The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Link-Lee Mansion

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Link-Lee Mansion (three-quarter view, from the northeast), University of St. Thomas

Link-Lee Mansion (front facade, view from the east), University of St. Thomas

Link-Lee Mansion (historic marker), University of St. Thomas

Institution Name: University of St. Thomas
Original/Historic Place Name: Link-Lee Mansion
Location on Campus: 3800 Montrose Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction:

1912	original construction Sanguinent, Stoats & Barnes
1922	alterations Finn, Alfred

Designer: Sanguinent, Stoats & Barnes (original); Alfred Finn (alterations)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Beaux-Arts classicism, Regionalist/Vernacular (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: masonry-reinforced concrete

Walls: brick, double wythe and plaster

Roof: clay tile

Function:

ca. 1912-1916	private residence (of Link family)
ca. 1916-1946	private residence (of Lee family)
ca. 1947	library
ca. 1947	chapel
ca. 1947	classrooms
ca. 1947	administration
ca. 1947	old main
ca. 2004-present (2006)	administration (President, VP Academic Affairs, Institutional Advancement)

Narrative:
The Administration Building of the University of St. Thomas was built as a family home by J.W. Link. Link, a lumberman and financier from Orange, Texas, was founder of the Houston Land Corporation which developed the Montrose area. The house was designed by Sanguinent, Stoats & Barnes and built by the W.B. Young Contracting Company. It was completed in 1912 for an approximate cost of $60,000.

A departure from the colonial and mission architecture prevalent at the time, the house was designed to withstand the destruction of time, fire, and natural elements. All foundations are of reinforced concrete. Limestone from Carthage, Missouri was used in all the stone work. Glazed tiles cover the main roof.

In 1916, T.P. Lee bought the house from Link. The Lee family retained possession of it until June 1946, when the University bought the house and the block on which it sits as the initial property for the institution.

References:

BGK Architects and H2L2. Revised Campus Master Plan. [BGK Architects, Austin, TX and H2L2, Philadelphia, PA], 2000.

Sechelski, Teana, ed. First 50 Years: University of St. Thomas, 1947-1997. [s.l.: s.n., n.d.].