Douglas Newby Insights - Page 45
Texas Porch in a City
The upcoming Thursday conversation about architects Pratt, Box and Henderson, Shaping Dallas Architecture, has me thinking about James Pratt and his contribution to architecture. The home pictured in the Bluffview neighborhood of Dallas is an architecturally significant home that I enthusiastically described in my TEDx talk, Homes That Make Us Happy, advocating the importance of architects. This mid-century Texas modern home was built behind a ravine which led James Pratt to design a footbridge over the ravine to long porches wrapping around the house and ascending to the roof where one would enter the front door and descend into the living room. James Pratt and his firm approached the City in the same way he approached a residential site, cognizant of protecting and accentuating the environment and bringing joy to the inhabitants for decades. Think what it would be like if we had a highway instead of Turtle Creek Boulevard linking Highland Park to downtown Dallas and dozens of other contributions long-forgotten or unrecognized. This will be a fascinating and important conversation.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shaping-dallas-architecture-the-legacy-of-pratt-box-and-henderson-tickets-45570714233
#architect #architecturallysignificant #architecture #texas #modern #midcenturymodern #texasmodern #historic #preservation #design #porch #dallas #photography #city #neighborhood #bluffview #cityplanning #design #aiadallas #dallasarchitects #HomesThatMakeUsHappy #landscape #Greenspace #texas #trees #docomomo
Estate Home Overlooking White Rock Lake
White Rock Lake offers very few estate properties, but the sites here are some of the best in the City. These lots have accentuated the architectural design of homes by Frank Welch and the recent architecturally significant modern homes designed at the lake by Cliff Welch @welch_architecture and around the point by Jason and Signe Smith @Smitharc Architects. These architect-designed homes have interior and exterior spaces overlooking the lake. The property in this video on a hill at the top of a finger peninsula has the most dramatic views at the lake. This site allows a home to look out over four acres of the terraced landscape designed by landscape architect David Hocker @HockerDesignGroup and further enhanced by the design of landscape architect David Rolston @DallasGardens and with a 270º view of White Rock Lake. One enjoys watching the sailboats, kayaks, rowers, and cyclists riding by. White Rock Lake in Lakewood, five miles from downtown, is the best known place in Dallas and the best kept secret.
#WhiteRockLake #PathtoTrinityGroves #SantaFeTrail #Luxury #LuxuryHomes #Estate #Home #ArchitecturallySignificant #Architecture #Architect #CorinthianSailingClub #Dallashome #DallasArboretum #Rowing #Cycling #City #Lake #LakeHome #Fishing #Lawn #Landscape #Sailing #Sailboats #Lakewood #HomesThatMakeUsHappy #Neighborhood #realestate @davidhalloran
Mayor and Morning News Massage Dallas
The rooftop terrace of the new Dallas Morning News headquarters originally designed by George Dahl, brought into focus the old City Hall building pictured behind Dallas Morning News publisher Jim Moroney. The clear view of this ornate building flooded me with memories. My most vivid memory from the time I was a recent graduate of SMU was often roaming the floors of old City Hall visiting mayor Robert Folsom, City Council members, or City Hall beat reporters, Hank Tatum and Kit Bauman. Then, on the same trip downtown, proceeding to the Dallas Morning News Building on Young Street to roam those floors to speak with editors and reporters of different departments on the single family rezoning and revitalization progress of Munger Place and Old East Dallas. Oh, the advantage of an era with virtually unlimited and unsecured access along with the naiveté of one being in their early 20s when the idea of protocol for waiting for an invitation to visit was not yet comprehendible. The Dallas Morning News reporting and their editorial positions, along with the support from Mayor Folsom, were the two overriding reasons the largest rezoning in Dallas history was successful. Rezoning 2000 properties, mostly apartments to single family zoning, laid the foundation for a billion dollars of renovation and new construction in this 100-block neighborhood of Dallas. This restoration area is now comprised of three historic districts: Munger Place, Jefferson Peak, and Junius Heights. Jim Moroney and the extended family retain controlling interest of the Dallas Morning News. The talented editors and reporters and directors continue to have the greatest positive influence on the future of Dallas. #dmn #dallasmorningnews #city #cityhall #dallas #architect #architecture #architecturephotography #zoning #cityplanning #downtown #rooftop #newspaper #publisher #breakfastgroup #oldcityhall #city #cityscape #citizen #historic #historicpreservation #landmark #revitalize #historicalbuilding #historical #mungerplace #juniusheights #jeffersonpeak
Club House Hidden in Trinity Forest
Most golf courses have stands of trees and are surrounded by unsightly freeways. Not this one. Defying the most ambitious imagination, Jonas Woods, Ron Spears with Mayor Mike Rawlins, the Dallas City Council, AT&T, SMU, Dallas golfers, patrons, and the PGA, collaborated to create a link style golf course not just out of thin air but on a field of an environmental war zone in the middle of a 6000-acre forest. Here there are no trees on the course allowing one to see an inner perimeter of the forest in every direction. Mark Finley, the celebrated architect and recent author of Country Houses: The Architecture of Mark P. Finlay, designed an inspired clubhouse nestled into the trees of the forest with first floor, second floor and rooftop terraces serving as a grandstand for PGA tournaments or watching friends finish their round of golf. From these terraces, one’s first impression is the picture of the golf course. An even more compelling picture is looking at the golf course as foreground and seeing a 360º picture of the Trinity Forest. It is hard to imagine a 6000-acre forest; however, being able to look across the rolling meadows of this golf course, seeing a forest in every direction, can give an exhilarating hint of the natural majesty of the Trinity Forest. Mark Finlay is an award-winning architect who trained with celebrated modernist Eero Saarinen, who continued his work refining the classic proportions of New England and explored warm modern design. Here in the Trinity Forest, he responded to the flatness of the site and the surround of trees with open and glassed walls that allow club members to move gracefully from the inside to outside spaces, which visually relate to the golf course and environment. The trees pictured above are looking back at the forest from the interior spaces and terrace. From these same spaces, the forward uninterrupted view of the entire golf course and inner perimeter of the Trinity Forest is captured. Here the clubhouse hidden in the forest is on a very tight three-acre site, but once inside the clubhouse there is a feeling that it is on a 6000-acre site.
#TrinityForest #golfclub #trees #dallas #architecture
Another Dallas Emerges
A flag is planted in the Trinity Forest on the eve of the Byron Nelson. In the undiscovered or long forgotten southeast quadrant of Dallas, in the middle of an enormous 6000-acre forest, along the Trinity River, abused land has been reclaimed for an undulating meadow and groomed lawn for a link style golf course designed by #cooreandcrenshaw Hundreds of thousands of people will arrive this week for the Salesmanship Club supported AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament and millions more will see on television this discovered destination only six miles from downtown Dallas. This event is more than a ribbon-cutting at the first tee. It opens up a whole new territory of Dallas with its greatest natural assets, a great hardwood forest and the Trinity River. Without annexing any additional land, the City and the Trinity Forest Golf Club is expanding the boundary of Dallas. View of course and forest is from club house designed by @mpfarchitects
#SalesmanshipClub #TrinityForest #TrinityRiver #BenCrenshaw #attbyronnelson #DallasCityCouncil #pgatour #landfill #reclaim #LinkStyle #Golf #GolfCourse Tournament #ByronNelson #Grandstand #Terrace #Twilight #Dallas #DowntownDallas #Park #City #Forest #Greenspace #MPFArchitects
Geometric building blocks
Much of Dallas is built block by block, one block at a time. However, we think of downtown Dallas as a collection of Pritzker prize-winning architect-designed buildings proliferating in the Arts District, international architects that designed buildings in the 1980s, progressive modern buildings in the 1950s, like where the new AIA Dallas headquarters will be located, and ornate modern buildings in the early 1900s. The geometric shaped blocks of buildings create value. They are the architectural landscape that allows us to visually relax as we wait for the next dynamic design to stimulate and excite us. #architecture #aiadallas #pathtotrinitygroves #architecturephotography #architect #modern #city #cityscape #cityphotography #dallas #buildings #downtown #block #parking #urban #downtown #development #pattern
Joy of improving neighborhood
One knows a neighborhood has improved when it brings joy to a couple who grew up in Highland Park. For a couple that has owned homes in the nicest environments—an architect-designed home in Telluride, an architecturally significant historic home in Highland Park, and a mountain home in Santa Fe, and familiar with vibrant and prestigious spots around the world— Urbano on Fitzhugh in the heart of Old East Dallas can provide joy and great fun to this couple with exquisite taste. It is incredible how even long-held impressions of a neighborhood that at one time had declined to become one of the worst has now become replaced with thoughts of a happy destination to visit or live. Now even the most discerning enjoy Old East Dallas’ return to civility and conviviality. #architect #neighborhood #dallas #eastdallas #architecture #city #urban #restaurant #friends #ruinart #revitalize #transformstion #couple #glamour #fun #city #downtown #santafetrail #pathtotrinitygroves
Homes have tradition
People love homes that have tradition. A tree, a porch, a creek, a path, or a park across the street might invoke a tradition. In Dallas, one can have a horse for every acre of land. This allowed Ross Perot for years to ride his horse along White Rock Creek behind his house in Preston Hollow. Other families ride at their country homes. And still others, like me, occasionally get to enjoy well groomed trails found @John Sebastian Walnut Creek Farm. This day I was celebrating the 70th anniversary of @Sebastian Construction Group. This incredible company has made the greatest contribution to building or renovating significant architect-designed homes in Dallas and many others around the country. It is fun when a family shares their traditions with guests. #walnutcreekfarm #home #texas #celebration #architect #architect #contractor #dallas #horsetrailer #horse #fun #friends #picnic
Paths and Parking
Trails are flourishing and parking garages are shriveling. We should enjoy a sentimental view of parking garages before they disappear because of autonomous transportation, and less fixed destination alternatives. Increased walking, biking, and alternative transportation will take place on enhanced paths and trails like Katy Trail pictured here. Storing cars in massive above-ground garages will become things of the past. #katytrail #paths #bikepath #biketrail #walk #urban #urbanscape #urbantrail #pathtotrinitygroves #parking #parkinggarage #cityplanning #autonomous #citytransport #dallas #turtlecreek #downtown #cityscape #aiadallas #aia #architecture #architect #future #architecturephotography
Collecting Art and Memories
Reflections was written by Margaret McDermott and her friend and esteemed art historian, Rick Brettell. It contains adventure, history, art, personal relationships, an approach to collecting art that is compelling and, foremost, a love story. This book was written to be released upon her death. How lucky Dallas and the world are to have this book that illuminates the art that made Mrs. McDermott happy for so many years. We discussed that when these paintings moved to the Dallas Museum of Art, visitors will still be able to feel her gaze and energy in these paintings. #mcdermott #dma #art #book #artbook #impressionism #impressionist #dallas #dallasarchitecture #home #memoir #collection #artcollector #artcollection #highlandpark #margaretmcdermott #collecting #arthistory #home #reflections #homesthatmakeushappy