One of the unexpected things I found in that big box last week—in fact, the thing that was right on top—was this lovely drawing by Rice’s first architecture professor, William Ward Watkin, for a “College Inn.”
Quite some time ago I wrote a post about the original snack shop out by Rice, The Owl. At some point George Martin came to own this but after the Episcopal Diocese decided to build Autry House right there as a student center, Martin made plans to open a more formal restaurant further down Main Street, just across from the brand new Rice Fieldhouse. This drawing must have been produced by Watkin for that project. And by chance one of the things that turned up during all the moving around that came with the Tudor Court renovation a few years ago was a very nice Ye Olde College Inn scrapbook. (Thanks, Don Knodel!) One of the things it held was this photograph, taken just after the building was completed in 1920. It looks like Martin built it pretty much just as Watkin drew it.
I do have some images of the interior, but I don’t have them where I happen to be working this afternoon. They are pretty swell so I’ll try to post them later this week.
Bonus: Again, this is the type of thing that brings out the rebel in me.
