Ezekiel W. Cullen Building

Significance

The Ezekiel W. Cullen Building is the administrative heart of the University of Houston and an icon of its campus. Announced in 1945, it was part of a major postwar expansion; ground was broken on May 14, 1948, the cornerstone was laid on March 16, 1949, and it was dedicated in October 1950. Its main donor, oilman and university board chairman Hugh Roy Cullen, named it for his grandfather Ezekiel Wimberly Cullen, a congressman of the Republic of Texas. Designed by Alfred C. Finn in a late Art Deco style, it has long wings with regularly spaced pilasters that suggest a classical screen of columns and a central entrance tower. The east portion contains the Cullen Performance Hall, and the west portion holds the office of the university president and other administrative offices.

Climate risks tracked

The University of Houston campus lies near Brays Bayou, and parts of the campus flooded during Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Harvey. For the E. Cullen Building, protecting the performance hall's lower levels and the building's mechanical and electrical systems with raised equipment and backflow prevention is a priority. The smooth limestone facade and pilastered wings define the building. Keeping stone joints sealed limits water entry during wind driven rain, and long, low buildings on Houston clay are prone to differential settlement in droughts, so monitoring cracks along the wings is important. Efficient cooling in the large performance hall helps campus events continue through intense summer heat.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1939 · Streamline Moderne

  Eldorado Ballroom

• 1930 · Shotgun house vernacular

  Project Row Houses

• 1926 · Georgian Revival

  Houston Negro Hospital (Riverside General)

• 1872 · Historic urban park

  Emancipation Park