TA23-S O-Pages - Flipbook - Page 28
Review
of the times. His early works explored “prairie”and “craftsman”-style residences in an attempt to
diverge from the trends of Victorian and Colonial
Revival architecture. The residences evolved into
the “country house” typology, which borrowed
elements from the villas of Italy and the Mediterranean, reduced ornamentation, and reoriented
the house. His peers described his work as very
responsive to the needs of his patrons.
Most of Briscoe’s surviving work is located in
River Oaks, which was developed by the famous
Hogg family of Texas. Briscoe was already a
prominent architect by the time the development began in the late 1920s and had previously
completed work for the Hogg family. He designed
homes for many patrons in the new development, and today the neighborhood boasts over
30 existing houses by Briscoe. Three have been
designated as City of Houston Landmarks, and
one — The Clayton House — is on the National
Register of Historic Places. The book focuses on
the ideas of style, taste, and fashion as they relate
to Briscoe’s ability to create social capital and
Sun room, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest W. Clemens
House, Olmos Park, 1949.
26 Texas Architect
9/10 2023
craft a new image for Houston and its upper-class
citizens. The book leans toward the notion that
through his work, Briscoe was able to de-emphasize the traditional residential architectural trends
of the time and establish a new identity for the
city’s prominent citizens.
More a treatise on Houston’s early development than an architectural monograph, the book
is a dense read and contains more text than do
typical architectural co昀昀ee table books. The photos
by Paul Hester showcase Briscoe’s work in glorious
fashion, and the historical images included provide
insight into the societal ideologies and social conditions during Briscoe’s career. However, there are
few drawings within the more than 350 pages of
the book, and at times, it is di昀케cult to fully comprehend the design achievements of the architect,
as plan layouts are described in words without
graphic references. While there may be various
reasons for this omission, some additional images,
even if reproductions, could aid in comprehension
and clari昀椀cation of the residential designs. The
lack of architectural graphics does not detract
from the book’s quality, but it does skew the publication more in the direction of a historical piece
than an architectural monograph.
Briscoe certainly worked within a very exclusive network of prominent early Texans, and the
people, relationships, places, and businesses discussed were all fundamental to the development
of Houston. This book is an excellent source for
readers seeking to learn more about the history
and development of Texas and Houston during
the 昀椀rst 50 years of the 20th century as well as
those interested in learning about Briscoe’s life
and work. Fox has captured the architecture and
its motivations while remaining apolitical in his
delivery of the politics, exclusions, and social
constructs of this elite community. The signi昀椀cance of this decision is ultimately left for the
reader to determine.
Andrew Hawkins, AIA, is principal of Hawkins
Architecture in College Station and an assistant
professor of practice in the architecture department
at Texas A&M University.