Hugman, Robert Harvey Harold, 1902-1980

Robert H.H. (Harvey Harold) Hugman (1902-1980) left a lasting mark on the city of San Antonio with his plan for the beautification of the San Antonio River. Born in San Antonio, Hugman attended University of Texas at Austin and MIT. From 1924 to 1927 he lived in New Orleans, where he was impressed by the preservation of the French Quarter.

Hugman returned to San Antonio to open his practice. His major early work was the Spanish-colonial-revival residence of William A. Turner (1928). Hugman's practice suffered with the onset of the depression; he worked for the Works Projects Administration and began thinking about the endangered San Antonio River.

Following a series of disastrous floods, including one in 1921 that killed 50 people, city officials built Olmos Dam and removed several meanders from the river downtown. Plans called for redirecting the flow of the biggest bend in the river and paving it over. The San Antonio Conservation Society, however, recognized the river's potential and had been working to save it. In 1929, Hugman provided them “The Shops of Aragon and Romula,” a flood-prevention proposal that not only allowed for commercial development, but maintained the natural beauty of the river and its flora. For the next six years, armed with Hugman's seductive drawings of quaint, winding streets filled with shops and pedestrian activity, they lobbied city officials and property owners along the river. Funding did not come until 1938, however, when Congressman Maury Maverick secured partial assistance from the WPA. In a 1978 speech Hugman recalled how a bond election for the remaining funds was rigged by the Plaza Hotel manager (and future mayor) John White and compliant city officials to exclude property owners opposed to the project and to include the residents of the hotel who “owned as much as a watch.”

Hugman was appointed architect for the project and work began in 1939. Although not as extensive as his original proposal, the WPA project resulted in the improvement of more than 21 blocks along the river including the construction of 17,000 feet of walkways, 31 stairways leading from 21 bridges, and the planting of more than 11,000 trees and shrubs. The construction of the Arneson River Theater, located alongside La Villita, represented the picturesque vision of what the Paseo del Rio could become.

Nevertheless, things did not proceed smoothly. Hugman was dismissed from the project in March 1940 on the premise that he failed to hire a landscape architect at his own expense and to supply certain plans. He moved his office to the river level of James Riely Gordon's 1891 Clifford Building hoping to encourage others to locate along the river. But the Riverwalk began deteriorating in the mid-40's, a process that continued until Hugman's original vision was rediscovered by a new generation of conservationists and city official in the 1960s.

From 1957 until his retirement in 1972, Hugman was employed at Randolph Air Base. He was honored in 1978 with the dedication of the five bronze bells in the Arneson River Theater. The Paseo del Rio was cited as a Distinguished Achievement in the 1984 AIA Honors program.

- Lila Knight

-From “Texas 50.” Texas Architect (Nov./Dec. 1989): p. 52

From the guide to the Robert H. H. Hugman (1902-1980) Drawings, San Antonio River Walk, San Antonio, Texas HUG Accession number(s): 1983005., 1938-1939, (Alexander Architectural Archive, The University of Texas at Austin.)

Hugman (1902-1980) was an architect who left his mark on the city of San Antonio with his plan for the beautification of the San Antonio River.

Born in San Antonio; attended the University of Texas and MIT; practiced in New Orleans (1924-1927); moved to San Antonio (1927); worked for the Works Projects Administration during the Depression; went back to private practice, employed at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio (1957-1972).

From the description of Robert Hugman drawings, 1938-1939. (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 28042512