ARCHITECTURE TOURS
Private guided tours of the design, history, and natural surroundings of this award-winning complex are available by appointment. Nature walks around the property can also be arranged.
Tours of both the exterior and interior spaces are informal, and last approximately 45-minutes. Groups of varying sizes can be accommodated. Photography for personal use and social media is permitted.
There is a $25 per person tour fee, with proceeds going towards restoration, conservation, and maintenance. For information about rates and available dates, please email us at info@theplantatkyle.com.
Background
The Plant at Kyle was designed by Lake|Flato Architects, a nationally recognized architectural firm that creates modern, environmentally responsible, artful, carefully crafted tactile buildings that successfully merge with the landscape. The firm's portfolio incorporates a vast array of project types including family retreats, museums, interpretive centers, university buildings, schools, arboretums, and corporate headquarters.
The land where the The Plant is located was once part of the Kuykendall Ranch, originally a 11,500 acre tract of land purchased by Gill Kuykendall in 1902, then known as the Hutchinson Ranch.
The Plant at Kyle, a.k.a the Carraro Residence or the Alamo Cement Plant House, began life in the 1920s as a shed at the Alamo Cement plant in San Antonio, Texas (since re-purposed as the Alamo Quarry Market mall). Henry and Francine Carraro purchased the property in Kyle and started conversations with the newly launched firm of Lake|Flato Architects, led by David Lake and Ted Flato who met working for legendary Texas architect O'Neill Ford's firm Ford Powell & Carson.
Lake and Flato had admired the rugged industrial architecture of the cement plant, and the Carrarros arranged for the purchase, disassembly, moving, and re-assembly of one of the plant's smaller buildings, a 180 ft. long x 40 ft. wide x 30 ft. tall steel-framed building. The architect's configuration of the steel framing consists of three separate sections: an open garage shed, (under which a pool was added by the second owner); a corrugated-covered central "dog-run" pavilion featuring laundry and utility areas, a bath/shower and library (now a bedroom) topped by a master suite in the center; and the longest stretch, a screened patio-porch into which has been built a limestone structure containing kitchen, living and dining rooms under a bedroom and bath. Shortly after the building was finished it started to draw attention for the young firm, attracting local, regional and national AIA awards and publications. The Plant at Kyle and Architect Ted Flato were featured on PBS series, This New House in a feature focused on adaptive reuse.
The current owners, Dana Friis-Hansen, and Mark Holzbach, purchased the property in July 2007. They are preserving this complex in its original form, creating an educational and historical archive, and making the site available to a broader public through events and rentals, with a portion of the proceeds going towards restoration, conservation, and maintenance.
Recognition
At the 2021 American Institute of Architects (AIA) state component, the Texas Society of Architects (TSA) 82nd Annual Conference and Design Expo in San Antonio, the project was honored with the “25-Year Award” recognizing “one building completed between 25 to 50 years ago that has stood the test of time, exemplifying the enduring value of good design.” Each is “a work of Texas architecture of enduring significance” and still “retaining its central form, character, and overall architectural integrity.” With its 7,200 members, the TSA is one of the largest national organizations for the architectural profession. A 3 minute YouTube video of our 9 Oct 2021 award celebration is displayed below.
This project received Lake Flato’s first National AIA Institute Honor Award in 1990 and has been continuously celebrated thereafter because of its innovative adaptive-reuse design, thoughtful siting, adventurous clients, and intriguing and inspiring story.
