The Special Collections and Archives department is happy to announce the addition of a remarkable set of historic documents to the Center for Restoration Studies archives. Architect V. Aubrey Hallum of Fort Worth, Texas, who for fifty years designed buildings for Churches of Christ as part of his architectural practice, recently donated a large collection of his church architectural drawings. The collection is now processed and ready for researchers.
“His set of architectural drawings and plans is unparalleled in our collection,” commented Mac Ice, Director of Special Collections and Archives. “I’m hopeful that publicity of this collection will raise awareness of the value of documenting the physical spaces in which congregations gather, worship and serve.”
The collection includes plans for twenty-two different Churches of Christ in Texas, for two Church of Christ-related nonprofits in Texas and Oklahoma, and six other churches including the chapel at Lackland AFB in San Antonio. The drawings range from pencil sketches of initial concepts to strategic plans, design plans, and construction drawings. One entire set of contract administration files for Eastside Church of Christ in Austin, Texas, is provided as an illustration of what goes into the work of the architect and client in the construction process.
Besides drawings, the collection contains documents where Hallum expresses the connection between his architectural designs and his understanding of the Churches of Christ. He paid particular attention to acoustic design, the use of resonant surfaces like wood, the placement of the communion table and baptistry, and the lines of sight between the pulpit and the pews.
Hallum’s design for the building for Waterview Church of Christ in Richardson, Texas was one of his earliest Churches of Christ. Documents in the collection provide evidence of how Hallum collaborated with Waterview’s preaching minister Robert Oglesby, Sr., and with the congregation’s leadership. Drawings of Waterview in the collection span five decades.
Special Collections librarian Dr. Carisse Mickey Berryhill, who remembered Hallum from her home congregation in Dallas and from a summer job in his office, initially contacted the architect. After visiting the library archives, Hallum agreed to donate his drawings. Director Mac Ice made the trip to Ft. Worth to retrieve them.
The finding aid for the collection and a sample of digitized drawings and documents are available at https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/v_aubrey_hallum_papers/.