University of the Incarnate Word Founders Hall

Founder’s Hall will extend the University of the Incarnate Word’s reach, strengthening both local and global connections. As a landmark on campus, it will elevate the University’s ability to form and transform students, while welcoming all members of the community into a beautiful, spiritual space. The hall will honor the legacy of UIW’s founders, celebrate diversity, uphold respect for the sacred ecological surroundings, and inspire new levels of teaching, learning, understanding, and justice.

Founders Hall was originally designed in 1955 by Atlee Ayers, and is in the process of becoming a registered historic building with the help of this renovation.

The project has had a history as an office building for several different companies, but this is the first time in it’s life it’s to be envisioned as an academic institution.

The Texas Historic Commission (THC) has set parameters for the building’s design such that it honors the International Style in which it was built.

The design ideology for this building is to maintain the integrity of the international style from the building’s original design, while also inserting warmth, modern programmatic function, and the culture of UIW and their Center for the Americas program.

The design maintains a finished ceiling and clean lines from its original design, but uses materials like bronze, terrazzo, Talavera tile, and wood accents to bring in warmth and the cultural identity of San Antonio, UIW, and the Americas.

Construction Process