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New Partnership: The Menil-St. Thomas
9/26/2007
 Visitors to the Houston Museum District will be able to add another attraction to their “must see” list. The Menil Collection and the University of St. Thomas have announced the designation of the adjoining Menil-St. Thomas campuses as a walking tour of the northern gateway to Houston’s Museum District.
Participating in the formal announcement of The Menil-St. Thomas collaboration at the dedication of the new Philip Johnson landmark were UST President Robert R. Ivany, Menil Director Josef Helfenstein, and UST Board vice chair George DeMontrond. The Menil Collection and the University of St. Thomas are nestled in the Houston Museum District just minutes away from downtown. The area joins a rich history and a mutual appreciation of art, education and architecture while offering the beauty of this neighborhood oasis to citizens of the local community and the world.
“We’re pleased that our campuses provide an exciting destination point for anyone who appreciates outstanding art and architecture,” said Dr. Robert Ivany, UST President. “The new Menil-St. Thomas walking tour offers some of the world’s treasures in art and architecture.”
The self-guided walking tour begins at the new Philip Johnson landmark at Montrose and West Alabama and extends to The Menil Collection, located at 1515 Sul Ross. The museum houses the vast art collection of John de Menil and his wife, Dominique Schlumberger de Menil, patrons of the art, educators, and early benefactors and longtime friends of the University of St. Thomas.
The tour continues with stops at the Rothko Chapel, the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum and the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall. At the UST campus, tourists can enjoy the beauty of the Link-Lee mansion, as well as three Philip Johnson creations on campus: the Academic Mall, the Chapel of St. Basil, and the Edward P. White Memorial Plaza. Adjacent to the university chapel is an outdoor meditation garden highlighted by a replica of the famous Chartres Cathedral labyrinth. The tour includes the historic Howard R. Hughes House, at 3921 Yoakum.
The tour highlights the work of legendary New York architect Philip Johnson, who began his long Texas career with the Menil’s Houston home. The architectural character of the UST campus derives from Johnson’s original design for the Academic Mall. Johnson would go on to receive praise for the design of the Chapel of St. Basil, which anchors the Mall’s north end. In 2004, Johnson created a third and final project for UST in the new university landmark at the corner of Montrose and West Alabama that rises on the Edward P. White Memorial Plaza, which is named in memory of one of the school’s most dedicated benefactors.
“Ed White responded spontaneously to the concept of a work of art to mark the prominent University corner of Montrose and West Alabama,” said H. Ken DeDominicis, UST vice president for institutional advancement, “His vision and generosity made it possible to commission Philip Johnson to create the last landmark shortly before his death in 2005.”
The Menil-St. Thomas walking tour covers eight blocks and is free of charge to the public. Guide brochures can be picked up at the Link-Lee Mansion, 3800 Montrose.
UST is a private institution dedicated to educating leaders of faith and character and committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual tradition of Catholic higher education.
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