We are… A San Antonio Story.
For over 90 years we have been creating buildings that inspire and connect people.
We may have changed our name, but we have never changed our passion!
1927: EICKENROHT & COCKE
The firm began as a partnership between Marvin Eickenroht and Bartlett Cocke.
1931: BARTLETT COCKE, ARCHITECTS
The original partnership was dissolved when Bartlett Cocke wished to increase the firm’s staff and project size but Marvin Eickenroht wanted the firm remain small.
1936: BARTLETT COCKE & ASSOCIATES
The firm’s name changed again when Bartlett Cocke invited his
long-term employees to share in the firm’s profits.
1970: BARTLETT COCKE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
The firm incorporated.
1979: CHUMNEY, JONES & KELL, INC.
Bartlett Cocke decreased his involvement in the firm, and the five longest-tenured employees took control of the firm. The group decided to include only Pat Chumney, Carlos Jones and John Kell Jr’s names in the name of the firm.
1983: JONES & KELL, INC.
Pat Chumney left the firm to start his own practice.
2000: KELL MUÑOZ ARCHITECTS, INC.
Dan Wigodsky left the firm to start his own practice.
John Kell Jr. retires – 2008.
Geoffrey S. Edwards joined Muñoz and Company in 1994 after gaining experience with residential projects in Austin. He is an alumnus of the Graduate Architecture Program at the University of Texas, Austin. As a company Principal and Chief Operating Officer, he directs the design studio of the firm. His projects include significant public buildings (e.g. libraries and educational institutions) and private facilities (e.g. health administrative offices, testing laboratories). Many of these have been recognized with state and local design awards and have been featured in professional journals (Architecture, Architectural Record and Texas Architect, among other publications). Dedicated to the cultural vitality of the San Antonio community, he has lectured on architectural history at Trinity University and has served on the boards of the Blue Star Contemporary Arts Center, the Carver Community Cultural Center and the San Antonio Museum of Art Contemporaries. He is an active member on the Board of the San Antonio Architecture Foundation.
GE: When my interest in design first came to the surface I decided to enter the graduate program of architecture at the University of Texas. All along I knew I had a talent for critical thinking, and at this higher level of scholarship my pragmatic and artistic sides came together naturally. My first professional degree was in Finance and this earlier area of study provided me with a unique and beneficial perspective to bring to my work.
In the Architecture Department I was strongly influenced by Chris Macdonald, whose work at the Architectural Association in London was well known. Through his insightful mentorship I began to think a lot more about the manner in which people use buildings. I suppose I became a “junior sociologist” of sorts who was very intrigued with the rituals and patterns of occupation/habitation.
Q: How has this training been reflected in your current work?
GE: I have a real love for the blending of modern and craft sensibilities and it is evident in my approach to design. In my work I find that I am always interested in ideas but I also want to connect with existent situations in a meaningful way. I’m much more concerned with the experiential over any formal philosophy. Things carry meaning, materials have associations for people and it’s important to respect that. The way that a design works with certain forms and materials so that it expresses a rich cultural context can determine how well people respond to the buildings and spaces which are a part of their lives.
Mr. Hohlaus joined Muñoz and Company in 1979. He is the leading Project Managing Principal, with an extensive portfolio of complex and large-scale projects for governmental and stakeholder groups. Additionally, his experience includes educational projects at every level: primary, middle school, high school and university facilities. He is the Director of Technical Resources, Specifications Department Manager and Continuing Education for the firm. Mr. Hohlaus’ special interest in preserving open space is indicated by his work on developing urban greenways. In 1997 he was a key member of San Antonio’s “Living With Water” Design Charrette committee. He is a former president of the San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
RH: My father, Larry Hohlaus, was one of the architects at the outset of this company and had a lifelong association with it, so my connection with the firm predates my own professional life here. At a very young age I was introduced to the world of design when my father brought home project drawings from the office. Through his influence I was introduced to America’s postwar love affair with new forms and materials. A large part of my early awareness came directly from that exposure to many scientific innovations for modern living. It seemed inevitable that one day I would end up in architecture, engineering or aerospace. Some of my favorite high school memories are of building tetrahedral kites and hang gliders from commonly found materials. My early experiments with solar energy collection continued to develop during my collegiate studies in architecture.
Q: Just as in your life, throughout the history of architecture there is a recurring integration with science.
RH: Yes, it’s definitely a prominent feature of our modern consciousness. It was on the Texas A&M program when I was a student there, and today, with everyone interested in energy efficiency, it is once more a topical concern. I think that architecture that is technically oriented to work with natural forces is always going to be interesting and relevant. When the building’s aesthetic and engineering are integrated so that structure, function and associated systems are enhanced – that is particularly rewarding for everyone involved. As designers, our special challenge lies in dealing successfully with ever-larger contexts, natural as well as social and cultural. Taking a holistic approach, including the environment in mutually beneficial strategies, is one of the best ways that we can serve the public.
From the time he joined Muñoz and Company in 1988, Tillotson has been deeply concerned with the investigation of historical urban processes in San Antonio and South Texas cities. His original and unique research has mapped the geomorphology and historical development that define these unique and complex urban landscapes. He is an architect whose broad experience in architecture, historic preservation and planning has produced a wide variety of successful institutional, commercial and residential projects throughout the state. His depth of expertise informs his design and restoration projects, and has brought professional recognition with numerous awards. In addition to his extensive architectural practice, Tillotson is deeply involved in community design issues. As Chair of the AIASA Urban Affairs Committee, he worked closely with numerous community organizations and public agencies, and organized design assistance on their behalf.
ST: My earliest memory is of me at the age of 2 at my grandmother’s farm in Iowa. There was a big red barn, and I noticed it immediately. I remember that I said, “I want to make that.” This primal fascination persisted over the years, and extended to include the farmhouse, a funky assemblage of detailed elements. These juxtaposed buildings, one basic in form and the other complex, left indelible impressions on my young psyche.
Throughout childhood my visual interests expanded. I grew up in a military family so at an early age I lived in several European countries and was exposed to the built environments of different cultures. What stayed with me most was how people lived in places continuously inhabited for many hundreds of years. It was living documentation of processes of habitation and adaptation.
To my benefit I also had books about architecture and I made lots of drawings.
Q: What about your college years?
ST: Luckily I started at San Antonio College when Emil Golla was chairman of the Architecture Department. He had an optimistic worldview that he communicated with great enthusiasm to prepare us for success at larger universities. From this I developed a broader understanding of design that helped me think in abstract as well as concrete terms.
During this period I also opened up to a different kind of experience, outside what most would consider on a conventional path. Through my church I did volunteer work in Mississippi and this led to an intense personal engagement with extreme poverty. I learned firsthand that all people need a place where they can find fulfillment, and that it is very important to heal what has been damaged.
Clearly, this “sidetrack” provided a laboratory to assay life from an authentic viewpoint. When I completed my university education at the University of Texas at Austin, I looked at human settlements in much more realistic terms. I came to see urbanism as a process of causal events: beautiful, even eccentric, geometries are often the consequences of practical considerations. Discovering these hidden mysteries is a gratifying part of what I do.
Rob Reiter is one of the pioneers of the industry transition into Building Information Modeling (BIM). His extensive knowledge of modeling, building systems and documents executed in Revit has enabled him to manage a variety of projects, creating construction documents and visualization, and assisting in coordination of the various design efforts for the project team. Mr. Reiter has worked on a variety of projects for public and private sector clients such as the City of San Antonio’s Convention Center Hotel, several projects for Bexar County, including the Cadena-Reeves Justice Campus Expansion and BiblioTech Bookless Libraries, multiple projects for the Texas A&M and University of Texas Systems, and the United States Federal Courthouse in San Antonio. His work for our clients has resulted in significant savings and efficiencies within a multitude of building types.
Mr. Reiter’s understanding of BIM is innovating the management of physical assets into digital operations and management systems for the public clients with whom he collaborates. He has experience in managing and coordinating large scale BIM models as well as several COBie datasets in close collaboration with owner’s representatives and facility managers. In addition to his role as BIM thought leader, he has spent his entire career as an integral member of the Muñoz & Co. team and has served as Project Manager for a great diversity of projects totaling over one billion dollars of construction value.