Douglas Newby Insights - Page 9
Preservation Step Four
Interior designer Michael Lee recently mentioned to me that he always tries to find an old photograph, preferably black and white, of a historic home to show the original essence of the home when he meets with a client to discuss saving and renovating it. The reason for this is the original design, unencumbered by decades of modifications or landscaping grown out or proportion, provides a more compelling appreciation of the home. In my blog series, Preservation Five Steps for Saving Homes, I discuss in Preservation Step Three that at the beginning of my career my first transaction was negotiating 22 options on divided-up rent houses for the Historic Dallas Fund, which included the home pictured. The fund would re-sell these homes to homeowners who would return them to single-family. It was thought impossible to sell these divided-up rent houses, with 30 bad weekly tenants in a bad Dallas neighborhood, to a homebuyer. My solution was to retain an architect to draw a floorplan of the home reflecting the home when it was originally single-family, before it had four kitchens and bathrooms in the living room. This prompted me to continue to create floorplans even a decade later when I began selling some of the most beautiful homes in Highland Park and other parts of Dallas. I was the first Dallas realtor to create floorplans for listings, now it is standard practice for realtors. Also, I had an architect create a pen-and-ink drawing of the home, stripping away the deterioration, the three front doors, and adding back the original porch that might have been eliminated or closed in.
In Preservation Step Four of the blog series, I discussed how for the home pictured—one of the original Historic Dallas Fund houses—I had a contractor provide a bid to renovate the home back to single-family. It was subsequently renovated and actually resold eight years later for the same price as a larger brick Swiss Avenue home. A family has enjoyed raising their children in this Munger Place home originally destined for demolition.
*Preservation Step Four
#SavingHomes #Preservation #InteriorDesigner #Architect #Architecture #Dallas #Neighborhood #HistoricHomes #mungerplace
Preservation Step Three
Preservation Step Two—contacting and cultivating owners of historic and architecturally significant homes will save homes from being torn down. The home pictured is owned by sophisticated homeowners that are professional and amateur historians. They have a great affection and appreciation for the architecture and history of this home designed by architect David Williams. For many years they have had in place a plan to sell the home with architectural deed restrictions that will protect the home from being torn down.
Preservation Step Three of saving homes is having architects and interior designers create a vision for a home like this renovation that captures the original architect’s intent as if he were designing the home today. I recently posted on my blog all five preservation steps of saving homes. * Preservation Step Three
#SavingHomes #Preservation #DavidWilliams #Architect #Architecture #InteriorDesigner #OldEastDallas #Dallas #DallasNeighborhoods #HistoricHome #WhilshireHeights #Renovation
Preservation Step Two
After identifying historic and architecturally significant homes, the next step is contacting the owners and working with them to develop a preservation strategy for their home. In 1995, very few people were aware of the Crespi Estate–out of sight, out of mind. Virtually no one, including Dallas architectural historians, knew that the architect was Maurice Fatio of Treanor & Fatio, one of the most important architects in the country in the 1920s and 1930s. Since this historic and architecturally significant home was on 20 acres in Mayflower Estates hidden from the street, it was destined to be torn down for a housing development. I was introduced to Mr. Robert Wigley, the son of Florence Crespi and trustee of the family holdings. Bob Wigley had been Vice Chairman of E.F. Hutton and continued to be an accomplished money manager for many prominent families. Mr. Wigley was very receptive to a plan to preserve the Crespi Estate after his mother’s death. We put in place a plan to find the right buyer to preserve the home and even the eventual sales contract had deed restrictions that prevented the property from being divided for some period of time. I will be eternally grateful for my opportunity to work with Robert Wigley, an incredibly smart and honorable man. I will also always be grateful that Mr. Wigley saved the home with the preservation plans we put in place. While some of the property has now been divided, the Crespi Estate survives. My work with the late Mr. Wigley on this very complex transaction is my favorite collaboration. You can read more about preservation Step Two in my blog article, Five Steps of Saving Homes.
*Preservation Step Two
#RobertWigley #FlorenceCrespi #HistoricHome #CrespiEstate #SavingHomes #Preservation #ArchitecturallySignificantHome #MauriceFatio #Dallas #DallasNeighborhood #CurbAppeal #Architect #Architecture #MayflowerEstates
First Preservation Step
Cities that have a tremendous influx of homebuyers moving in from other states are the most apt to suffer from an acceleration of historic and architecturally significant homes torn down. However, any village, town or city can take proactive steps to preserve their layered architectural lineage that gives depth, history and forward momentum to their community. My recent blog article, Five Preservation Steps to Saving Historic and Architecturally Significant Homes, provides proactive ways to save homes. The Hal Thomson architect-designed home pictured is on Swiss Avenue where Dallas took its first step in saving homes. *First Preservation Step
#Preservation #SavingHomes #HistoricHome #HalThomsonArchitect #HighlandPark #SwissAvenue #DallasNeighborhood #ArchitecturallySignificantHome #HistoricDistrict #mungerplace
Triple Crown
Here is a historic home that is a Triple Crown winner of Dallas historic and architecturally significant home recognition. In 1997, the Dallas Chapter of AIA selected this 1915 historic home built for the first SMU Bishop as a 50 Significant Home. In 2008, Willis Winters, Virginia McAlester, and Prudence Mackintosh selected this historic home as one of the homes they featured in Great American Suburbs: The Homes of the Park Cities, Dallas. And now Preservation Park Cities has selected this historic home at 3444 University Boulevard as one of the Top Ten homes to save in the Park Cities. Maybe the greatest distinction this University Park home has received is that it is part of SMU English Professor Bonnie Wheeler’s book she wrote, The Block Book: HISTORY AND RECOLLECTIONS OF THE 3400 BLOCK OF UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD. In this book, the home at 3444 University Boulevard and its history is recounted as is the history of every home on the block. The late Gloria Wise, the former Executive Director of the Dallas Chapter of AIA first brought my attention to this home as she and her husband had restored it and wanted to preserve it in the future. They found the perfect buyer, their son! Their son Philip Wise has done a beautiful job further restoring and preserving the home. This is another preservation success story. *Triple Crown
#Preservation #ParkCities #UniversityPark #Dallas #SMU #Historic #DallasNeighborhood #UniversityParkNeighborhood #HistoricHome #TheBlockBook #UniversityBoulevard
Fresh Look
This image of the C.D. Hill architect-designed Dallas Municipal Building gives us a fresh look at Dallas—past and present. Here is an architecturally significant downtown Dallas building that we have all been to but seldom see. The current side entrance distracts us from seeing this fabulous building which exemplifies the architectural chops of architect C.D. Hill. Downtown buildings like this one built in 1914 mark the establishment of Dallas as an important city. It also marks the revitalization of downtown and the architectural talent Dallas had in the early 1900s. Architect C.D. Hill also designed many other important downtown buildings and some of the most important homes in Munger Place and Highland Park. Many great architects like C.D. Hill are responsible for both architecturally significant buildings downtown and in our neighborhoods. When we recognize and appreciate one of these architect’s works, we can better appreciate their other architectural contributions. It is fun to take a fresh look at the glorious downtown buildings and neighborhood homes architect C.D. Hill designed. *Fresh Look
#Historic #Dallas #DowntownDallas #OldCityHall #DallasMunicipalBuilding #Architect #Architecture #CDHill #DallasNeighborhood #HistoricDesign #ArchitecturallySignificant #NeoclassicalArchitecture
Sorority Home Save
It never occurred to me that a sorority house is also a home and the Gamma Phi Beta house at SMU is an architecturally significant home designed by architect Mark Lemmon. This Mark Lemmon-designed home will be further preserved because of the leadership of Rebecca Melde, a Gamma Phi SMU graduate. She discovered that her sorority home was designed by Mark Lemmon and is raising money with other Gamma Phi’s to preserve the history and architecture of their sorority house. What is additionally exciting is the possibility of a national movement to research and discover the individual architects who designed sorority houses across the country. My guess is that many of them are designed by prominent architects like Mark Lemmon who did very little residential work. My experience has been that many homebuyers looking to purchase a historic home grew up in a historic home. It is fun to think about the impact that this SMU Gamma Phi Beta Sorority House had on the historic home interest of thousands of SMU girls. There are millions of sorority girls, now women across the country, who have been influenced by the history and architecture of their sorority houses. Further research, discovery, and preservation of sorority houses across the country will heighten the preservation interests across our national communities. It would be wonderful if every sorority house in the country researched the architect that designed their collegiate home. This collective research project would illuminate important architects and architecture across the country. See blog article for more information on the Mark Lemmon architect-designed Gamma Phi Beta Sorority House at SMU. https://douglasnewby.com/2021/11/sorority-home-saved-at-smu/
*Sorority Home Save
#SororityHouse #SororityHome #GammaPhiBeta #AlphaXiHouse #Preservation #DallasArchitecture #MarkLemmon #DallasArchitect #Dallas #SMU #Historic
Trail of Tears
The recent teardowns in Highland Park have left a trail of tears across the Highland Park neighborhoods. Maybe this architecturally significant Beaux-Arts style mansion designed by Herbert M. Greene will not be torn down. There are 5 reasons why the home might not be torn down. As I discussed with Dallas Morning News reporter Steve Brown: 1) This 1912 Herbert Greene architect-designed home is the most iconic home in Highland Park. Andy Beal did tear down a historic but relatively insignificant home on 6 acres on Preston Road, but he did not tear down the iconic Crespi Estate on 25 acres when he owned it. 2) The Beaux-Arts style seen here is the most prominent example of this architectural style in Dallas. 3) Located at the corner of Beverly and Preston, it is at the epicenter of Highland Park. 4) The home has a rich historical heritage even before prominent business leader and philanthropist Ed Cox owned the home for over 40 years. 5) 4101 Beverly has an elevation more impressive and a greater height than presumably Highland Park would allow for a new home. Most homes that get torn down are to accommodate a more impressive and larger new home. Here architect Herbert Greene designed a home on 7 acres that is already perfectly sited and magnificent.
Some of the other reasons that this home is so important to Dallas is because it is a link to the cultural, business, spiritual and aesthetic lineage of Dallas. Architect Herbert Greene also designed in the early 20th century the Neiman Marcus building, the First National Bank, the Scottish Rite Cathedral, and the First United Methodist Church, Dallas, the Dallas Morning News building and the Belo Mansion. These Herbert Greene designed buildings all quickly convey the heritage and modern founding of Dallas over 100 years ago. My hope is that 4101 Beverly Drive continues to contribute to our historical understanding of Dallas and to our aesthetic enjoyment.
*Trail of Tears
#HerbertMGreene #HighlandPark #Preservation #HighlandParkPreservation #DallasPreservation #DallasArchitect #DallasArchitecture #BeauxArtsArchitecture #HighlandParkDallas #HighlandParkHomes #ArchitecturallySignificant #ArchitecturallySignificantHome
Mary Vernon
Here is my favorite Mary Vernon painting. A still life that explodes with nature. A precarious balance held in place by a composition filled with blocks of color and layers of detail added to and subtracted from the canvas. Thinking about why I am so captivated by this piece, I realize it is because it exudes nature. Just as a vignette of a home looking out a window can often convey nature more poignantly than an image of an outside landscape in its entirety, this painting, just like a home, embraces the interaction of nature and the materials nature provides for the built environment. Just as a home can be programmatically modern but not rigid, this painting can be modern and yield to the subtle influence of deliberate spontaneity from the hand of whomever yields it.
Anyone with the love of art, history, or Dallas, already owns or should own a painting by Mary Vernon. Mary is foremost a brilliant artist. She has also mentored scores of successful artists as a friend or as the former Chair of the SMU Art Department. Mary has also helped shape SMU in leadership roles including serving as the President of the Faculty Senate. Mary Vernon has embraced Dallas and Dallas continues to embrace her. Currently, you can see an exhibition of Mary Vernon’s recent work at Cheryl and Kevin Vogel’s Valley House Gallery. Mary Vernon’s paintings bring both joy and a better understanding of art.
*Mary Vernon
@Cheryl_Vogel_Valley_House @ValleyHouseGallery #ValleyHouseGallery #MaryVernon @m_vernon1953 #Art #Design #Modern #Dallas #DallasArt #DallasArtist #DallasModernArt
Summer House
An enthralling estate home is more than an elegant facade. It needs to be beautifully sited, as this Lang & Witchell home is on Swiss Avenue boulevard. An estate home also needs to be balanced with the proper amount of land around the home to accommodate gardens and the subsequent structures, adding to both the architecture of the home and the enjoyment the family will have living in the home. Pictured is the summer house placed in the garden at 5112 Swiss Avenue, as the conservatory, pool, and library over the garage are also found in the garden. The main house has formal rooms larger than many new homes that are twice its size, and this home has more intimate spaces in the garden for oneself, friends and family. Gracious homes allow gracious living.
*Summer House
#HomesThatMakeUsHappy #SwissAvenue #HistoricSwissAvenue #Garden #Dallas #DallasHome #HistoricDesign #OldEastDallas #MungerPlace