George Rodney Willis

George Rodney Willis, architect, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 11, 1879, to Byron and Mary (Rodney) Willis. George was the third of four children. His mother was a descendant of Caesar Rodney, who cast Delaware's vote for the Declaration of Independence. [George Rodney Willis, The Handbook of Texas on Line, by Stephanie Hetos Cocke]

Education and Architectural Practice in Chicago

Willis attended Chicago public schools and enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago in 1899, affiliated with the Armour Institute (now Illinois Institute of Technology). In his last year of school Willis began working in the Oak Park, Illinois, studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, for whom he served as draftsman for four years, rising to the position of head draftsman. During his years with Wright, he worked with a draughtsmen and architects who were important practitioners of Prairie School architecture, including Barry Byrne, William Eugene Drummond, Marion Mahony, Isabel Roberts and Walter Burley Griffin.

Architecture Practice in Texas

Willis moved to California in 1904 and worked for Myron Hunt. Then, he moved to Dallas, and formed a partnership with Stewart Moore in 1906. From 1907 to 1909 he worked with J. Edward Overbeck in a practice known as Overbeck and Willis. They collaborated on the expansive J. T. Trezevant House along Turtle Creek of 1907, providing Dallas with one of the two most imposing Prairie houses in Texas. [Dallas Modern: A Perspective on the Modern Movement in Dallas by Stephen Fox; www.dougnewby.com] In 1910 Willis was practicing alone in Dallas.

Work in San Antonio

In 1911, he moved to San Antonio and was employed by Atlee B. Ayres until 1916, where he produced homes for Frank Winerich (1913) and Lonnie Wright (1914). [Architecture in Texas: 1895-1945, by Jay C. Henry.] Thereafter he formed his own architectural practice.

Among Willis’ San Antonio works are the Lawrence T. Wright house (1917), houses in Alamo Heights and Monte Vista, and a grouping of four small apartments at the corner of Bandera Road and E. Skyview, providing fine Texas example of Prairie School architecture. George Willis should be credited as having designed the first air conditioned tall office building in the United States, the 21-story Milam Building, completed in San Antonio in 1928. [“Going Gershwin, by Donald Albrecht and Thomas Mellins, "Interior Design", March 1, 2007.] The air-conditioning design team was led by Willis H. Carrier, founder of the Carrier Engineering Corporation. [The Milam Building management: http://www.themilambuilding.com] Willis also designed the Brackenridge Park Amphitheater.

Personal Life and Later Years

Willis met his future wife, Louise Scott, about 1918 in San Antonio. They had no children. Willis was a member of the West Texas chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He maintained his office in the Smith-Young Tower until his death. He died on January 22, 1960. [George Rodney Willis, The Handbook of Texas on Line, by Stephanie Hetos Cocke]

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