Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > April > 19 > Entry
AIA Awards at Browning Hangar
Who knew an empty, wood-beamed hangar, open at both ends, could be so inspiring?
Tamara Toon, Michael Waddell
The 1940s-era Browning Hangar at the Mueller Development, formerly the city’s airport, soars like some modernist monument. It was meant for purely utilitarian purposes — parking and fixing airplanes — and now awaits its next role.
Kristina Schlegel, Habib Irshad
Austin’s architects were taken with it, since the AIA-Austin Awards were staged, partly under the Browning’s noble curve, partly in a nearby tent.
Jordan Kasper, Samara Spence
The hangar was one of only a few structures — including the scooped air traffic tower and the Austin Studios hangar — salvaged by arts and architecture lovers at the old airport.
Natalie Navar, Julie Seay
Guests, especially the women, dressed in vintage wear dating back at least to the 1930s. One elegant attendee even put a Marcel wave in her hair! A few vintage cars were polished to perfection. Nothing like the raging hordes of oldie autos on South Congress Avenue the same evening, but sweet for posing.
Camille Jobe, Alan Cano
Ran into Mayor Will Wynn, who helped save the airport structures, while pushing central-city development during his tenure. All appropriate for someone who studied architecture in school. Fritz Steiner, dean of the UT School of Architecture, was glowing. After all, the Browning is now as much a object of landscape design, his specialty.
Patrick Winn, Michele Winn, James Haynes
I couldn’t stay for the actual awards — in fact, my entire evening was severely truncated by traffic and parking issues — but on the way out, I heard a tribute to my absolutely favorite Austin designer, Emily Little.
Shannon Carabetta, Keven Gedko
As you know, Little was named a “Fellow” of AIA nationally, a high honor in the profession, something like becoming a platinum member. It goes along with Little’s other honors, including being inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.
For more discussion of the AIA winners, see the Arts Blog.
Comments
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By Holly Jackson
May 19, 2009 1:41 AM | Link to this
Can you email me the pix of the cigarette girls Natalie Navar and Julie Seay, so I can use in in my Picayune column? It really captures the event! Thanks! H
By Michael Barnes
April 21, 2009 9:10 AM | Link to this
And hey, somebody could have told me I misspelled Fritz Steiner's name. Could have avoided the mistake in the print column today. Sorry, Fritz.
By Michael Barnes
April 20, 2009 4:07 PM | Link to this
Oh Steve, our publication announces the AIA-Austin winners every year. I'm the social columnist these days, so I report on the social aspect of events. Does that make sense?
By steve p
April 20, 2009 3:48 PM | Link to this
sure, who cares about the design winners, we never report those, god forbid, there were actually many great designers awarded. It'd be good to see some good architecture instead of the people drinking.
By Dusty
April 20, 2009 10:36 AM | Link to this
Michael,
Thank you for posting about this event. I happen to live at Mueller, and I was happy to learn the the Architects enjoyed themselves.
It's great that the architectural community, particularly the young archs, got to experience Mueller while drinking alcohol and feeling creative. Maybe it got their minds around the idea that they could design some of the future housing ideas being discussed here at Mueller, or, perhaps, the next Mueller elsewhere in the city. Austin's going to need about 10 Muellers in the next 50 years.
Get'em drinking, then get'em thinking.
By Mary Baird-Wilcock of The Simplifiers Event Planning
April 20, 2009 9:45 AM | Link to this
Thank you for posting about our client's event. The Simplifiers helped plan this event, working together with the AIA Austin Design Award/Awards Gala Committee. As the clouds parted and clear skies emerged, we were thankful to produce an incredible evening under the stars at the Mueller Browning hangar. For more information about The Simplifiers, please visit www.thesimplifiers.com or call 512-695-7744.