An Architectural Walking Tour of Rice University

What does Ralph Adams Cram’s neo-Byzantine creation from 1912 have in common with the reinterpretation of a Butler building by Charles Renfro in 2025? They can both be found on Rice University’s campus!

Rice’s architectural story spans more than a century beginning with its first building known as Lovett Hall—clad in pink Texas granite, gray Ozark marble, and rose-colored Houston brick—and extending into this century with structures such as the new home for Rice’s visual arts programs, Sarofim Hall, comprising a contemporary mix of concrete, exposed steel, glass, and sustainable bamboo. Explore Rice University through the eyes of Stephen Fox as we traverse the campus following its architectural history from the days of its founding to its current construction surge. Sturdy shoes, sun protection, and a personal water bottle are recommended for this sustained walking tour.

Stephen Fox is an architectural historian, author, and lecturer at the Rice University School of Architecture. He is also a lecturer at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston and a fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas. Mr. Fox’s focus is on architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially that of Houston and Texas, and he often analyzes the intersection of architecture and the social, cultural, and economic history of Houston.