Building the Base

A visit today to the RELLIS Campus still shows evidence of the site’s architectural and design legacy emanating from the its history as the Bryan Army Air Field and Bryan Air Force Base.

But, that heritage is rapidly fading.

Most notable of the physical legacy which remains at the venue are the hangars, repurposed for use by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and the Texas A&M Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The flight line has been barricaded and the runways no longer invite pilots to bring their planes down from the sky.

Building the base, work which began more than 75 years ago, was a remarkable achievement, according to David Woodcock, director emeritus of the Texas A&M Center for Heritage Conservancy.

Professor Emeritus David Woodcock served as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Architecture at Texas A&M University from 1962-66. He returned to the school in 1970 and remained there until his retirement in 2011. During that time, he served a total of 11 years as head of the department, earned numerous awards and established the Center for Heritage Conservation. He received his professional degree in Architecture and post-graduate diploma in Town and Country Planning from the University of Manchester, England.