2025 Texas & Southeast Best Projects
Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration: Southwestern University, Mood-Bridwell Hall Renovation
Southwestern University, Mood-Bridwell Hall Renovation
Georgetown, Texas
Award of Merit
Submitted by Linbeck Group LLC
Owner Southwestern University
Lead Design Firm PBK Architects
General Contractor Linbeck Group LLC
Civil Engineer Steger Bizzell
Structural Engineer Kubala Engineers
MEP Engineer Leaf Engineers
Envelope Consultant Beam Professionals
First built in 1908, Mood-Bridwell Hall is the second-oldest building at Southwestern University. The hall underwent a series of transformations over the course of its lifetime, but its last major renovation took place in 1978, shortly after the building was inducted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
In 2023, Southwestern commissioned a full-scale renovation of the 44,000-sq-ft, 117-year-old wood-framed building.
Laser scanning documented existing conditions and guided surgical-like demolition, but a lack of structural records required close collaboration with engineers to develop safe and effective solutions in real time.
Much of the project took place above a crawl space, restricting equipment use and demanding hand-executed installation for MEP and finish trades. Exterior renovations to the envelope included the addition of new windows, tuck pointing of the existing brick facade and a new TPO roof.
An annex with a new curtain wall system was also built, and Linbeck retained the master mason responsible for preservation work on the Alamo, ensuring that the goal of seamlessly integrating new limestone with the existing historic fabric was fully realized.
