Allen G. Weymouth Memorial Papers

Allen Gene Weymouth (September 19, 1932-September 11, 1996) was an award-winning architect in Houston, Texas. Weymouth worked for the Cavitt, McKnight, Weymouth (CMW) architectural firm since 1961. He became a partner to R. Bruce Simmons, George P. Cavitt, and John Lyndon McKnight in 1968. CMW descends from the White and Engberg firm of 1955. Throughout the twentieth century, the firm has specialized in designs for educational buildings and facilities. A thorough biography of CMW can be found in Box 1 Folder 13.

Houston and its surrounding areas have been at the center of Allen G. Weymouth’s life and career. Weymouth attended both Lamar and Piedmont High Schools, located in Houston. He also attended Rice University which also resides in Houston. Working for CMW, Weymouth has helped design educational projects in the following independent school districts: Alief, Brazosport, Conroe, Deer Park, Fort Bend, Houston, Katy, Klein, Lamar Consolidated, La Porte, Magnolia, Richards, Royal, Sealy, Spring Branche, and Van Vleck. Some of his most notable projects that received awards are: High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Kleb Intermediate School, and Doerre Intermediate School. Weymouth has also worked on projects for Houston Community College, Sam Houston State University, and Texas Southern University.

As a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Allen G. Weymouth served as the Vice President (1981-1983) and President (1984-1985) for the association’s Houston Chapter. He also served on the Joint Liaison Committee formed of the Houston Chapters of AIA and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Weymouth was also the Director of the Texas Society of Architects Houston Chapter. Because of his involved in professional associations, Weymouth made many contributions towards educating the public about architecture and improving the practices of construction. Such contributions include: his promotion of Walking Tours of Downtown Houston, his involvement in the publication of Houston’s Gallery of Architecture and Houston Architectual Guide, AIA Document A20: General Conditions of the Contract for Construction, Bidding Procedures, and Recommended Practices.

The Allen G. Weymouth Memorial Papers document the educational architecture and construction practices of late twentieth century the Greater Houston area. They provide a small glance into what the regions topography was like between 1976 and 1996. Houston has greatly changed over the first two decades of the twenty-first century. The High School of the Performing and Visual Arts is no longer located in the building designed by Cavitt, McKnight, and Weymouth. A small number of architectural drawings within the papers preserve the existence of school buildings for African American and colored children throughout Greater Houston.