludes to the changes the building had experienced over the years.  While Goldsmith came to the University after B. Hall’s heyday had ended, the poem suggests that he was aware of the changes it had seen and the place of importance it held for the University.  The poem was recently discovered in a folder titled “History of the Architecture Department” in the Blake Alexander collection at the Alexander Architectural Archive.  While the folder contains a type written history of the Department of Architecture from 1932, which was known to Archive staff, the poem was a surprise and a pleasure to find tucked away in the back.

 

 

 

The God of B Hall

 

There are traditions in old B Hall.

Of the good old days of the dormitory.

Room and corridor, window and wall —

Each could undoubtedly tell its story.

 

There are traditions in old B hall.

They cling to the walls and hide in the corners.

And men come back in the early fall

Wand’ring about with the mien of mourners.

 

B Hall once was a place for sleeping;

A place for rest and for recreation.

Shall the old grads find it a place for weeping;

A place for sorrow and lamentation?

 

There are new tenants in old B Hall;

Tenants who know not the old traditions.

Yet, students they are and one and all

Thrilled with the fire of their great ambitions.

 

God of the Architects, great got Ptah!

Grant us the fire of inspiration

To work for the god of things as they are.

With the architect’s soul for true creation.

 

Truth is the basis for all design.

Truth should the architect’s soul enthrall.

Great god Ptah! thou saint benign!

Be thou the god of old B Hall.

In Blake Alexander’s collection I recently came across this cookbook, titled Texas Cooking Under Six Flags.  It was written by members of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Blake’s hometown, Paris, Texas.  These kinds of cookbooks were common during that time as a way for members of a community – in this instance a church – to share their favorite recipes.  We can see here that they also shared their personalities.  I’ve included some of my favorite images from the cookbook.  The illustrations all seem to have been done by Lorene Rutherford, likely a congregant of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church.  I hope you’ll enjoy looking at these as much as I did!

I wrote a few weeks ago about Blake Alexander, the man whose manuscript collection I am processing.  I want to spend a few minutes today telling you about his collection.  As I previously mentioned, Blake was a professor in the School of Architecture for over 40 years.  As you can imagine, he not only taught courses, but he was involved in a number of University and School of Architecture committees, groups, and organizations through the years.  In addition to his time at the University, he also had an active professional career, dealing with architectural history and historic preservation in Austin, in the greater Texas region, and throughout the United States.

The materials in Blake’s collection came to the Archive in various donations over the course of twenty years.  The first donations came in the 1990’s when Blake retired from teaching.  He stayed active professionally and in the University community, and continued to create and collect materials.  As he entered the later years of his life, he left his home where he had lived for over thirty years and moved into an active retirement community.  That brought with it a donation of items to the Archive.  And finally at his death in 2011 the Archive received the remainder of his papers.  Throughout this time the Archive’s Curator, Beth Dodd, worked with Blake to understand the materials he had, and make sure that we knew as much about them so that when the time came to process them we could make them available to researchers in the best way possible.

So what exactly do you do with scores of bankers boxes filled with papers representing a lifetime of work?

I first started with understanding as much as I could about Blake and his work.  I read books which he published, researched the history of the School of Architecture where he spent so much of his time, and worked to enhance my understanding of architectural history and historic preservation.  I was lucky to be assisted in that endeavor by people who knew and worked with him.  Then I spent time looking through the materials to see what stood out to me.  I identified some main themes (or, series, which is what we call big groupings of materials that were created from the same activity).  After that, I began to see, within the series, different sub-series and groupings relating to specific work or projects.  This is what we call arrangement.  And this arrangement evolved, and continues to evolve.  I’ve listed below the arrangement as it stands now.  But stay tuned, because by the time this project is finished in May, you will very likely see some changes.  Our goal in arrangement is to keep the items as close as possible to the way that Blake had them, while making them accessible and useful for researchers.  I think we have achieved that with this collection.

Personal Papers –  As you can imagine, these are things relating to Blake’s personal life.  We don’t have a lot of materials of this type, but things we do have pertain mainly to Blake’s own time as a student at The University of Texas at Austin.

Professional Papers – This series consists mostly of items that Blake created on a professional level, but that were not a direct result of his time working as a faculty member in the School of Architecture.  Blake served on a number of professional associations, community organizations, and local government advisory committees.  He also wrote and published extensively.  All of these activities are represented here.

Faculty Papers –  At first glance this seems straightforward.  But the things that Blake did in his professional career and in his academic career often overlap.  Every attempt was made to make things in this series very clearly relate to his time at the University.  This series will be particularly helpful to people researching the creation of programs and curriculum in the School of Architecture, as Blake pioneered its architectural history and historic preservation programs.

Research and Reference Files –  Blake collected materials to support his teaching, research, writing, and professional work.  Because his interests overlapped, it is often impossible to distinguish what he used a particular news clipping, article, or brochure for.  Because of this we have separated these research and reference files into their own series.

Travel –  Blake traveled extensively.  This travel was sometimes personal in nature, when Blake often traveled with friends.  However he also collected information about buildings and sites he saw when traveling and used these in his teaching and writing.  Again, these materials supported a variety of pursuits, so they are separated into their own series. 

Postcards –  This series is in many ways similar to both Research and Reference Files and Travel, but it is distinct because the collection of postcards – numbering around 6,500 – includes postcards that Blake obtained from his colleagues Marian Davis and Edward Maverick.  They are a mix of postcards originating as correspondence (with writing and postal cancellations), and blank postcards, which we believe, were retained for their informational value. 

Slides –   In an era before computer presentation tools like digital photographs and Power Point, educators and professionals alike used photographic slides to share images of buildings, sites, and projects.  This series has over 3,000 slides, some of which were scanned for Texas Architecture: A Visual History.

For the past five months I have been processing the Blake Alexander collection at the Alexander Architectural Archive.  The collection belonged to Drury Blakeley Alexander, an ardent supporter of the Architecture and Planning Library, the namesake of its Archive, and an architecture professor and architectural historian.  I’m writing today to tell you a little more about Blake.

Blake was born in Paris, Texas on February 4th, 1924.  His mother was Katherine and his father Drury Blakeley.  The world that Blake was born into in Paris was one of architectural growth and change.  The city suffered a devastating fire in 1916, so when Blake and his brother John were growing up in the 1920’s, there was an incredible amount of re-building happening all around them.  This, coupled with the significant examples of nineteenth century architecture which did survive, caused Blake to develop a deep appreciation for architecture, its history, and the way that it is influenced by and influences the places in which it exists.

After a stint at Paris Junior College, Blake made his way to the University of Texas in 1942 to study architecture, but was called away to serve in the United States Army.  When he returned to the University in 1946 he had a taste of Europe and his path as an architectural historian was settled.  He received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1950.  At the time the study of architectural history was based in art history, and Blake sought out the guidance and advice of a young and vibrant art historian named Marian Davis.  Blake and Marian began what would become a life-long friendship.  She encouraged Blake to return to class, and he received his Bachelor of Science in Art.  After that, he went on to Columbia University where he earned his Master of Arts in Art History in 1953.

It was only natural that Blake would be drawn back to the University of Texas.  He spent time in Austin as a youngster, staying with family members who had a home on Wichita Avenue, before the 40 Acres’ inevitable growth had enveloped it.  His grandfather’s sister, Ada Stone, was married to H.Y. Benedict, an early University president.  And in his memoir, Oral Memoirs of Drury Blakeley Alexander, he said, “in Paris, of course, it was just the University” (28).  So after a year teaching at Kansas State University, he came back to teach at his alma mater.

Blake’s professional career includes numerous achievements, which I will cover in another post.  He passed away on December 11th, 2011.  Later the following spring his friends and colleagues convened to remember the man’s illustrious career and life.  I never had the opportunity to meet Blake, but I feel like I’ve gotten to know him a bit these past five months.  His collection speaks to the fact that he was a constant professional, always a gentleman, and appreciated a good joke.  His commitment to the education of architecture students at The University of Texas at Austin was never in question.  He supported the library and developed the collections which would become the Archive which would bear his name.  And to ensure that these materials would remain accessible, and the collections remain vibrant and relevant, he left as a final legacy a significant financial gift.  The Blake Alexander Architectural Library Endowment will fund the purchase and maintenance of materials for generations of architecture students, and for that we are most thankful to Blake.

Come back for more updates about Blake’s collection, to be posted soon.