April 10, 2019
Jim Parsons
Photo: Jim Parsons

"When I was an architecture student at the Rice in the '80s, I was dismayed when the Shamrock Hilton was torn down," writes Charles Renfro in his call to action, "High Line designer to Houston: Save the former Houston Press building!" published by the Houston Chronicle in October 2018. His article, along with architectural historian Stephen Fox's "Shelor Motor Company Building and the Milam Street Auto Row," increased awareness of what would be lost if Chevron tore down the building at 1621 Milam. Rice Architecture Dean Sarah Whiting also advocated for adaptive reuse. Though these efforts did not save the building, they contributed to a renewed sense of urgency around educating decision makers and a broad public. As Renfro concluded in his article, "There are plenty of examples where merging old and new commercial structures have yielded some of the most innovative architecture of our time."