This student made film, from the Alexander Architectural Archives’ Hugo Leipzieger-Pearce papers, follows the work of the Community Development Corporation of Austin (CDCA). The documentary begins with a talk from University of Texas architecture and planning associate professor Rev. Dr. Reynell Parkins concerning real estate development in Austin’s low-income neighborhoods, specifically the St. John’s area. Parkins touches upon the major issues facing poor families seeking to renovate their homes without access to major bank or financial institution loans. The film contains interviews with Austin families and a discussion about the goals of CDCA. University of Texas at Austin student Neill D. Hicks created this documentary as a portion of his master’s degree thesis for the Department of Radio Television and Film.
As part of the Architecture and Planning Library, the Alexander Architectural Archives joins the vast research collections and services found within the University of Texas Libraries. The Alexander Architectural Archives supports scholarship and education about the history of designed and built environments by acquiring and preserving research collections and by making them accessible.
Professor Hugo Leipziger-Pearce (1902-1998) worked as an independent planning consultant in Texas and Germany. Following work on the Australian Pavilion for the 1939 World’s Fair, Leipziger-Pearce was given the opportunity to develop a curriculum in city and regional planning at the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin. During his thirty-five year tenure, Leipziger-Pearce initiated the Program in Community and Regional Planning. From 1950-1951, the US State Department appointed him a "Special Consultant" to the US High Commissioner for the former American Zone in Germany. Correspondence, job files, printed material, maps, photographs, and audiovisual items chronicle the urban planning and academic careers of Hugo Leipziger-Pearce. For more information please see
the finding aid to the Hugo Leipziger-Pearce collection.
Reynell Parkins, born in Colon, Panama, was a lecturer and later a professor of architecture and planning at the University of Texas’ School of Architecture from 1968-1970. Following WWII, Parkins studied at New York University (NYU), NYU School of Law, and the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to teaching at UT and various other institutions, Parkins practiced criminal law for seven years. Parkins was the priest of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Corpus Christi, director of the 221-D-3 Housing Rent Supplement Project, and a member of the Human Relations Commission of Corpus Christi.
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