The History of Horn Drafting & CAD Center

The Horn Drafting & CAD (Computer Aided Design) Center has its roots in a school opened by Raymond J. Horn in Birmingham, Alabama in 1958.

Mr. Horn began teaching a few students Basic and several types of advanced drafting. He was a successful engineer who was experienced in structural design, naval architecture, and a number of drafting disciplines. He was a good teacher who stressed quality in one’s work, and he cared about his student’s success.

In June 1966, a branch school was opened in Houston, Texas as a franchise. The owners included the late Hal Childers and Dr. H. M. Landrum, a former superintendent of Spring Branch Independent School District. In December of 1967, the Horn family bought the school and in January 1970 Anthony W. Horn became sole owner.

In October 2014 Joseph J. Dixon, who is the Director and Owner of the school and is in charge of all management and instruction, purchased the school. He has 30+ years of experience in drafting and design with particular emphases in piping design. He was the author of the current generation of CADWorx® design software being taught at the school.

In 1982, the Horn Drafting & CAD Center was Houston’s first school to offer Computer Aided Design courses to the public. The school has used a variety of CAD systems since that time, and it presently specializes in AutoCAD, the most widely used system in the world today. For the piping course, the school uses CADWorx Plant Professional software, which runs with AutoCAD, and is an advanced piping system used by many engineering firms.