William Ward Watkin (January 21, 1886 – June 24, 1952) was an
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
primarily practicing in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. He was the founder of the Architecture Department of
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
in 1912, and remained on the Rice faculty until his death. Concurrently, he also designed a number of important projects, mostly in the Houston area.
Watkin was born in
Boston, Massachusetts on January 21, 1886, and grew up in
Danville, Pennsylvania
Danville is a borough in and the county seat of Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The population was 4,221 at the census.
Danville is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolitan area.
...
, where he graduated from high school in 1903. After graduating from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
in 1908, he spent a year in Europe and then moved to
Boston, Massachusetts to join the architecture firm of
Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and Church (building), ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival style. Cram and ...
. Watkin was then sent to
Houston, TX
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
to work on plans for
Rice Institute
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its work ...
(now named Rice University) and was the firm's representative supervisor there.
Edgar Odell Lovett
Edgar Odell Lovett (April 14, 1871 – August 13, 1957) was an American educator and education administrator.
He was the first president of Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston, Texas. Lovett was recommended to the post by Woodr ...
, the President of Rice Institute, offered Watkin a faculty position in architectural engineering when the Institute opened in 1912. He later became the head of the architecture department, a position he held until his death.
[Handbook of Texas Online - William Ward Watkin](_blank)
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In addition to his duties at Rice, Watkin designed a large number of structures, many of which are architecturally significant. He died and was interred at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston .
Early life
William Ward Watkin's parents were Fred Ward and Mary Mathilda (née Hancock) Watkin. The family moved to Danville, Pennsylvania
Danville is a borough in and the county seat of Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The population was 4,221 at the census.
Danville is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolitan area.
...
, where young William graduated from Danville High School in 1903. He entered the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied architecture with Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret (October 23, 1876 – September 8, 1945) was a French-born Philadelphia architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he taught at a design studio in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylv ...
and earned a B.S. degree in architecture in 1908. In 1909, he joined the Boston architectural firm of Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson. In 1910, the firm sent him to Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
to supervise construction of the newly created Rice Institute (now Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
).
Watkin married Annie Ray Townsend in 1914. They had three children, two daughters and a son: Annie Ray Watkin (1914-2011), Rosemary Watkin (1917-1984) and William Ward Watkin, Jr. (1919-2001). His first wife died in 1928. His second wife was Josephine Cockerel, who died in 1987.["William Ward Watkin." Find a grave.](_blank)
Accessed February 19, 2016.
Career
Watkin's first major assignment was to oversee construction of a new school in Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
named the William Marsh Rice Institute. Watkin had helped prepare the original masterplan drawings following intense correspondence between Cram
Cram may refer to:
* Cram (surname), a surname, and list of notable persons having the surname
* Cram.com, a website for creating and sharing flashcards
* Cram (Australian game show), a television show
* ''Cram'' (game show), a TV game show that ...
, Goodhue, and President Lovett. The initial complement of structures included the Administration Building (now named Lovett Hall), a power plant and Mechanical Laboratory, and one dormitory with a dining hall, located on two miles southwest of downtown on an unpaved Main Street. The cornerstone of the Administration Building was laid in 1911.
Academic career
After the school opened in 1912, Watkin was hired by Dr. Edgar Odell Lovett, the president of Rice, to become an instructor in architectural engineering. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1915 and full professor in 1922. In this capacity, he would continue to work on newer buildings for the campus and nearby, such as:
* Autry House (1920), the unofficial student center across Main Street
* Rice Fieldhouse (1920)
* Harry Crothers Wiess House (1920), later purchased by Rice and used as the President's House.
* Chemistry Building (1925), later renamed Keck Hall
* Robert and Agnes Cohen House (1927), which houses the faculty club.
In 1927, he became a full professor and maintained that rank until his death in 1952.
Watkins established a traveling architectural fellowship in 1928, which enabled one student per year to travel abroad while studying architecture. The fellowship was renamed for its founder in 1953 and is now the William Ward Watkin Traveling Fellowship.
Commercial practice
Watkin also conducted a commercial architectural practice in parallel with his academic position. This enabled him to participate in creating a number of notable projects. Most were built in the Houston area, but a few were outside the area. For example, he designed the campus of Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
and its administration building in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...
.
Other significant projects
* Miller Outdoor Theater - The original structure was designed by Watkin in 1922, located in Houston's Hermann Park;
* Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States.
History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library
The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 18 ...
- Watkins designed the former main building, which opened in downtown Houston in 1926, and was later renamed the Julia Ideson Building. This building is still in use by the public.
* Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...
- The original MFAH structure was designed by Watkin in the early 1920s and opened to the public in 1924. Other architects have expanded the building, which has been renamed as the Caroline Wiess Law Building.
* Ritz Theater, Houston - The only theater designed by William Ward Watkin and important as Houston’s only surviving example of a historic movie palace. Built in 1926 in the neoclassical architectural style. Part of the Main Street/Market Square Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Saved from demolition in 1990 thru adaptive reuse as a private special events facility it is renamed The Majestic Metro.
External links
Guide to the William Ward Watkin papers, 1903-1956
Woodson Research Center, Rice University
William Ward Watkin architectural records, 1903-1956
Rice Digital Scholarship Archive
Guide to the Watkin family papers, 1899-1999
Woodson Research Center, Rice University
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkin, William
1886 births
1952 deaths
20th-century American architects
Architecture educators
University of Pennsylvania alumni
Rice University faculty
People from Boston
People from Danville, Pennsylvania
People from Houston
Architects from Houston