News Left Waterhouse’s
El Paso Public Library, of 1954, widely regarded as one of the city’s most beautiful buildings. Below The Lakehomer House, of 1957, an outstanding example of the modernist houses built in El Paso during the two decades following World War II.
Calendar The Kimbell at 40: An Evolving Masterpiece Oct 7 Thru Dec 30 www.kimbellart.org This exhibition celebrates the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, on October 4, 1972. It looks back to the Museum’s genesis and showcases the
Charles Ewing Waterhouse, Jr., Architect and Renaissance Man for the Borderland by William Palmore
On October 26, a symposium in El Paso will explore the life and career of architect and artist Charles Ewing Waterhouse, Jr. The occasion, scheduled as part of Tom Lea Month, marks the first time a consideration of modern architecture in El Paso is included in the scholarly festivities. Over his lengthy career, Waterhouse worked for architects William Wuerhmann and Otto Thorman, as well as for the architectural partnership of Edward Carroll and Louis Daueble — the designers who, along with Henry Trost,
Waterhouse excelled at composing building form, a proclivity owing, very probably, to his earlier interests in period architecture.
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architectural achievements, pivotal acquisitions, important exhibitions, and historic events that have made it into the world-renowned institution it is today.
influence 73rd annual convention and design expo
Texas Architects 73rd Annual Convention and Design Expo Oct 18-20 www.texasarchitects.org/convention The Texas Society of Architects hosts its 73rd Annual Convention and Design Expo in Austin. This year, the convention’s theme is “Influence.” Keynote speakers are Robert Hammond, co-founder and co-executive director of Friends of the High Line – a public park built above an abandoned, elevated rail line in New York — and Roman Mars, award-winning host and radio producer of 99% Invisible. Symposium: ‘Charles Ewing Waterhouse, Jr.’ at UT El Paso Oct 26
William Palmore is an Associate Professor at New York
wplamore@nyit.edu
Institute of Technology where he teaches first year
Multiple presenters,
design, drawing, and history.
including former El Paso architect William Palmore, will conduct a session from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at UTEP’s Rubin Center to explore the life and career of architect and artist Charles Ewing Waterhouse, Jr., (above) as part of Tom Lea Month (www.tomlea.net). Free and open to the public.
Waterhouse photos courtEsy C.E. Waterhouse, Jr. Papers, MS458, Special Collections Dept., UTEP
defined the architecture of El Paso in the 20th century. At Carroll and Daueble, where he spent 35 years prior to retirement in 1980, he made important contributions to their best designs, most memorably to the El Paso Public Library of 1954, which is regarded by many as the city’s most beautiful building. At the library, Waterhouse incorporated ornamental motifs, including abstract hieroglyphs recessed in the concrete soffit of the entry porch, that reflected his appreciation of regional Native American art. Waterhouse produced a sizable number of buildings independently, most of them houses. His approach evolved over the decades: his first works were designed in a Spanish Colonial idiom, while those of his mid-career are distinctly modern in style, attaining a high level of design quality equal to that of his El Paso contemporaries, Robert Garland and David Hilles.
All three were good at organizing a house with respect for the sun and geography, an architect’s obligation if modern design is to be made viable in a distinctive and difficult climate. Beyond planning, Waterhouse excelled at composing building form, a proclivity owing, very probably, to his earlier interests in period architecture. Waterhouse was born in El Paso in 1905 and was a lifelong friend of the celebrated artist Tom Lea, sharing with him the talent for working in varying art forms. In addition to architecture, Waterhouse was an accomplished musician, photographer, and pioneering regional preservationist. He died in 2000. The symposium will include a survey of Waterhouse’s broader artistic accomplishments presented by Claudia Rivers and Laura Hollingsed of the UTEP Library Special Collections, home to the Waterhouse archive. The well-known painter Russell Waterhouse will reflect on how his father’s creativity and working methods influenced his own art. The author will focus on Waterhouse’s architecture and present supporting photographs, drawings, and models — including one of the Lakehomer House — that are components of his ongoing study of 20th century architecture in El Paso. See “Calendar” for further details.