The Regional-Urban Design Assistance Team from the American Institute of Architects took San Angelo by storm when they came to town in February of 1992.
This team of architects, designers and urban planners came to study the history of our city and develop a blueprint for a new future in downtown.
Lee Pfluger, who chaired the local steering committee was quoted as saying “Their report cannot possibly contain all of the answers to the challenges facing our community. It does however present us with some exciting alternatives.
“There will almost certainly be concepts which will stir debate and hopefully, an ongoing dialogue. That is its true purpose.”
A plan would be developed after looking at dozens of issues in the downtown area — from parking problems to the preservation of historic buildings — and the group would emphasize the Historic City Center, suggesting specific goals with an ambitious timetable.
According to past interviews, Pfluger said the local R/UDAT effort dated back to 1986, as a spinoff idea inspired by the “Visions and Choices” exhibit at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
After a member of the A.I.A. came to town to speak about the program, a steering committee called “The Fuentes Group” formed meeting at Fuentes Cafe Downtown, and they got the study underway.
By 1989 they had drafted a proposal.
In May, 1991, AIA architect Joe Champeaux, of Lake Charles, La., was assigned to evaluate San Angelo, bringing him to town for a few days to get a sense of the place.
A 4-day window was set for February of 1992, and by January, a call had gone out from organizers asking to borrow tables and chairs, and other offices supplies for the team who were expected to begin work on Feb. 7, with the aim of handing over a fully-developed plan by Feb. 10, with photographs, sketches and full descriptions, and a “plan for planning,” offered as a gift to the people of San Angelo. Free of charge.
Organizers raised funds to help cover the cost of hotels, meals and other incidentals.
Frank Gray, an urban planning specialist from Lakewood Colo. was named chief of the team by American Institute of Architects, which sponsored R/UDAT projects throughout the United States.
He was accompanied by:
- Joe Champeaux, architect from Lake Charles, La.
- Jay Derr, land-use attorney from Seattle Wash.
- Elizabeth Padjen, historic preservationist from Topsfield, Mass.
- Charles Lutz, community development specialist from Minneapolis, Minn.
- Dick Farley, graphic artist from Denver, Colo.
- F. Ross Tilghman, transportation planner from Galesburg, Ill.
- Jerry Bailey, land-use planner from Minnetonka, Minn.
That team was aided by eight architectural students from Texas Tech University
Designs by the team would be based on comments gathered from San Angelo residents, chiefly at a community-wide meeting held the morning of Feb. 8 in the Fort Concho Commissary.
During a press conference ahead of that meeting, Gray told reporters that San Angelo has “a real treasure chest” of assets the R/UDAT team was hoping to capitalize on, providing locals were forthcoming with ideas.
“What we are going to do is take a look at the Historic City Center — from Fort Concho across the river, past the (Shannon) hospital, and all the way down to the Houston Harte Expressway, and work out how that area can function and operate better.”
Gray listed among the crown jewels of downtown, the Cactus Hotel, Texas Theater and Neff’s Amusement Park, and told listeners that “people would kill” to have something like Neff’s in the middle of their downtown area.
“It is spectacular, yet you don’t understand what a rich ruby it is.”
Gray elaborated a little on what San Angelo could expect from the process.
“We will, to the degree that the team can, get very specific about what steps need to be taken, what dollars are needed, and who needs to be in charge,” he said, adding that success hinged on whether locals were willing to come forward with ideas.
“If they’re not involved, nothing will happen. And the degree to which every individual becomes involved, that is the degree to which things will happen out of this program.
“Everybody who has any kind of idea for the Historic City Center or how other things relate to the City Center.”
“San Angelo has “some absolutely wonderful assets … there are cities around the country that would kill to have what you have. You just have to learn to use them,” he said.
The plan called for the team to work virtually non-stop over the course of four days and then present their final plan during a public meeting hosted by the San Angelo City Council.
The project was fluid with regard to sources of funding.
“In the 23 years that I have been doing urban planning, I have never found a good idea that hasn’t been funded,” Gray said.
“Funding is never the issue. The value of the idea is the issue,” he said.
During the public meeting at Fort Concho, more than 400 people dropped in for a while, as the 150 chairs in the room were occupied again and again, and a gallery of standing-room-only watchers at the back of the room stayed full as well.
Of the people who came to speak; many were in support of the arts, and others brought ideas about combining residential-commercial use of downtown buildings, and making sure there was plenty of public access to the river corridor and Fort Concho, with several requests for specialized museums. Parking was a big issue.
The R/UDAT team then went back to the office on South Chadbourne Street, where they got to work finding out how many useful projects they could sketch out in the allotted time.
At the City Counci’s town hall meeting the team’s report summarized local history and synthesized the public’s comment with urban planning.
Follow this link to see the whole report.
By 1995, several of the major building blocks proposed by R/UDAT were being completed.
It Really Tied Both Sides of the River Together
The Celebration Bridge served to tie together elements from the north side of the Concho River to the south side, bringing access to the RiverStage, and the Paseo de Santa Angela, where people could gather at either of the two pavilions, and the Farmers Market across from fort would be ready by the following spring.
Fort Concho, declared a National Historic Landmark on July 4, 1961, was emphasized especially, and benefitted greatly from the overall boost in support the project brought.
30-Years Later: The Impact of R/UDAT
- The Celebration Bridge connects foot traffic between the north and south banks of the Concho River
- The new Tom Green County Library brought opportunities for expansion of book collections and library services
- The Santa Fe Depot was restored and became the Railway Museum of San Angelo
- Twin pavilions at the Paseo serve as the backdrop to countless civic and family celebrations
- Enrique’s Restaurant & Cantina, the first private enterprise developed in association with the project continues to serve fine food
- Work on Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, including clearing the parade ground and turning Barracks 1 into a new Visitors Center has enhanced tours for tens of thousands
- The Senior Center was transformed from a humble freight depot into an important gathering place
- The Old Town project to preserve historic buildings has been realized
- The landscaping leading from Avenue A to the RiverStage was completed in 1995, along with the Farmers Market pavilion.
- A new San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts was completed in 1999 and serves as a major cultural center of West Texas.
History of the R/UDAT Program
According to information from the American Institute of Architects, Since 1967, R/UDAT (pronounced ROO–dat) program, a results-driven community design program based on the principles of interdisciplinary solutions, objectivity, and public participation.
The program combines local resources with the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized professionals who volunteer their time to identify ways to encourage desirable change in a community. The team visits the community for four intense, productive days, and team members return within the year to advise on implementation strategies. The process is fast-paced, exciting, and energizing.
This approach—which can address social, economic, political, and physical issues—offers communities a tool that mobilizes local support and fosters new levels of cooperation.
The R/UDAT program has used this grassroots approach across the nation to help create communities that are healthy, safe and livable, as well as more sustainable.
The R/UDAT program is offered to communities as a public service of the AIA, a national association of approximately 73,000 architects and related professionals.
A task group, composed of volunteer AIA members and others with extensive R/UDAT experience, administers the program with assistance from professional staff. More than 500 professionals representing more than 30 disciplines have donated more than $3.5 million in services as members of R/UDAT teams.
To learn more about R/UDAT, follow this link.
