Today's Featured Biography

 
Girard Kinney, Jr.

Born at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC, 04 March, 1943. My parents, Girard A.W.Kinney, Sr. and Cleora Dietz Kinney returned to Austin after the war with me and my sister Ginny (2 years younger than I)in 1946. Grew up at the family homestead (built in 1873) at 1610 Virginia Avenue.

Attended Becker Elementary school first half of first grade, fall 1949; entered Zilker when construction was complete in January, 1950 & completed 6th grade in the Spring of 1955. Attended Fulmore Junior High from Fall of 1955 to Spring, 1958; & Travis High School from Fall of 1958 to Spring of 1961.

Worked my way through UT School of Architecture from Fall, 1961; dropped out in a protest of the school in 1969, returned to graduate in 1978.

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ABOUT KINNEY & ASSOCIATES
www.kinneyarchitects.com

The firm now known as Kinney & Associates was organized in April of 1978, when Bob Billington, Tabor Stone and Girard Kinney founded Billington Kinney Stone as a Partnership specializing in architectural programming, planning and architecture. In January 1979, Mr. Kinney & Mr. Stone incorporated as Kinney & Stone, Inc. During the 1980s, the firm evolved first to Kinney Kaler Crews, Inc (KKC), Kinney Kaler Sanders & Crews, Inc. (KKSC). In March of 1991, the firm became Kinney & Associates, a sole proprietorship located at 1008 East Sixth Street (two blocks east of IH-35) in Austin, Texas.

Throughout its history, the firm has provided architectural programming, planning, transportation planning, urban design, signage/graphic design and full architectural services for a variety of projects. During the early 1980's, the firm served as the system Architect for Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI) and produced master plans and student mall plans, and designed 37 buildings for the 4 TSTI (now TSTC) campuses in Texas. In 1981-83, the firm formed joint ventures with both Carter Parshall Associates (now CDA) and Villalva Cotera (now Negrete Kolar and Cotera Reed) to produce Master Plans and Design Guidelines for the East 11th-12th street and 6th-7th Street Urban Corridor projects. Several of the firm's major Office building projects (The Echelon, The Kaleido & The Presidio Building) have been widely acclaimed, and theater expertise is evidenced by Rosewood Pavilion, the Arbor Cinema, Lincoln Village Cinema, Zachary Scott Theatre Center and Zilker Hillside Theater, all Austin projects.

Special expertise exists in the area of architectural programming, master planning, urban design, transportation planning, architectural design of bridges, working within stringent environmental codes and ordinances, and in accommodating neighborhood input. It has provided comprehensive master plans to guide future construction phases for many projects in Austin, including the Great Streets Master Plan, Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Zilker Hillside Theater. The firm provided Urban Design Consultation services in connection with the Downtown Metropolitan Action Plan (DMAP) for Capitol Metro (a transportation planning effort that included the development of design standards for downtown streets) and for a Downtown Economic Feasibility Plan for the City of Austin (with CDA for Keyser Marston). Other projects include the Pfluger Bicycle / Pedestrian Bridge (for HDR Engineering) across Town Lake adjacent historic Lamar Bridge. Additionally, the firm has provided feasibility study and consultant services for the Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) Hilton Hotel (adapting the old Bergstrom Airforce Base Command Center to a luxury hotel) and Design and Construction Document services for the Convention Center Hilton Hotel Residences and many other custom homes.

The firm has provided pro-bono services on several important projects, including organizing the volunteer tree planting project which placed the trees which will someday define the master plan of the Zachary Scott Theatre Center, designing the lowered pedestrian walkways on the Drake Bridge and working on the ISTEA grant requests for both the Austin Billboard Inventory and Plaza Saltillo (both subsequently funded). The firm has completed a variety of housing projects, residential subdivisions and many single-family residences.

In 1990, the firm formed the 6th Street Collaborative, a group of Sixth Street merchants and downtown design professionals, which located funds for and completed a conceptual master plan for the 6th street between Congress Avenue and IH-35. K&A was also instrumental in alerting the City of Austin to the fact that the pedestrian facilities and preservation activities required for the widening of Lamar Bridge were eligible for ISTEA funding.

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