The Byrne Story

Since 1923, Byrne has been dedicated to excellence, quality, and service in construction. Over the course of our history, our people have been responsible for shaping a great deal of what Texas looks like today. Byrne is a leader in the industry as demonstrated by the numerous awards that have come our way. More than that, a great measure of our success is the relationships we have established with our many repeat clients and how successfully they operate in the projects we build.

While continuing to grow, we are proud to be a Texas builder shaping the communities in which we live and work.

How it Began

When Thomas Sneed Byrne announced the opening of his construction company in a small Fort Worth office 100 years ago, he wrote personal notes to each of his longtime friends and associates, promising that if given a construction job, he would surpass their expectations; a promise that guides Byrne Construction Services to this day.

Mr. Byrne’s small company completed its first milestone project in 1928 with Montgomery Ward’s Regional Headquarters. Byrne would go on to perform every major renovation and expansion in its history culminating with today’s Montgomery Plaza development and private residences. After weathering the Great Depression, Byrne continued to grow completing projects for Texas Christian University, American Airlines, Ben E. Keith, and the Amon G. Carter Foundation. During World War II, Byrne partnered with other local area construction companies to build large aviation production facilities for the United States Government to assist with the war effort.

World Class Quality

By the 60s, Byrne was renowned for quality and craftsmanship. These qualities enabled Byrne to work with Louis Kahn building the iconic Kimbell Art Museum and Philip Johnson on the Amon Carter Museum, both architectural masterpieces. The construction of the Kimbell culminated with receiving the inaugural Build America Award. This would be the first of many similar awards received by Byrne over the next few decades.

Our Modern Era

In 1995, John Avila, Jr. purchased the company from the 2nd generation of ownership. John’s professional career was dedicated to both construction and serving in the Army. This combined his talents for construction, a keen business sense, and strong leadership skills. Shortly after purchasing Byrne, John had a passion to expand the company to his hometown of San Antonio where he had built multiple landmarks throughout his career in the construction industry. By 1998, Byrne South Texas was open for business. John was successful in building on the rich heritage of Byrne, with its proven history and long standing reputation for quality and success. Long-lasting relationships were established, along with a deep-rooted family atmosphere that can be seen by employee and client alike.

Under his leadership Byrne diversified its pursuits and built strong portfolios in the aviation, municipal, healthcare, historic restoration, education, and high-end residential markets. An emphasis was placed on leading the way in technology with Byrne developing a robust in-house Virtual Design and Construction Department.

A Legacy of Award-Winning Construction

Additionally, Byrne’s reputation for quality continued to grow by winning a flood of national awards for projects including Rachofsky House, Lila Cockrell Theatre, Rough Creek Lodge, Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Montgomery Plaza Redevelopment, and Old Red Courthouse.

A Principled Future

In 2015, John Avila assumed the role of Chairman to guide the next generation of leadership. Although the technology and methods have changed in how we build world class buildings, we remain as focused as ever on our founding principles of excellence, quality, and service.

What Can We Do For You?

Whether you need a Construction Manager, General Contractor, or Design/Build partnerwe are fully capable of providing any delivery method required by an owner. 

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