Family-Built. Future-Focused.
Our founder, Joe Vaughn, believed in solving problems, earning trust, and doing the right thing. Decades later, we are still a family-owned company guided by those same values. While the tools have changed, we remain committed to building with integrity, leading with respect, and delivering work we are proud to stand behind. From our earliest projects to today’s most complex facilities, our story is built into everything we build.
Vaughn Construction carries forward a legacy of craftsmanship that spans three generations, and continues to evolve for the future.
1960s: A Legacy Begins
Joseph T. Vaughn follows his father's and grandfather's footsteps and starts work at age 12.
1988: The Birth of Vaughn Construction
Joe Vaughn founded Vaughn Construction with a focus on excellence, urgency, and respect. His approach helped shift the industry toward performance-based contractor selection.
1988: First Project - Hutcheson Medical Center
Vaughn selected as general contract for a new MRI unit.
1990: First MRI Installation in Texas Medical Center
Vaughn delivers a complex MRI installation within the basement level of an active hospital, engineering new structural steel framing to support the equipment’s extraordinary weight and incorporating low‑background steel to eliminate any risk of radiation interference, all executed within the constraints of an existing facility to enhance clinical capabilities and patient care.
1991: Our First Multi-Story Concrete Structure
Vaughn completes the interior build out of the seven story Shriners Hospital for Children - Galveston. The project presented major challenges because the seventh floor was already formed as a lab space when the Owner directed the team to replace it with a stair step auditorium and a kitchen. Vaughn removed the trench drains and all reinforcing steel already in place, salvaged as much material as possible, and reconstructed the floor to meet the new configuration.
1992: Opened Bryan-College Station Office
Vaughn opens its Bryan-College Station office, strengthening our ability to serve higher education clients and support academic projects throughout the region.
1993: Establishing Our Expertise in Complex Healthcare Renovations
Vaughn renovated the exterior, ground, first levels, and interior lobby area of the main entry and pavilion of UTMB's Waverley Smith building, one of the oldest facilities on campus at the time. The age of the facility presented multiple complexities with MEP and elevations which our team problem-solved. This was our first project for the University of Texas System, and it paved the way for our longstanding relationships with UT and with the design team.
1995: First Major Project as General Contractor
Vaughn completes University of Houston-Downtown's Academic Student Services Building, a 149,000 SF expansion to a 1920s building. The work was complex, spanning the Buffalo Bayou, sitting beside Interstate 10, and built directly over an active Union Pacific rail line carrying 24 trains a day.
1996: First Major Project in San Antonio
Vaughn delivered a major expansion of UT San Antonio’s University Center, a 105,000 SF poured‑in‑place concrete structure with structural steel framing at the roof and window wall. The project surrounded all sides of the existing facility and included significant rock excavation.
1996: Building Momentum: Healthcare, Higher Education, and Research Excellence
Vaughn becomes a trusted name in complex projects by building on Joe Vaughn’s reputation for integrity and problem‑solving, adopting a performance‑based approach ahead of industry trends, and developing expertise in healthcare, higher education, and research facilities.
1997: A Defining Early Healthcare Win
We were given a chance to take over a major project after St. Joseph Rehabilitation Hospital in Bryan learned their contractor was millions over budget and could not meet the critical Medicare reimbursement deadline. Desperate, the architect reached out to three contractors for a second opinion, asking for a new price and schedule in just two weeks, with hourly compensation to get it done.
1999: Opened Texas Medical Center Office
Vaughn opens its office in the Texas Medical Center, having served the area since 1988.
2000: Vaughn Builds Corporate Office
Vaughn builds its corporate office in the Westpark area, supporting our continued growth and enhancing our ability to meet client needs.
2000: First Major Hospital in San Antonio
We were initially awarded only the surgical tower, but after selection we negotiated the adjacent children’s center expansion, a nearby diabetes and glandular disease clinic, and a linear accelerator addition. The children’s center expansion added four floors atop an occupied one‑story building, requiring structural modifications and phased renovations that maintained continuous operation.
2001: Solidifying Our Self-Perform Expertise
Hines hired Vaughn to expand the 1100 Smith parking garage in downtown Houston, a tight urban site with no laydown area and constant traffic. Our work included selective demolition of an existing five‑story office building, construction of a new 13‑level cast‑in‑place garage, and adding two floors to the adjacent structure. Vaughn self‑performed all concrete work, maintaining quality and control while the existing garage remained fully operational throughout construction.
2003: Building One of the Largest High School Campuses in Texas
We delivered a new 490,000 SF high school for Pasadena ISD, designed for 3,000 students and built on an 87‑acre site with protected wetlands. The facility incorporates longhorn‑themed, western design elements honoring J. Frank Dobie and includes academic, athletic, and vocational wings, specialized labs, a field house, and full outdoor athletic facilities.
2003: Opened Lubbock Office
Vaughn opens a new office in the Lubbock area to better serve our clients.
2004: Establishing Our Biocontainment Expertise
UTMB entrusts Vaughn with its first biosafety level‑4 laboratory, an addition built on a tight site between two occupied buildings on Galveston Island. The project involved extreme logistical challenges, from limited space and hard‑to‑access resources to housing redundant MEP systems in a confined footprint.
2006: Flagship Facility for Texas' Growing Academic Needs
Vaughn served as the general contractor for a 10‑story, 202,000‑SF academic building featuring administrative and auditorium space on the first floor, four levels of classrooms, and two floors of faculty and university offices. The project was built concurrently with an adjacent 1,119‑car parking garage for Houston Methodist Hospital, requiring close coordination and sequencing.
2006: Growth in San Antonio
Vaughn opens an office in San Antonio to continue serving our clients.
2006: Moved Texas Medical Center Office
Vaughn moves its Texas Medical Center office from a trailer to a building to better serve clients in the area.
2006: Landmark Project for Harris County
Vaughn completes the 20-story, 660,000 SF courthouse despite extremely tight site conditions. The landmark facility features a three-story atrium, 15 elevators, and a striking 120-foot dome, and is seamlessly connected to the downtown tunnel system for improved accessibility.
2010: Opened Dallas-Fort Worth Office
Vaughn opens an office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to serve our higher education and healthcare clients.
2011: Historic Renovation for Harris County
Vaughn restored the 146,000 SF century-old civil courthouse to its original 1910 condition. Construction included extensive asbestos and lead paint abatement, demolition of concrete and steel, and restoration of existing elements within the building.
2014: Opens Austin Office
Vaughn opens an office in Austin to serve our clients in the civic market.
2015: Redevelopment of One of the Largest Stadiums in College Football History
Vaughn redeveloped Texas A&M's historic Kyle Field through extensive structural upgrades and new podium seating expansions. The project included full replacement of the west stands, new suites and loge boxes, major south and east side renovations, improved egress, and amenity-rich concourses. The field was lowered and repositioned to enhance sightlines and accommodate additional seating, transforming the stadium into a modern, high‑capacity venue while preserving its iconic character.
2018: Opens Rio Grande Valley Office
Vaughn opens its office in the Rio Grande Valley region to better serve our healthcare and higher education clients.
2020: Completed One of the Largest Patient Towers in the Texas Medical Center
Vaughn completes a 1.6 million SF, 18-story patient tower in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, seamlessly integrating the first four levels with the existing hospital and adding a nine-story, 968-space garage to elevate patient care and operational efficiency.
2021: Major Milestone on UTRGV School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences
Vaughn celebrated a major milestone with the topping out of the Institute of Neurosciences, a facility designed to advance medical education and strengthen collaboration among healthcare professionals. The project included the university’s first MRI room, equipped with one of the most advanced MRI systems and lighting control environments in South Texas.
2021: Bryan-College Station Office Moves
Vaughn moves its Bryan-College Station office to the historic Bowie School, breathing new life into a 100-year-old building once slated for demolition.
2022: Major Milestone Achieved on TxDOT's Stassney Campus
Vaughn delivers a 131,000 SF, mission‑critical operations facility for TxDOT’s Stassney Campus, combining a high‑bay warehouse with specialized print and traffic lab spaces, advanced 71,000 CFM mechanical systems, and robust life‑safety and emergency‑power infrastructure to elevate statewide operational capacity.
2023: Topping Out of a Major Patient Tower Expansion in Dallas
Vaughn tops out at a major multi-story patient tower expansion in Dallas, which increases critical care capacity and unifies advanced specialty services across the campus. The project enhanced emergency, surgical, and imaging capabilities while introducing new specialty floors and rooftop helipads, all executed within an active healthcare environment that required precise coordination, phased construction, and close collaboration with multiple hospital stakeholders.
2024: Major Facility Within a Highly Coordinated, Multi‑Owner Campus
Vaughn constructs a 259,000 SF research facility to bring together public entities with private industry partners for scientific breakthroughs. The building serves as the centerpiece of the new TMC3 campus, which features a series of large-scale projects that Vaughn constructed concurrently. Our efforts required seamless coordination across multiple ownership groups, overlapping schedules, and shared resources.
2025: Opened Kansas Office
Vaughn opens its office in Topeka, Kansas to better serve our growing clientele in the region.