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William A. Vinson Branch Library

3100 West Fuqua Road
  • Architect
  • Year Built
    1969
  • Building Type
    Institutional
  • Neighborhood
    Central Southwest
  • Quadrant
    SW
  • Status
    Endangered

Clovis Heimsath entrusted the design of this small and remote public library branch building to his associate, W. Irving Phillips, Jr., a recent (1964) graduate of Cornell University`s Master of Architecture program where he studied under the well-known architectural historian Colin Rowe. The result was introverted and enigmatic: a 9,000 square foot top lit brick cube, its perfect geometry deformed to accommodate programmatic requirements. Today the Vinson Branch is in a distressing state of disrepair.

The Houston Public Library has now replaced it with a “Multi-Service Center” approximately four times as large about 1/4 mile away. The future of the existing structure is uncertain.