State of the Art Facilities

The process involving the planning, underwriting, and development of the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center has spanned nearly ten years. The following is a brief account of the journey from our initial facilities study through the construction and occupation of this magnificent facility.

Baylor Law School began a study of its facility needs in mid-1992. A Dallas-based architectural firm was retained at that time to assess the facilities options available to the Law School. The firm explored several options, including significant renovation and expansion of the existing facility, Morrison Constitution Hall; adaptation of other existing buildings to Law School use; total replacement of Morrison Hall at the present location; and ground up construction of a new law center at a different site.

The latter option was selected because: 1. the former options were ineffective to address the program needs of the Law School; 2. substantial renovation and/or expansion carried a relatively high cost, as well as many design constraints, compared to the cost of new construction and the design freedom it offered; and 3. Morrison Constitution Hall would be usable for other University purposes. Most importantly, however, it was decided that only a new, ground-up facility would make the necessary statement about the excellence of our program. Throughout the process, we have aimed for a home that truly reflects and makes a powerful statement about the quality of our program.

Several potential sites for new construction, on or within reasonable proximity of the campus, were investigated in 1993-94. The Brazos River site was eventually selected because of the beauty of its setting and high amenability to development. The site is a four and one-half acre tract adjacent to the Fort Fisher recreational area. A comprehensive geophysical study, which included consideration of the character of the soil and subsurface, as well as the need to build out of the flood plain, confirmed the very high suitability of the Brazos River Site for development.

The architects determined the site to be an exceptional, prime site for development. The site provides superior views of the Brazos River as far as the LaSalle Street bridge as the river curves gently to the northeast. Two Department of Environmental Studies buildings were located on the site and were razed during construction.

In selecting a project architect, we gathered information from a number of sources concerning leading architectural firms with high-profile, national reputations. We solicited requests for proposals from an array of firms that met our criteria for reputation and experience. The responding firms indicating interest were further researched, including our visiting over a dozen projects representing the work of certain firms. We eventually selected five firms from around the nation to invite for campus interviews. We requested each of these firms to prepare a detailed presentation based upon information about our program and our needs. Representatives of three of the firms visited the Law School prior to their formal interview to obtain additional background information.

The interview process led to the selection of a very high profile architectural firm -- SmithGroup of Washington, DC-- as the project architect. SmithGroup has worked in both the private and public sectors across the nation and internationally. In 1994, SmithGroup completed a new law school facility at the Catholic University of America. SmithGroup also has been the architect for both the recently constructed new facility at the University of Indiana School of Law and for the recent substantial renovation of Vanderbilt Law School. The firm had an avowed objective of making the law center a regional "signature statement" of the beauty and quality of the firm's work. Waco Construction, Inc., the general contractor for the project, was selected to work in a design-build relationship with SmithGroup.

In early 1995, SmithGroup developed programming specifications for the project, relying upon input from law faculty, students, administrators, and alumni. During the balance of 1995 through early 1996, SmithGroup completed the preliminary schematic design and exterior design of the facility. After a hiatus to allow for continued gift development, design development (the "implementation" phase of design) went forward during 1998-99. At every stage in the design work, the preeminent goal has been to put the teaching function first, while also assuring that the new home for our program have the highest functionality in all program areas. Our faculty and students, and entire law school community, including our alumni/ae and friends, have been uniform in their accolades given to the law center as a first-rate blend of design, beauty, function, and setting.