TA23-S O-Pages - Flipbook - Page 27
Review
Texas Roots, Houston’s
Growth
The Architecture of Birdsall P. Briscoe
Stephen Fox
Texas A&M University Press, 2022
by Andrew Hawkins, AIA
“The Architecture of Birdsall P. Briscoe” is the
second book by author Stephen Fox to be published in the “Sara and John Lindsey Series in the
Arts and Humanities” by Texas A&M University Press. His 昀椀rst book in this series was “The
County Houses of John T. Staub,” which details
the life of another Houstonian architect of the
same era. Fox is a renowned and often-studied
historian of Texas architecture who takes a speci昀椀c interest in the city of Houston. He teaches
at Rice University and the University of Houston
in their respective schools of architecture, and
it is evident from his topics of interest that his
Houston roots run deep.
The book covers the life and work of Birdsall
P. Briscoe, an architect practicing in Houston
from the turn of the 20th century until the mid1950s. A “Southern gentleman architect,” Briscoe was born into a strong Texas heritage. Many
of his family members were founders of Texas
and part of the early “elite” class within the
newly formed Republic of Texas. And so Briscoe
began his career with societal clout in tow. He
was not formally trained as an architect, although
he had attended both Texas A&M University
and the University of Texas; Briscoe learned his
craft under the apprenticeship model, working
for a few architects in Houston in the late 1800s
and early 1900s. He eventually stepped out on his
own, partnering with other Houstonian architects
during his early career.
Briscoe’s career was 昀椀rst interrupted by
World War I and then su昀昀ered through the
Great Depression. As noted in the book, the
architect used his social standing to work for
some of Houston’s most in昀氀uential residents and
socialites. He designed homes for family friends
and acquaintances, as well as their extended
families, establishing an extensive network of
related clients and projects over time. While
Briscoe also completed commercial, institutional, and civic projects during his lifetime, his
residential work was most prevalent and contributed most to his legacy.
The book frames these homes as “country residences,” a trend among the upper-class citizens
of the era. Many of the houses still exist in areas
like River Oaks, Shadyside, and Riverside Terrace
and are occupied by some of Houston’s more
a昀툀uent residents. Briscoe’s work was elegant and
drew from multiple historical styles, attempting
to create a new sense of society by rejecting some
of the current trends in elitist residential designs
COVER PHOTO COURTESY TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PRESS; PHOTOS BY PAUL HESTER
Entrance hall and stair, Mr. and Mrs. John M.
Johnson House, River Oaks, Houston, 1935.
Mr. and Mrs. Jemison E. Lester House,
Broadacres, Houston, 1927.
9/10 2023
Texas Architect 25