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HemisFair San Antonio) survives as a distinctive and eccentric example of thin-shell concrete construction. Its 12 pointed hyperbolic paraboloids exist as aerodynamic versions of medieval flying buttresses, perhaps unintentionally resembling the cornette headpieces worn for centuries by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. GRAIN ELEVATORS, statewide (early 20th century): In Measure of Emptiness: Grain Elevators in the American Landscape, photographer Frank Gohlke sought to capture their haunting beauty. Grain elevators are best viewed while on a road trip through the Texas Panhandle. Beginning as a dot above the lane markers, they grow to a colossal size then recede to rejoin the horizon line in the rearview mirror. In small Texas towns, they are a constant looming presence built for the centuries that symbolize aspirations and continuity. Since obsolescence in the 1980s, they now appear to be an elegy to a way of life. © GERALD MOORHEAD FAIA © GERALD MOORHEAD FAIA H . W I L S O N & C O M PA N Y POTTERY, Seguin (1869): Hiram Wilson did the remarkable. Along with several other freedmen brought to Texas as enslaved Africans, they formed Texas' first Black-owned business in 1869 in Seguin, using the former slaveholders' surname and beginning production on land he granted them. They forged a new style of pottery and began signing their work. The craftsmen also marked their wares with the company name. This was more than advertising; it was a symbol to the community of what was achievable. Examples of the vessels are represented in private collections and museums, including the MFAH's Bayou Bend Collection. H E M I S FA I R , S a n A n t o n i o (1968): This 1968 World's Fair commemorated the 250th anniversary of San Antonio and celebrated the Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas. Today its grounds survive, showcasing numerous buildings and structures dating back to the Spanish Colonial era through the mid-20th century, many of which have been designated as State Archeological Landmarks. Its pinnacle is the 750-feet-tall Tower of the Americas, designed by Ford, Powell & Carson, with a revolving restaurant and observation deck. The entire HemisFair '68 site is now undergoing a major transformation into three civic parks. HERMANN PARK, Houston (1914, ongoing master plan): Today's beloved 445-acre green space — used by 6 million people annually — began as a response to the City Beautiful Movement more than a century ago. St. Louis landscape architect George Kessler prepared the original plan; a public golf course (the first in America to welcome all races) and zoo opened in 1922 and 1924, respectively. Private citizens formed Hermann Park Conservancy (then called Friends of Hermann Park) in 1992, then implemented landscape architect Laurie Olin's $121 million, 20-year master plan in time to open the McGovern Centennial Gardens in 2014. Next up is Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates' ambitious updated master plan. WALTER HOPPS (1932-2005): Hopps, the founding director of The Menil Collection, had already changed the American art world when Dominque de Menil brought him to Houston. In his early career in Los Angeles, he organized the first solo Andy Warhol exhibit and mounted the first U.S. museum retrospectives of Duchamp and Cornell and the first exhibition of Pop Art. In Houston, Hopps worked with de Menil to curate landmark exhibitions of artists such as Kienholz, Rauschenberg, Rosenquist, and Warhol. The Menil celebrates Hopps' impressive record in the upcoming "The Curatorial Imagination of Walter Hopps" (March 24 – August 13, 2023). HOTEL SAN JOSÉ, Austin (1936, renovation 1999): In 1995, Liz Lambert acquired a derelict John R. Gossage's Portrait of Walter Hopps, 1969 Gault Aviation Hangar Hermann Park HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION (Continued) 75 TEXAS DESIGN ICONS Frank Gohlke's Grain Elevator/ Dumas, Texas, 1973 THE MENIL COLLECTION, HOUSTON. © JOHN R. GOSSAGE. 48