I was doing some cruising around a while back and happened upon what is now the TAMU University Services Building (USB) at 3801 Harvey Road. In case you aren't familiar, it's a HUGE yellow warehouse type building that's hidden away from the road and sits between Harvey and University Dr. East. The only entrance that I believe stays open is on University E. despite the address being on Harvey.

Anyway, I got to exploring this place some and it's interesting in a somewhat mysterious way. It's obviously a building that isn't being used how it was originally designed. There are tons of loading dock doors, yet A&M is using it for offices and an ecological catalog/collection. So after doing some research, I found out that it was once a Texas Instruments facility.

So my question for you folks is... What's the history behind TI occupying this location? When did they come here and when did they leave? And when did A&M move in and take over? ...I'm curious. Thanks!

I bet fossil would know. Has anyone heard how he is doing?

When I was a freshman (94), you could cut through the old TI road between Harvey and Univ. It was TAMU property then, but no gates. I don't recall when the locked gate went up. I also seem to recall the city using the site for hazardous waste disposal day not too long ago.

TAMU (allegedly) acquired the faciity through a realtor that was married to the TAMU VP of Finance and Administration. It was a white elephant then and set virtually unused for years.

While they were building the Bush 41 library they stored a lot of the material and exhibits out there.

don't know much about the history of the building but in the wooded area between the building and harvey there are a bunch of old nature trails and tamu signs. I don't know when it was last used but all the grass is grown up and there is still some campus emergency phones out there.

Alright, I did some more digging and came up with a bit more information on what the facility is currently being used for. Still needing info on the history of the site pre-TAMU. Anyway...

The bulk of the warehouse building appears to be allocated to the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection which has been there since 1993. I guess TI must have gone away a LONG time ago if the TCWC was already in the building by 93. Anyway, the TCWC is evidently a huge collection of wildlife specimens from around Texas (and the world). Their website is located here: http://www.wfsc.tamu.edu/TCWC/tcwc.htm

Also in the building is the S.M. Tracy Herbarium. The term "herbarium" was new to me but it refers to a collection of plant specimens. Their website is here: http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taes/tracy/home.html

The nature trails that Cimedawg05 mentioned are the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection Nature Trails and I'm assuming that they're still open to the public. According to this website, the nature trail area "includes 52 plant ID stations, a bird blind, bat boxes and an outdoor classroom."

And lastly, the only other entity that I'm aware of existing in the current building is the TAMU Magnetic Resonance Systems Lab (AKA Magnet Lab). Their website is located at: http://www.ece.tamu.edu/~mrsl/index.htm

Other than these different departments being in the building, there are bunch of discarded objects lying around the outside of the building such as AC units, generators, research vessels, old vehicles, etc. It's really quite strange.

Anybody know when TI moved into and out of the facility, and the whole story behind that?

[This message has been edited by AggiePhil (edited 1/17/2009 9:17p).]

You are generally correct, the current Univ Services Bldg is on about 55 acres and supports TAMUS teaching and research functions, including the wildlife trails south of the building. The Bush artifacts were never stored there; however, they were stored at the Chimney Hill facility which was recently purchased by the city for a convention center.

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The Bush artifacts were never stored there; however, they were stored at the Chimney Hill facility which was recently purchased by the city for a convention center.

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On a sidenote, where exactly is the Chimney Hill facility?

The shopping center on University where Chimey Hill Florist and the CVB are located.

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Has anyone heard how he is doing?

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He posted on the prayers for fossil thread on Ao a couple of days ago. He said that he isn't doing well.

Texas Instruments built the building in the late '70s and closed it in the early to mid '80s. The land to the east where Crescent Pointe is, was also owned by TI. A&M bought around '89 or so and only about 55 acres with the building.

How sad. I shall keep fossil in my thoughts.

I was able to find the acquisition date of the property...6/20/1990.
Got it off this report.

The land west of the TI building where the new north entrance of Vetrans park is off of University is sitting where a lake/pond used to be. I think they dug it out for hwy 6 construction.

On a sidenote, where exactly is the Chimney Hill facility?
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Before it was Chimney Hill it was the site of FED-MART. Fed Mart was an early version of Sam's. It was a national chain.

What Mapquest calls "Tarrow St. East was known as Fed Mart St. It had that name even after they went out of business.

TI was among the early battles of Bryan vs. College Station. Bryan was the power in the area and CS was virtually ignored by Bryan. CS had the rights to sell TI electricity but BISD got the school taxes.

Bryan didn't really care because there was an oil boom in the Austin Chalk, mostly on Bryanites property. I remember an oil well, north of Bryan Municipal Golf course, that made a lot of people rich.

Post Oak Mall picked CS over Bryan.

Westinghouse also chose CS to build classified electonics for the B 1 (of perhaps it was the B 2) bomber for the Air Force. This started the rapid growth of CS and Bryan began to spiral downward.

Westinghouse and TI (recession of 1982, 83 and 84)later bailed but CS was on its way.

TI was still operating in that location from 84-86. The date of actual closing, I do not know.

I also know there is a NASA/Space Testing & Research facility in part of that building. I can't remember the real name.

Where exactly is A&M's Chimney Hill facility? I know the Chimney Hill shopping center but...that obviously isn't it. Right?

My dad worked at TI in probably the late 70's or early 80's. I know he left there before it closed to work as a prof. at A&M because he knew TI was going to shut down. I'll see if I can get more info from him today at lunch.

Phil-The things for the Library were stored in the old Chimney Hill bowling alley. I think there is a night club there now, maybe a steak house. Same shopping center as Red Cross (across the street from Golden Corral and west of the Hilton).

Alot of the weird looking mechanical parts that are currently on the USB property are from the failed "superconducting supercollider" that was supposed to be built in Waxacahacie,TX before congress killed it.

chimney hill is where the new CS convention center is going to be

I got to tour the Chimney Hill facility when the Bush archives and artifacts were housed during the library construction. They were stored in what, I believe, used to be a bowling alley. It was neat seeing some of those items up close before they were put on display.

The "NASA/Space Testing & Research facility" is the Spacecraft Technology Center (stc.tamu.edu), and is partnered with the Aerospace Engineering Department.

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And lastly, the only other entity that I'm aware of existing in the current building is the TAMU Magnetic Resonance Systems Lab (AKA Magnet Lab). Their website is located at: http://www.ece.tamu.edu/~mrsl/index.htm

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Back in grad school, I had a few friends that worked there. I would go out there every few so often and walk around the facility. It was like a giant warehouse of equipment that was acquired from the Superconducting Super Collider. A&M acquired a ton of equipment from SSC when it got canceled and most of it went out there.

http://propaccess.trueautomation.com/clientdb/Property.aspx?prop_id=10546

This is from the apprasial district website.

Well it doesn't seem to want to work. It is property number 10546 if you go to www.brazoscad.org and do a property search using that property id number.

It says the building was built in 1980.

[This message has been edited by TLIAC (edited 1/19/2009 8:40p).]

[This message has been edited by TLIAC (edited 1/19/2009 8:42p).]

I just noticed this thread. The TI plant assembled the Texas Instruments Professional Computer. TI closed several plants that year and moved the assembly elsewhere.

This may be the thread resurrection of the decade. Congrats. Remember it making TI PCs in the 80s.

Any relation to UCS ??? I remember working at that place. It was a hoot. Really great stories I can't post on here.

16 years. Nice. Is this where they hazardous material disposal event is held?

It is!