50 years of GiSOLFi: the guadalupe center
1979-1985
kerrvile, texas
In honor of GiSOLFi’ s fiftieth anniversary, we are highlighting past projects that have been part of our identity as architects and have Peter Gisolfi’s passion embedded in the fabric of the design.
The Guadalupe Center in Kerrville, Texas was the first project that pushed Peter Gisolfi Associates out of the realm of residential architecture. As our first hospitality project in 1979, it was among the first projects which highlighted the importance of integrating landscape and architecture during the design process. The Guadalupe center is a resort located on an 8-acre site, along the Guadalupe River. The project included 180 guest room apartments suites, garage parking and a waterfront recreation area with a pool, tennis courts, marina and restaurant pavilion.
“Our purpose, after all, is only to find the clues, to find the method for putting the right building in the right place in the landscape…”
“The design of the Guadalupe Center transforms an inward-looking courtyard scheme into an outward-looking series of buildings and open spaces that engage the broader landscape of the Guadalupe River Valley. The placement of the buildings defines a path from the preexisting inn to the waterfront recreation area. The buildings and landscapes use the motifs of southwest Texas — limestone, buff-colored masonry, clay tile, and trellises — to define an interconnected series of formal and informal outdoor spaces that descend gracefully from the level of the inn down 30 feet to the river and its unique landscape below.”
–Peter Gisolfi, Finding the Place of Architecture in the Landscape
