"Student Services: Dynamic Campus Centers." The Student Union Building at Texas Tech University graces the cover of December’s College Planning & Management magazine. With phases I and II complete, and phase III soon to open the Student Union is the place to be. The union’s managing director, Tom Shubert, proudly tells us that they have clocked more than 16,000 visitors a day, a figure unprecedented for a campus with 21,000 FTEs. In one month more than 258,000 people passed through – that is more than the population of Lubbock itself.

On December 1, 2005 we are closing the office to undertake a four-day architectural pilgrimage through Texas. The entire staff will tour recently completed projects, starting in Amarillo with the hardhat concert at the new Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. We will then visit Lubbock (Texas Tech University’s Student Union Building), San Angelo (The Museum of Art), Fort Worth (Texas Christian University’s Walsh Center for the Performing Arts), Frisco (City Hall and Public Library), Denton (University of North Texas’s Murchison Center for the Performing Arts), Plano (The Courtyard Theater) and Dallas. In each location, the staff involved with the project will lead tours of the facility and moderate a design discussion. Anyone with an interest in joining all or part of this once in an office lifetime adventure should contact

In the Fall 2005 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review, Michael Seltzer, president of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, writes of their newly renovated headquarters, which encompasses an office, training and education center. The directive, he says, was for the very design, construction and daily operations of the space to embody and express their members' core values and the importance of their work. To serve as model of sustainability, as few resources as possible were used in the construction and renovation. An equally important objective was to demonstrate NYRAG’s mission of philanthropy in a very concrete way; transforming their headquarters into a "public square" for all its constituencies, and showcase their charitable sector work.

October 6th was the gala opening of ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center, a truly innovative project, which brings together under one roof all the programs devoted to children and teens that were once individual components of the public library and the Children’s Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina. This one-of-a-kind American learning environment weaves together literacy, creativity and education in a specially designed facility that engages visitors with stories presented in a manner unlike any before.

October 6th was also the grand opening celebration of the Ina Dillard Russell Library and Information Technology Center at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. The first phase of the project added 93,000 square feet, tripling the size of the existing library. Throughout the renovated and expanded library are such features as group study rooms, an auditorium, computer labs, electronic classrooms, a museum, a cyber-cafe, and space for nearly 500,000 volumes. Most of the ground floor is designed to provide 24-hour service. This is the largest academic or public library in middle Georgia.

Malcolm Holzman, FAIA was selected as this year’s Regents Dean Pierce Visiting Professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. This studio will have at its focus student consideration of a new performing arts center for campus, including program development, site selection, and design. Douglas Moss, AIA and Brad Lukanic, AIA will participate as instructors, along with guest lecturers. The studio runs through spring 2006.

Holzman Moss Architecture celebrated its one-year anniversary. Partners Malcolm Holzman, FAIA and Douglas Moss, AIA opened the new office with twelve other staff members formerly of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. Today we have twenty-five employees and a range of exceptional projects. Highlights include ten facilities for the arts, four libraries, two city halls, three master plans, and ten academic buildings. These projects, which span the country, continue the Holzman Moss approach, using research and analysis to define the essence of "place."

"Academy Officials Break Ground on New Library Complex." Pointer View, July 1, 2005. "After five years of planning and meetings, the groundbreaking in the area just behind Patton Statue marked the start of the 149,000 square foot multifunctional facility project. The complex, when complete, will house the library, the center for enhanced performance and the center for teaching excellence. According to former Dean of the Academic Board and retired Brig. Gen. Daniel J. Kaufman, who has been the staunchest champion of the project, contractors are scheduled to start the $60 million facility in July and it will take them 22 months to complete."

The Contemporary American Theater Festival will be hosting an exhibition of Holzman Moss Architecture's design for their new Contemporary Arts Center. Drawings, sketches, models and renderings that trace the development of the project from programming through design will be on display at the Frank Arts Center Gallery at Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Filmmaker David Wanger will also be presenting his video footage of the ongoing public process. The exhibition coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Contemporary American Theater Festival, which runs from July 8th through July 31st.

The New York Regional Association of Grantmakers will move into their newly renovated space. This Fifth Avenue workplace encompasses an office, training and education center. As few resources as possible were used in the construction and renovation of the space to achieve one of the primary project goals, the ability to serve as model of sustainability for NYRAG members. More information on the opening celebration will follow during the summer.

"UCF Library to Get High-Tech Makeover." Orlando Sentinel, June 3, 2005. "Faced with this wired generation, university libraries are shedding some of the trappings of traditional book repositories and co-opting elements of mega-bookstores or all-night Internet cafes - even as they pile up new volumes inside the walls. In Orlando, the University of Central Florida is planning an $80 million library expansion that will do just that - adding group study areas, electronic resources, more plug-ins for laptop computers, a 24-hour study commons, plus more room for books and journals."

Construction began on the $1 million dollar renovation of St. Joseph's College Bookstore, Cafe, and Student Lounge designed by Holzman Moss Architecture. These activity spaces are situated in McEntegart Hall in which the Firm completed an extensive Library renovation in 2003. The bookstore, cafe, and lounge feature an update of interior finishes and furniture from the utilitarian themes of the 1950's-era cafeteria that no longer serves the needs of a much larger and more sophisticated 21-century student population. The renovation will be complete in time for St. Joseph's Fall 2005 semester.

Most recently, Holzman Moss Architecture was selected to design the new Multipurpose Theater/Auditorium building at Xavier High School, in Manhattan. The state-of-the-art facility will offer Xavier's young men the spectrum of opportunities and experiences in presentation and the performing arts in addition to being a community resource, where neighbors can rent the facility after-school hours. Among the many unusual challenges this project presents, the building will be constructed within a closed courtyard at the physical heart of the campus, while keeping the school fully operational.

The firm was also selected to design the new Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT. In 2004, the firm completed the programming and planning study for this facility, which joins departments of Music, Theater and Visual Arts under one roof for the first time in the University's history. The new building, located on the Westside campus, will have an enormous impact on the cultural life of the University as a whole as well as for the greater Fairfield County community. The project is being undertaken in association with Amenta/Emma Architects, P.C. of Hartford.

Workers stopped their busy construction schedule to celebrate the topping out of the Frisco City Hall and Public Library building on May 27, 2005. The ceremony was officiated by Mayor Simpson and attended by city staff and officials. An American flag and a tree were placed atop the building's signature clock tower. The flag shows solidarity with those who are fighting for country's security while the tree symbolizes pride in workmanship. The City Hall and Public Library is the centerpiece of an ambitious project to create an new urban center that includes retail and residential buildings in one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.

The renovated interior of the Hawaii Theater, designed by the Firm and completed in 1996, graces the cover of Duncan Webb's newest book, Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers, published by Allworth Press. It is the first ever text that describes this complex and challenging job. The book is essentially a search for best practices as articulated in 60 interviews held with managers of facilities of all different sizes and shapes who are successfully running theaters today. The many elements of facility management are covered, including programming, operations, audience development, fundraising, staff and board development, financial management and planning. The book covers a broad range of topics including the physical operation and management of spaces, theater programming, audience development, fundraising, staff and board development, strategic planning, finance, and particular challenges of operating campus and historic theaters.

Malcolm Holzman, FAIA will headline a program in New York City's A&D Building on the "Integration of Art in Architecture & Design," with Tom Otterness, Jack Beal and Albert Paley. The event is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, April 19th, 2005 and is open to the public.

April 16, 2005, marked the opening of the new Performing Arts Center at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. Pianist Van Cliburn joined the Corpus Christi Symphony in its gala concert, which benefited the endowment for the university's school of arts and communication. In addition to serving as an auditorium for the university and its music department, the 1,500-seat hall is the principal venue for the Corpus Christi Symphony. "With its glass-framed lobby overlooking Corpus Christi Bay and a spectacular view of the downtown skyline to the north, this handsome new facility is one of the most dramatically placed concert halls in the world," writes classical music critic, Wayne Lee Gay, of the Star-Telegram.

'Brady Expansion Referendum Passes.' The Maneater, April 15, 2005. More than 6,000 students voted this week on a referendum to expand and renovate Brady Commons Student Union at University of Missouri, signaling the end - and success - of a long campaign spearheaded by student leaders to marshal support for a new student center. It was the highest turnout ever recorded for a student vote. More than 60 percent of those votes were cast in favor of the expansion and the additional student fee of up to $35 the expansion brought with it. Student Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said two years of planning have gone into the Brady expansion. "We thought the hard part was over, but the hard part is still coming," she said. "We still have 10 to 12 months of design work ahead of us." Director of Student Life Mark Lucas said the architects hired to help draft a proposal of the expanded Brady Commons floor plan will finalize their plans with student groups. "The architects will be back in early June and will go to all contingent groups to make decisions about how much space everyone will get," Lucas said. "This process will continue at least through January."

"Limestone Creates a Focal Point at Texas Tech." Stone World, March 2005. The cover story of Stone World magazine features the newly-completed Phase II of the Texas Tech Student Union. The article cites Holzman Moss Architecture's innovative use of the same Leuders Limestone as found in the campus' historic structures interrupted by bands of "Turkey Track" limestone. This application of Turkey Tack limestone in a building structure is extremely innovative. The stone is normally discarded as scrap because it shows the irregularities created from the fossilized sea life that inhabited Texas millions of years ago when much of the state was the bottom of a shallow sea. For the first time ever it is used to create patters, depth, and shadow in the wall surfaces.

Malcolm Holzman, FAIA will be delivering a lecture on 'Alchemy/Architecture' at this year's SFT (Stone-Facade-Technique) Congress' Architecture Convention in Muenster, Germany. The lecture, which takes place on March 17th is part of a discussion on Architectural Potential in Building Systems.

"SBC dials up Globe-News Center." Amarillo Globe-News, February 17, 2005. The "hottest seat in town" will grace one of the handiest books in town. SBC Yellow Pages announced Wednesday that the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts will be on the cover of the 2005 directory. SBC and Globe-News Center representatives and civic leaders gathered to unveil the cover at the construction site of the new performing arts center, touted in commercials as the hottest seat in town. The cover features a drawing of the finished center, scheduled to open Oct. 14, 2005.

You'll find on the cover of the December 2004 Library Journal, our recently completed Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, New York. The issue, dedicated to 'The Year in Architecture,' also includes Middle Country Public Library's Selden branch, which was designed by Holzman Moss Architecture as well.

"Concert Hall to Rise Near Manassas." Washington Post, November 12, 2004; Page A01. "Prince William County and George Mason University have agreed to help finance a $56 million performing arts center near Manassas styled after a famous European opera house, another sign that the county is positioning itself as a cultural and business center for Northern Virginia.'

"Lighting Up the Night." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 4, 2004. "The Hawaii Theatre, built in 1922, reopened in 1996 after a $22 million interior restoration. Tomorrow's ceremony marks the official conclusion of the $10 million-plus campaign to restore the exterior façade and install the marquee and vertical "Hawaii" sign."

"Library still a stunning addition to Columbia." Columbia Daily Tribune, October 28, 2004. Letter to the Editor: "I applaud all the people involved in its creation - this is a library of which to be proud. It is a fun place to go. If we could afford it, I would have the same designers redo our high schools and churches. These are places that we should go to because we want to, not just because we have to go. These are places that ought to be fun."

"Arts Center Opens with Elegance in 2005," Corpus Christi Caller-Times, October 24, 2004. "The $18 million academic building will showcase the university's music programs; staff and university events including the Performing Arts Series in fall 2005 featuring national and international artists; and will be the primary performance venue for the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra."

Douglas Moss, AIA was guest lecturer in the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts Lecture Series. His discussion, titled, "The Museum Building as a work of Art" was part of the the 5th anniversary celebration marking the completion of the art museum of which Moss was Project Designer and Project Architect.

Douglas Moss, AIA was a design juror in the Charlotte, North Carolina Barkitecture Design Awards. This event was sponsored by the AIA Charlotte ' Young Architect's Forum and was held to benefit the Humane Society of Charlotte. Over forty entries were included in the contest.

Holzman Moss Architecture has recently been selected to design a new Municipal Government Center and Police Administration and Operations Building in Cedar Hill, Texas. This important civic building provides a singular opportunity for the City to express its unique character and identity, differentiating itself from the Metroplex of which it is part. The building will house city government spaces, administrative offices for the Cedar Hill Independent School District, and facilities for the Police Department. Opportunities for shared spaces will be explored with the goal of creating memorable public places for the residents of Cedar Hill.

A vital Texas civic building, the Frisco City Hall and Library, broke ground this August. The free-standing stone building sits in the center of Frisco Square and fronts a civic green. Scheduled to open in 2006, the multi-tenant facility includes city and county clerks' offices, a new public library, as well various special spaces, including a 300-seat Council Chamber, a formal "City Room," a café, a gallery, and various multi-purpose and conference rooms. By joining the City Hall and Library, Holzman Moss Architecture was able create a stronger urban response for this downtown iconic civic structure.

"One thing is clear: When it opens in 2005, it will up the ante for good design in Charlotte, enlarging our sense of what architecture can mean and can do," writes Richard Maschal of the Charlotte Observer this July. Referring to ImaginOn, a break-through facility, which for the first time in our country's history integrates a Children's Theater and Children's Library into a singular structure. The center features both library and performance spaces including an early childhood education center, a teen center; 550-seat and 250-seat theaters; a storytelling venue, a blue-screen production studio, exhibit halls, classrooms, art studios, a gift shop, and administrative areas. "What a refreshing change ImaginOn is for Charlotte - great design, innovative ideas and a chance to say something about architecture beyond the stale argument of modern vs. classical. This building has been asked to do a lot. It's doing it all."