Go Fish Galvez

Here’s a new one: I never expected to enjoy a trip to the doctor’s office—that is, until today!

My enjoyment was not the result of visiting a doctor, of course, but because of what I got to see once I arrived:

Old Red!

Designed by famed Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton, constructed 1888-1891, and repaired 1900-1901 after damage to the central gable during the Great Storm of 1900, this magnificent edifice was built to house the medical branch of Texas’ first state university (called, oddly enough, the University of Texas), whose main campus, it was decided back in 1881, would be in Austin.

Thus, the building was first christened the University of Texas Medical Department Building.

Later renamed the Ashbel Smith Hall (in honor of the first president of the medical department), today it is referred to, simply and lovingly, as “Old Red” (can you guess why?).

Still magnificent to this day, if cracked and crumbling in spots here and there, Old Red continues to delight the higher senses and is appreciated across the United States as a benchmark of that grand architectural style known as “High Victorian Romanesque”—and who could argue with that?

Now dwarfed and nearly hidden amongst her newer kin, those modern buildings of the ever-expanding UTMB medical campus, with its multifloored parking garages and high-rise medical clinics, Old Red is now most easily discovered, appreciated, and certainly best viewed on foot.

As I strolled these historic grounds today, happily snapping photos (have iPhone, will document!), I determined that for now, sadly, Old Red is closed for repairs. What activities would otherwise go on here I haven’t a clue. But I am thrilled to know that this amazing, historical pièce de résistance is at least still here, still intact, and still the focal point for this premier medical institution. And, gosh, she’s just such an incredibly stunning beauty besides…

So here’s a suggestion, folks: Next time you’re at UTMB getting that skin rash looked at, don’t forget to bring along your camera phone—else, trust me, you will flog yourself later!