Ashbel Smith Building

• Building Forensics
• Condition Assessment
• Consulting Services
• Disaster Mitigation
• Higher Education

1899
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
National Register of Historic Places, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, State Archeological Landmark
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Built as the first and originally the only building of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, master architect Nicholas J. Clayton designed this massive Romanesque structure. It was dedicated October 5, 1891. Although its rooms were almost devoid of equipment, the school boasted a young, vigorous staff and enrollment in 1899 was several dozen students. In 1949, the building was named for Ashbel Smith (1805-86), pioneer surgeon, diplomat, and “Father of the University of Texas.

We were called in to assist Johnson Consulting with the exterior condition assessment of the Ashbel-Smith Building following Hurricane Ike in 2008. Our evaluation covered exterior windows, doors, blinds, masonry and roof conditions immediately following the storm, in addition to other more general conditions.