(Members and invited guests)
 PastedGraphic-1.pdf               Speaker: John M. (Jack) McGinty, Rice University Alumnus and Architect, will be our speaker on July 16, 2014.  Topic:"Renovations/Repurposing of Rice University Stadium"  

John M. (Jack) McGinty, FAIA, will present why Rice Stadium, unlike the Astrodome, would be relatively easy and inexpensive to update and repurpose while retaining its iconic architectural status.  Plans for extensively remodeling the stadium are underway, but largely out of the headlines because no public funds are involved.   The needs of the Rice Athletic Department have taken precedence over the importance of the massive overhaul of the stadium and the impact what it will surely have on the quality of life and economic well-being of the surrounding neighborhoods and the City of Houston.

The historic preservation and architectural issues may be even more significant than those at the Dome. Rice Stadium was- and probably still is- the most famous football stadium in America and has received numerous architectural honor Awards.  It was the forum for two decades of Houston’s mega events, including the 1961 JFK Speech announcing the goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade, major rock concerts and the 1972 Super Bowl.

Mr. McGinty will also discuss his vision for expanding the use of the refurbished stadium to make it a vital part of Houston just as it was half a century ago, when the Stadium hosted many of Houston’s landmark events.S

Mr. McGinty is a distinguished alumnus of Rice, a former National President of The American Institute of Architects and the son of one of the original architects of the Stadium.  In addition to personally designing a canopy proposed for the Stadium, he has attended over a hundred games at Rice Stadium, as well as the JFK Speech.