Our chapter history

Midtexmod is an all-volunteer membership organization committed to raising awareness of historic Modern architecture in Central Texas. We are a regional chapter of the nonprofit Docomomo US, founded in 1995 and itself one of sixty-six national chapters of Docomomo International, founded in the Netherlands in 1988 and the leading advocate for modern design worldwide. midtexmod represents our heritage within this important preservation network, focusing on Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, San Angelo, College Station, Waco, and all places in between.

Our chapter was founded in 2009 after Docomomo US traveled to Austin to inspire the formation of a Central Texas organization distinguishable from Houston Mod, founded in 2003, and Docomomo US/North Texas, founded in 2004. A dedicated group of architects, UT Austin faculty, and UT Austin graduate students rose to the task, for the need was clear - our region’s wealth of modern structures includes the works of O’Neil Ford, Fehr & Granger, Richard S. Colley, A. D. Stenger, Milton A. Ryan, John S. Chase, Marmon Mok, Barton D. Riley, and Harwell Hamilton Harris, to name just a handful. These architects were often born here, educated here, or taught here, and many were based in Central Texas during the significant decades of their careers. Their contributions, along with the works of nationally-prominent masters including Edward Durell Stone, Gordon Bunshaft, and Philip Johnson, constitute a unique design legacy that is all our own and one which Mid Tex Mod set out to preserve.

This is a pivotal time for the Modern Movement in Central Texas. Despite a growing acceptance of this architectural era’s historic worth, development pressures continue to threaten its preservation. The heartbreaking losses of Corpus Christi’s Memorial Coliseum in 2010 and San Antonio’s Univision Building in 2013, coupled with proliferating teardowns throughout our cities’ mid-century residential neighborhoods, illustrate the pressing need for a cohesive voice in support of our modern heritage. Our current board, comprised of preservation professionals, architects, and design enthusiasts, strives to provide that voice supported by our dedicated members. We continue to look for ways to better represent communities throughout Central Texas, and look forward to another five years of advocating for the recent past.