Holiday Inn Austin Texas designed by Mid Century Architect Leonard J Lundgren of Austin Texas

Speech Given by
Leonard J Lundgren, Architect
concerning the birth of the
"Round Hotel Concept"

Holiday Inn, Austin, Texas

Holiday Inn, Austin, Texas
Built in 1964

Then

Now

THIRTY YEARS AGO KEMONS CALLED ME TO MEET HIM IN EL PASO. HE SAID THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIP WAS TO FLY OVER VARIOUS TOWNS IN TEXAS TO FIND LOCATIONS FOR NEW HOLIDAY INNS. WE DETERMINED THE PLACE AND TIME OF THE MEETING . IWAS FLYING IN MY OWN PLANE AT THAT TIME SO THE MORNING OF THE MEETING I TOOK OFF FOR EL PASO - AFTER A WHEATHER DELAY OVER PECOS I ARRIVED IN EL PASO THE NEXT MORNING - IPICKED UP KEMONS AND WE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE LOCATIONS AND ENDED UP IN AUSTIN. AFTER LOOKING AROUND AUSTIN HE ZEROED IN ON THIS LOCATION AFTER MUCH NEGOTIATION WITH THE OWNER A CONTRACT WAS SIGNED. KEMONS THEN WENT WITH ME TO MY OFFICE TO TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED HOTEL IN THE PROCESS OF TALKING ABOUT THE SITE WHICH WAS VERY SMALL KEMONS DREW A CIRCLE ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND SAID THAT HE HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO BUILD A ROUND BUILDING AND IF WE COULD DEVELOP A PLAN HE WOULD BUILD THE FIRST ROUND HOTEL ON THIS SITE. KEMONS WAS LEAVING THE NEXT MORNING AND WE HAD THE FLOOR PLAN COMPLETED . HE APPROVED THE PLAN AND YOU NOW SEE THE RESULTS OF HIS VISION. ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE PARTS OF THIS BUILDING IS ITS STRUCTURAL SYSTEM -WHEN THE BUILDING WAS FINISHED IT WAS THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD SUPPORTED WITH MASONRY (BRICK) WALLS YOU WILL NOTE THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SLIDES.. THANKS FOR THE TIME THAT YOU ALL HAVE TAKEN TO CELEBRATE THIS THIRTY FIVE YEAR OLD BUILDING AND THE FIFTY YEARS THAT HOLIDAY INN HAS BEEN NUMBER ONE HOTEL IN THE WORLD ...

Celebrating the
50th Anniversary of Holiday Inn of America

I'M LEONARD LUNDGREN A RETIRED ARCHITECT - I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS CELEBRATION -50 YEARS AGO THE HOLIDAY INN MOTEL CHAIN STARTED IN MEMPHIS AND THERE IT HAS GROWN WORLD WIDE - THANKS TO A GREAT PART TO KEMONS WILSON AND HIS DRIVE TO CREATE ECONOMICAL PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT. I'M SURE A PLACE WHERE THE TRAVELER COULD HAVE A MOST OF YOU KNOW THE STORY NOW TO THE STORY ABOUT THIS ROUND CONCEPT .

Leonard J. Lundgren, Architect 1918 - 2012 Mid-Century Architect Austin, Texas