We are a San Antonio story.
Alta Architects is a Texas based architecture firm that has designed some of the most transformational buildings and spaces in the state, including; home of the San Antonio Spurs – AT&T Center and the “Texas Highline” San Pedro Creek Culture Park. Founded in 1927, our firm is one of the largest minority-owned (MBE) design firms in Texas and is recognized for interpreting the vision of our clients through design, art, and culture.
Alta Architects enjoys a diverse design practice, which encompasses corporate, governmental, institutional, mixed-use development, multi-family housing, and educational work, with a distinct and energetic regional style that has emerged as a design presence in its own right. We have been recognized for our design excellence with more than 175 juried awards, which we see as the symbol of a successful collaboration with our clients.
Today, Alta Architects continues our distinguished 99-year architectural practice. While the firm has evolved over nine decades, our mission remains the same in our commitment to on-time, on-budget delivery, excellence in technical project management and a highly collaborative design process that reflects the hopes and aspirations of each community with which we work.
For over 99 years we have been creating buildings that inspire and connect people.
We may have changed our name, but we have never changed our passion!
1927: Eickenroht & Cocke
The firm began as a partnership between Marvin Eickenroht and Bartlett Cocke. Notable projects included the San Pedro Playhouse in 1929.
1931: Bartlett Cocke, Architects
The original partnership was dissolved when Bartlett Cocke wished to increase the firm’s staff and project size but Marvin Eickenroht wanted the firm remain small. During the Great Depression, as deputy district officer of West Texas of the Historic American Buildings Survey, Bartlett Cocke produced dozens of detailed measured drawings of pre-Civil War Texas structures for HABS. He subsequently designed houses in San Antonio and surrounding towns, deriving inspiration from vernacular Texas ranch houses and Greek Revival structures that he had encountered while working for HABS. These attracted widespread attention and were often featured in national architectural periodicals.
1936: Bartlett Cocke & Associates
The firm’s name changed again when Bartlett Cocke invited his long-term employees to share in the firm’s profits. In 1938, Bartlett Cocke and Associates was awarded its first major private commission, to design a distinctive, efficient, downtown department store for Joske’s of Texas on Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. The firm grew to include San Antonio public schools, industrial facilities and warehouses, office buildings, shopping centers, malls, and college and university campuses. Notable projects included the St. Mary’s Hall, the Witte Museum, the Frost Bank building, Freeman Coliseum (1947), Trinity Baptist Church (1950), Baptist Memorial Hospital, the North Star Mall, and the G Rollie White Coliseum (1954) for Texas A&M University. The firm helped master plan the South Texas Medical School in 1959. In 1948 the firm was awarded its first K-12 Education project from Alamo Heights ISD for a new High School.
1970: Bartlett Cocke & Associates, Inc.
Joint ventures with architect O’Neil Ford produced the master plan and all buildings for the campus of Trinity University from 1950 through 1981. The firm was incorporated in 1970 and became one of the first Texas architects to develop a plan for profit sharing for his employees. The firm was awarded several buildings for the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center throughout the 1970’s. In 1971 Bartlett Cocke and Associates supervised 13 firms, involving over 100 engineers, architects, and draftsmen, who worked together during the peak periods of plan production to complete the drawings for seven buildings on the University or Texas San Antonio main campus’ first construction phase. The Firm also completed projects for the University of Texas Austin, most notably the Perry–Castañeda Library in 1973.
1979: Chumney, Jones & Kell, Inc.
Bartlett Cocke decreased his involvement in the firm, and the five longest-tenured employees took control. The group decided to include only Patrick Swearingen Chumney, Carlos Jones (who joined the firm in 1962), and John Kell Jr’s names in the title of the firm. Bartlett Cocke retired from practice in 1981.
1983: Jones & Kell, Inc.
Patrick Chumney left the firm to start his own practice. The firm worked with Argentine architect Emilio Ambasz in 1982 on the San Antonio Botanical Garden Lucile Halsell Conservatory. In 1985 Jones & Kell work on the masterplan and development (11 buildings) for the new Palo Alto Community College Campus.
1993: Kell Muñoz Wigodsky, Inc.
Carlos Jones retired from the firm, and Henry R. Muñoz III and Dan Wigodsky joined John Kell Jr. as owners of the firm. In 1995, the firm in partnership with Saldaña & Associates was hired to master plan and design the first 2 buildings for the University of Texas San Antonio Downtown Campus. The firm also completed the first two phases of development for Texas A&M International, Laredo in a joint venture with Ford, Powell, and Carson, circa 1995. Muñoz, who had joined the firm in 1983 to bridge connections with San Antonio’s Latino community, became CEO in 1999 and drove a philosophical shift toward culturally sensitive designs emphasizing “Mestizo Regionalism”—an approach that integrates local social, historical, and cultural narratives, particularly for Hispanic and marginalized communities in Texas. This evolution positioned the firm to address urban revitalization needs, as seen in projects reconnecting Latino neighborhoods to city centers. Other significant projects included: Sea World of Texas, Fiesta Texas Theme Park, and the Bexar County Justice Center Phase 1.
2000: Kell Muñoz Architects, Inc.
Dan Wigodsky left the firm to start his own practice. The Firm in partnership with Lake Flato and Ellerbe Becket was hired to design the new home of the San Antonio Spurs, The SBC Center (Frost Bank Center) in 2000. In 2001 the firm is awarded the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion, and Grand Hyatt Hotel. John Kell Jr. retires in 2008 and Kell Munoz leads the restoration/renovation of Our Lady of The Lake University Main Building after a major fire.
2013: Muñoz & Company, Inc.
Henry R. Muñoz III takes a majority ownership in the firm and changes the name to Muñoz & Company, inc. The new firm focuses on design that interprets culture. The firm was awarded the first two buildings for the New Texas A&M University San Antonio (Frank Madla Multipurpose Building in 2010, and The Central Academic Building in 2012). In 2017, the firm completes a study for the San Pedro Creek and is awarded the subsequent Master Plan and Phase 1 development.
2020: Alta Architects
The firm is rebranded as Alta Architects following Muñoz’s retirement, with principals Geoff Edwards, Rob Reiter, and Randy Hohalaus assuming leadership. Joined by Christopher Sanchez the firm preserves its minority-owned status.
Our transformation means that our experienced team will focus ever more keenly on what we know best, delivering excellence in architectural design and outcomes with care, sympathy, and expertise to your project. The existing leadership team continues as principals in the new firm, to provide the same client focused design solutions and experienced management to our clients. We remain one of the largest minority and locally owned architectural firms in the State of Texas, consistently recognized by our peers as design award recipients, executing meaningful architectural design in San Antonio and throughout the State.