Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1493309
AMARILLO RAMP, Amarillo (1973): On July 20, 1973, artist Robert Smithson died in a light- aircraft crash while inspecting the prospective site for Amarillo Ramp, a private land-art commission on Stanley Marsh 3's ranch north of Amarillo. This last work was later completed by his widow, artist Nancy Holt, artist Richard Serra, and New York gallerist Tony Shafrazi. ART BARN AND RICE MEDIA CENTER, Houston (1969): The Rice University corrugated, galvanized sheet- metal buildings — which started Houston's tin-house movement — were commissioned by Dominique and John de Menil and built by architects Howard Barnstone and Eugene Aubry in 10 weeks to house the exhibition "The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age." Local folklore maintains that after Frank Gehry visited the show, he decided to wrap his own Santa Monica bungalow with unconventional materials such as chain-link fence and corrugated steel. These humble buildings are now demolished. BALINESE ROOM, Galveston (1942-1957, reopened 2002, destroyed 2008): What began as a small Chinese restaurant across from the Hotel Galvez became the Balinese Room, a tiki-themed nightclub and illegal casino known in its heyday for exotic decor, fine HOWARD BARNSTONE (1923 – 1987): Barnstone arrived in Houston as a Yale architecture graduate in 1948 for a brief teaching engagement at the University of Houston, then stayed for the rest of his life. The architect married vivacious actress, artist, and activist Gertrude Levy, and by the '60s, the two had become Houston celebrities in cultural circles. Nationally known for his work on Rothko Chapel, Barnstone rose to prominence with partner Preston M. Bolton primarily for residential designs that adapted the rigorous architectural practices of Mies van der Rohe. The elegant Lillian and Gerald S. Gordon House (1955) was the most publicized modern home in Houston during that era. BATTLE HALL, Austin (1911): Designed by distinguished New York architect Cass Gilbert, this Spanish Renaissance-style former library is the gem that set the standard for the entire UT campus. When Gilbert arrived in Austin, he found a motley collection of buildings in disparate styles. He demanded the authority to create a new architectural expression for the university and brought a commanding level of architectural sophistication to the state. The American Institute of Architects designated Battle Hall one GIANFRANCO GORGONI LEONID FURMANSKY BENJAMIN HILL PHOTOGRAPHY NATHAN SHEPPARD dining, and big entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Stretching 600 feet outward from the Seawall over the Gulf of Mexico, it long thwarted attempts by the Texas Rangers to raid the club — all evidence of gaming tables, cards, and chips would disappear into secret compartments before the Rangers could reach the end of the pier. Hurricane Ike destroyed what remained of the relic of mob- dominated Galveston. of America's 150 Favorite Works of Architecture. Exterior restoration is expected to be completed in 2023. BOTTLE ROCKET (1996): This low- budget crime comedy was Wes Anderson's first film and the screen debuts of Owen and Luke Wilson; Anderson had met Owen at UT in a playwriting class. Anderson, son of the delightfully named archaeologist and realtor Texas Anderson, grew up in Houston and graduated from St. John's School. The Wilson brothers, sons of noted photographer Laura Wilson, were raised in Dallas and attended The St. Mark's School. With James Caan involved, the comedy was filmed on location at unlikely but authentic Dallas sites: Hinckley Cold Storage on Commerce, the John Gillin Residence designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, The St. Mark's School, an Alpha Romeo dealership, and Ramada Inn (now Days Inn) in Hillsboro. THE BRYAN MUSEUM, Galveston (1902, restored 2015): Houston oilman J. P. Bryan, descendant of Stephen F. Austin, incorporated a vast collection of art, artifacts, and documents relating to Texas and the American West into The Bryan Museum, unveiled in 2015, located in the rehabilitated grandeur of the 20,000-square-foot Galveston Orphans Home of 1902, which he and wife Mary Jon Bryan meticulously preserved. Gordon House Battle Hall (Continued) 43