25-Year Award
Each year, the Texas Society of Architects 25-Year Award recognizes one building completed 25 to 50 years earlier that has stood the test of time by retaining its central form, character, and overall architectural integrity. This award is an important public outreach program that focuses much-deserved attention on distinguished Texas architecture of enduring significance and exemplifies the Society’s intrinsic message that “Good Design Matters.”
2025 Recipient:
San Antonio Central Library
Designed by renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta of Legorreta Arquitectos, with associate architect Sprinkle Robey Architects, architect of record Johnson-Dempsey & Associates, and interior designer Ford, Powell & Carson, the 240,000-sf San Antonio Central Library opened in 1995 to great acclaim. Born of a design competition, the building is a bold departure from traditional library design, celebrating San Antonio’s Hispanic heritage through its vivid forms and vibrant spaces. Organized around a six-story atrium, its geometric composition invites light and shadow to dance throughout. Inside, visitors find public art, a special library scaled for children, and an extensive Texana collection. A vibrant city landmark demonstrating the power of design, this building has inspired future projects and redefines the library as a dynamic community and cultural hub.
The 25-Year Award was presented at TxA25 Annual Conference & Design Expo, held in Dallas, October 2025.
Read more about the project in the Awards 2025 issue of Texas Architect.
Past Recipients
2024
Church of the Incarnation, Irving
Landry and Landry Architects and Planners
2023
Brooks County Safety Rest Area, Falfurrias
Richter Architects
2022
Cistercian Abbey Church, Irving
Cunningham Architects
2021
Carraro Residence, Kyle
Lake|Flato Architects
2020
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
Edward Larrabee Barnes Associates with Pratt, Box & Henderson and Thomas & Booziotis
2019
Lucile Halsell Conservatory, San Antonio
Emilio Ambasz with Jones & Kell
2018
Pennzoil Place, Houston
Philip Johnson & John Burgee with S. I. Morris Associates
2017
Moore/Andersson Compound, Austin
Charles Moore, FAIA, and Arthur Andersson, FAIA
2016
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, Austin
Skidmore Owings & Merrill with Brooks, Barr, Graeber & White
2015
Dallas City Hall, Dallas
I.M. Pei & Partners with Harper & Kemp
2014
The Alley Theatre, Houston
Ulrich Franzen & Associates with Mackie & Kamrath
2013
The Menil Collection, Houston
Renzo Piano, Hon. FAIA, with Richard Fitzgerald & Associates
2012
Temple Emanu-El, Dallas
Howard Meyer and Max Sandfield
2011
Fountain Place Dallas
I.M. Pei & Partners
2010
Tower of the Americas, San Antonio
Ford, Powell & Carson
2009
Margarite B. Parker Chapel at Trinity University, San Antonio
Ford, Powell & Carson
2008
Fort Worth Water Gardens, Fort Worth
Philip Johnson & John Burgee
2007
NorthPark Center, Dallas
Harrell and Hamilton Architects (now Omniplan)
1997
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
Louis I. Kahn
The Birthday, Sterling County
Frank Welch & Associates