Resources

HISTORIC PRESERVATION RESOURCES

ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION LAB

The Architectural Conservation Lab, located in the remodeled third floor of the West Mall Building, is the home of the Materials Conservation Laboratory Methods and Field Methods classes and provides a space for faculty and students to work on their own projects.

MATERIALS LAB

The Materials Lab collection is one of the largest and most comprehensive material collections of its kind at any college or university in the country, if not the world. Currently, the Materials Lab has a growing collection, currently standing at 29,000+ material samples and corresponding product literature.  The collection consists of traditional building construction materials; however, it strives to be reflective of the current building and design market and has a particular focus on smart, innovative, emerging, and sustainable design materials and technologies.

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING LIBRARY

The Architecture and Planning Library, housed in the historic Battle Hall, is among the foremost centers for the study of architectural history in the nation. Students may draw on the library's extensive holdings and special collections, which contain over 82,000 volumes and 210 current periodical subscriptions. The library's holdings are particularly strong in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century European and American architecture and design.

ALEXANDER ARCHITECTURAL ARCHIVES

The Alexander Architectural Archives maintains more than 190,000 architectural drawings and 35,000 photographs, and 875 linear feet of documents from the United States, Europe, and Meso-America. The archive houses 90 individual collections from all over the world. Important holdings include the Charles Moore Archive, the Harwell Hamilton Harris Archive, Marshall-Fox Collection, and the Smith and Brewer Collection.

HARRY RANSOM CENTER

The Harry Ransom Center is among the world's premiere repositories of material relating to the humanities. The Center's collections contain some 30 million leaves of manuscripts, over one million rare books, five million photographs, and 100,000 works of art. In addition to theater arts and film, the HRC has important holdings of rare works on architecture, including Italian Renaissance treatises and other early printed books. The HRC's collections also include the Norman Bel Geddes Archive, as well as an extensive array of journals on building and design.

BENSON LATIN AMERICAN COLLECTION

The Benson Latin American Collection is among the world's preeminent repositories for books and other materials related to the history of Latin America and the Spanish-speaking regions of the United States. The library houses over 800,000 books, periodicals, and pamphlets, 2,500 linear feet of manuscripts, 19,000 maps, 21,000 microforms, 11,500 broadsides, 93,500 photographs, and 38,000 items in a variety of other media (sound recordings, drawings, video tapes, and cassettes, slides, transparencies, posters, memorabilia, and electronic media).

FINE ARTS LIBRARY

The Fine Arts Library collection includes approximately 300,000 books and musical scores, and 900 current serial subscriptions. Among the library's rich holdings are many works related to architecture and design.

BRISCOE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HISTORY

The Briscoe Center for American History on the University of Texas campus is one of the nation's major repositories for books, manuscripts, photographs, and other material related to the history of the United States. The Center's strengths are the history of Texas, the South, the Southwest, and the Rocky Mountain West. Holdings related to the history of architecture include photographs, books, manuscripts, maps, and drawings.

CENTER FOR AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

The Center for American Architecture and Design, operating within the School of Architecture, provides a lively forum for discussions and research. In addition to hosting seminars and conferences, the Center holds the popular bi-weekly CAAD Forum discussion sessions and publishes the journal Center, devoted to timely issues in architecture and design.

TECHNOLOGY LAB

The School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin hosts a technology lab and computer classrooms for the dedicated use of its students. Services available include printing, plotting, 3D printing, and scanning. Equipment such as laptops, LCD projectors, and digital cameras are available for checkout. The staff provides assistance with software and hardware troubleshooting.

CHARLES MOORE FOUNDATION

The Charles Moore Foundation is based in the Moore/Andersson Compound, a set of buildings of international significance, and recently recognized as an official project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Save America's Treasures Program. The Moore House is the last in a series of eight that he designed for himself, and it is the only one that survives intact with his library, folk art, and toy collection. The Foundation also houses the 4,000-volume Moore Architectural Library and the 2,500-volume Colin Rowe Library. The Charles Moore Foundation organizes symposia and field conferences as the central programs of its annual calendar. Unlike many conferences, the Moore Center Symposia are intended to be intimate in scale (typically no more than 40 participants attend). Recent speakers include Malcolm Holzman, Michael Rotondi, Peter Smithson, and Glenn Murcutt.

PRESERVATION@UTLISTS LISTSERV

This listserv is hosted by the Historic Preservation Program and is open to students, faculty, alumni, and professionals in the preservation and related fields. Posts include timely event announcements, employment/internship opportunities, and discussion of various preservation issues. Visit the FAQ page for instructions on how to join.