Mexi-Global Architect Ricardo Legorreta Dies; Brought Big Red Buildings to Texas

by Bill Davenport January 12, 2012

Mexi-global Architect Ricado Legorreta, who combined vernacular Mexican colors and textures with the severe geometries of high modernism, has died at age 80. Known best in Texas as the designer of San Antonio’s “big red library” in 1995, Legorreta’s projects broke like a ray of provocative postmodern, sunshine across this border state: in 2006 his pointy, bright pink addition to Philip Johnson’s severe, monochrome Art Museum of South Texas was a stark example of the new, more inclusive order. Texas loved Legorreta: any big, blocky, colorful building is likely to be one of his projects: important works across Texas include the 1988 Solana Complex in Westlake, outside of Dallas, the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas (2003), and the 2009 Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.

AMST 2006: Legorreta pyramids (left), Johnson mini-Gugg (right)

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