The study of architecture is a study in the cultural heritage of society. The art of designing buildings requires us to visualize three-dimensional spaces and creatively convey that perception to the viewer. The Art of Architecture competition encourages students to study these visual aspects of architecture and express their observations creatively.

All pieces must depict architecture in some manner. The artwork may be representational or abstract and may focus on architectural details, entire buildings or urban settings. Subject matter may include interior as well as exterior architecture.  For more information and an entry form, click here.

Architectural historian H. Allen Brooks hosts this documentary chronicling the five-year, museum-grade restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Heurtley House, a wonder built in 1902 in Chicago's renowned Oak Park neighborhood. Created for banker and arts patron Arthur Heurtley, the home is noteworthy for exhibiting many of the elements that would come to represent Wright's signature "Prairie style."

The screening will be Wednesday, January 11 at 7:30 p.m.at the Dallas Center for Architecture.

As always, refreshments will be provided. A donation of $10 is requested at the door. RSVP to info@DallasCFA.com. (Wright-related films are always popular, so RSVP soon.)

There are a couple of online stores you won’t want to miss.  Philip Johnson’s Glass House has a website that has books, gift items and things for kids of all ages.  We’re eyeing this gorgeous print of the Lake Pavilion…reminds us of the Beck House here in Dallas.  C’mon…we’ve been good.

Chicago Architectural Foundation is another great place for a shopping spree.  If you can’t make it to their Michigan Avenue location, go online and choose between Lego sets, handbags, cool stuff for your kitchen, and more. And even better news…shipping is free in December.

We also ran across these cool place mats.  Maybe for the architect/foodie on your list?

Memberships are always good.  Join Chicago Architecture Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, or…closer to home…Preservation Dallas or the Dallas Architecture Forum.  (While you’re on the Forum’s site, make sure and pick up several of their great architecture folios featuring the photography of Laura Wilson.) Or how about a subscription to AIA Dallas' award-winning Columns magazine?

And CLOSEST to home, consider a gift to the Dallas Center for Architecture. Help us continue the work we’ve begun.  Happy holidays!

The award-winning projects span the globe—from the Incheon International Airport Terminal in South Korea to our very own new Parkland Hospital and several local residences. The exhibition includes selected plans and photography of the honored projects.

The exhibition is open from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Two events in the past week accomplished the same thing.  Last weekend, 1900 Elm, the original Titche-Goettinger department store downtown, featured residents in period costumes, historic tidbits and a tour of all the building had and still has to offer.  Mastermind Noah Jeppson pointed out original Art Deco details, the original auditorium at the top of the building (now apartments), and the symbols of Texas, retail and industry scattered throughout. We were there and have posted our photos on our Flickr page. Designed by Greene LaRoche and Dahl and completed in 1929, the building is an important architectural icon and now a part of the grouping of buildings surrounding Main Street Garden.  But it is equally important in the retail history of the city.  First housed in the Wilson Building, Titche-Goettinger was one of downtown Dallas’ department store stalwarts until it and it’s competition decamped for the suburbs in the 1960’s and 70’s. (Fingers crossed…we hope to borrow some of the blueprints and other artifacts still in the building for a mini-exhibition soon.)

Then, on Monday, AIA Dallas and the Center for Metropolitan Density at UT-Arlington’s School of Architecture hosted a panel discussion on the impact that the deck park (aka our front lawn) will have on our neighborhood.  Michael Buckley, director of the CfMD, moderated a great group of experts, including architects, developers and cultural leaders.  The mood was upbeat, as participants celebrated the accomplishments of the city in the last several decades and looked forward to even more success in the years ahead.  Interestingly, the impact was discussed not just in economic terms (we all presume that the property values alongside the Park will appreciate), but also in terms of the environmental and cultural impact it will have on downtown.  AIA Dallas has posted photos of the event on their Facebook page.

These are the kinds of events that DCFA is proud to support and be a part of.  We are always interested in looking forward to the future and sustainable design and increased density and all that comes with it.  Just as importantly, however, we will continue to celebrate and learn from the many buildings that are a part of our impressive architectural legacy.  And you can join us…our walking tours offer wonderful looks at both past and present.  Register and join us this Saturday…  

Monday was an introduction to the Arts District.  We took an orientation walk along the “spine” of the District, Flora Street, and discussed the Sasaki Plan and what made a space inviting for pedestrians.  (Important under the hot June sun!)  Then, the students visited with Veletta Lill, Executive Director of the Dallas Arts District in her office high atop Chase Tower.  With a great view of the District below, student had their first sketching exercise. They ended the day with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Meyerson Symphony Center, complete with organ recital. We have some photos up of this great start on our Facebook page here.

Tuesday went even more in-depth in the Arts District as students toured, sketched and examined the works of three Pritzker Prize winners:  the unique roof system designed by Renzo Piano for the Nasher Sculpture Center, the canopy and stage systems of the Norman Foster-designed Winspear Opera House and the “theater machine” that is the REX/OMA designed Wyly Theater.

The middle of the week saw the group here at the Center for a “binocular tour” of the Dallas skyline, a presentation on the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park and a look at our newest exhibition CONTEXT/CONTRAST.  DCFA Board member Vel Hawes also organized a close-up look at the under-construction Perot Museum of Nature and Science designed my Thom Mayne and Morphosis.  In addition to a look at the model, students talked with the contractors and got detailed information from the working drawings and the BIM modeling.

Destination Dallas went south on Thursday.  After a visit to HKS, the bus headed to the Trinity River Audubon Center for a day of sketching and projects.

The grand finale was at The Rachofsky House where students were given a project to create a plan to install a series of works in the Nasher Collection in the museum-quality home designed by Richard Meier.  Following a presentation by the UTA School of Architecture and the ACE Mentor program, students welcomed their parents and special guest to a reception and a review of their project plans.  It was incredible to see the work that these students were able to produce.

The week was a great success and we all look forward to another edition next year.  Thanks to all involved and especially Peter Goldstein and our partners at the Nasher and The Rachofsky House. We’ll have even more photos of the week up soon.

The week-long program gives high school students the opportunity to explore architecture from a variety of angles.  They draw, make models and create installations—all the while discussing space and process and construction methods.  This year, the student used cardboard boxes in a variety of projects.  Walls were built to define space… both inside and outdoors.  Large sculptural pieces were suspended from the ceiling of the architecture building.

It was great to see these young people connecting with the environment around them and learning how they could affect it through their own design work.  They discussed the process they used to get to the final projects and were candid about the challenges (even as one wall outside blew down repeatedly in the strong afternoon winds).  We have more photos of the final projects on our Flickr feed here.

DCFA is pleased to support this program, and we will continue to develop additional partnerships and our own K-12 programs in the year ahead.  After all, if we can train younger people to appreciate the design and architecture around them and how it affects their everyday lives, we are doing much to meet our mission of advancing architecture through education and collaboration.

The Dallas Center for Architecture Foundation is pleased to announce the 2011 scholarship and fellowship recipients:

Traveling Fellowships

Kolb-Berglund Traveling Fellowship

Jenna Dezinski

B.S. Arch., Arizona State University, 2010

M. Arch. Candidate , University of Texas at Austin, 2012

Project: To travel to Argentina to design and build schools for the community.

McDermott Traveling Fellowship

Varvara Smirnova

B.S. Arch., University of Texas at Arlington, 2010

M. Arch. Candidate, Columbia University, 2013

Project: To study the evolution of communal social housing in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

Swank Traveling Fellowship

Audrey Maxwell

M. Arch., Arizona State University, 2009

Project: To study sustainable development in Costa Rica.

Scholarships:

Humphries/HKS Scholarship

Eryka Bueno-Zavala

B. Arch. Candidate, Texas A & M University, 2015

Minority Architect Scholarship

Francisco Barron

B. Arch. Candidate, Southern California Institute of Architecture, 2013

Omniplan/Harrell + Hamilton Scholarship

Sean Falloon

B.S. Arch., University of Texas at Arlington, 2010

M. Arch. Candidate, University of Texas at Arlington

Skyline Scholarship

Julio Roman

United Masonry Contractors Association Scholarship

Julian Debo

B. Arch. Candidate, University of Texas at Austin, 2016

Congratulations to all!  And keep an eye on our events calendar.  Early in 2012, we’ll ask the traveling fellows to come to the Center for a public presentation of their travels.

It is full of Mr. Johnson at his irascible best/worst.  He takes on clients and other architects, tries to remember titles of painting in his vast and impressive collection and reminisces about a career-long timeline of buildings on his estate.  It led to much conversation afterwards, and then led me further…to another look at Frank Welch’s great book Philip Johnson & Texas.

It’s a wonderful read, full of personal stories that explain how Johnson formed such a connection to the state and some of its most influential arts patrons.  Names are dropped throughout, from the Menils in Houston to our very own Peter Stewart, Caroline Rose Hunt and Stanley Marcus, among others.  All were involved in some of Johnson’s most important projects here in the Lone Star State.

The movie and the book illustrate the connections between works on the Glass House estate and those here in Dallas.  The arches in the exterior (and dining room) of the Beck House on Strait Lane echo the columns in the folly in the lake and the bedroom of the guest house in New Canaan.  (And there’s a tie-in to the columned portico on the front of the Amon Carter Museum also.)  The free-form shapes of the Gate House in Connecticut portend the shapes of the Cathedral of Hope, of which the Interfaith Peace Chapel has been completed.

And the other projects here in Dallas are discussed, including the (love it or hate it) JFK Memorial.  Thanksgiving Square.  And an interesting account of why the Crescent looks the way it does. (Galveston, anyone?)

If you don’t have it, you need it for your library.  In the meantime, come on over to the Center.  You can read a chapter or two and we can discuss.

At the reception afterwards, several of us noted the timelessness of NorthPark.  It’s certainly a retail experience that is unique.

It was gratifying to see that Dallas seems to have further embraced the idea of sensitive preservation.  And wonderfully informative to learn more about these places trhat are such a part of our cultural and historic fabric. Congratulations to Preservation Dallas and all the winners:

Residential Restoration/Rehabiliation:

203 North Willomet

Commercial or Institutional Restoration/Rehabilitation

Frankford Church

Kessler Theater

Madewell Woman Clinic

Saint Ann School (Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar)

St. Paul United Methodist Church

Sense of Place

Caruth Homeplace

DeGolyer Residence

Craftsmanship Award

Ward Manufacturing, Incorporated

Stewardship Award

The Dallas Woman’s Forum

Gail Thoma Patterson Award

Interior Reconstruction of the St. Clair Residence

Dorothy Savage Award

Ebby Halliday

Special Tribute

NorthPark Center

I was a good student, toting my legal pad and taking copious notes, but about the same time I sat down to post a summary yesterday, I received a link to Jerome Weeks’ great article on KERA’s Art & Seek.  So I’ll save myself some time and you some aggravation by sending you here.

We’re brainstorming on other programs for this age group.  Including a kite-building workshop for 8-10 year-olds in a couple of weeks.  Today we take our news item to let you know about a couple of summer workshops that you should consider…

One takes you to western Pennsylvania and Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Fallingwater.  Students can choose from two week-long residencies.  The first, from July 7-14 will be led by Aron Temkin, the dean Norwich University’s School of Architecture.  It will look at how Wright’s ideas about design, materials and the natural environment informed his work.  The second session, from July 19-26, is led by our very own Peter Goldstein from Skyline High School’s architecture cluster.  It will focus on environmental and design-related issues at Fallingwater and other Wright projects.

The application deadline for these programs has been extended to May 5.  For more information and to apply, visit the residency website.

The other workshop is close to home and a joint project by DCFA, the Nasher Sculpture Center and The Rachofsky House.  From June 20 to June 24, students will explore some of the most talked-about and innovative structures in Dallas. Participants will visit buildings designed by a host of the world’s leading architects including Pritzker Prize Laureates Renzo Piano, Richard Meier, Norman Foster, Thom Mayne and I. M. Pei. Applications are currently available and will be accepted on a first come, first served basis from now until May 27.  For more information, visit the workshop’s website.

 Keep watching for more programs like this…see you soon at the Center.

The High Line reclaimed a freight rail spur that is elevated about 30 feet above the streets of the west side of Manhattan from the Meatpacking District to Hell's Kitchen. The steel behemoth was last used in 1980.  As court cases and development schemes stumbled along in the ensuing decades, nature took over and wild grasses, shrubs and even trees began to grow along most of the route.

In 1999, residents of the High Line's neighborhood created the non-profit Friend of the High Line to advocate for the Line's preservation and reuse as public open space.  City funding was allocated in 2004 and construction began in 2006 under the designs of Corner's firm Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.  The first section opened in 2009 with plans for two more phases.

I've been on the High Line on a beautiful spring day and on a miserably cold and wet afternoon in late winter.  Both were great experience...although obviously very different.  And that seems to be a part of the intention.  The plantings were designed to echo the wild scheme that occurred naturally during the years the line was abandoned.  Plantings are not trimmed or cleaned up...flower transform to seed heads and some die to the ground.  It's in keeping with the "KEEP IT" philosophy Corner mentioned in his talk.

Some other things worth mentioning from Corner's conversation:

• The City of New York says that it has already recouped four times its investment in the project through the increased tax base resulting from development.
• Corner points out the confluence of nature and industry...an obvkious fact and yet one that more designers need to embrace.
• The plantings on the High Line have created a great environment for birds and insects, including a butterfly thought lost from Manhattan.
• The design encourages a sense of both voyeurism and exhibitionism (and that's leaving the Standard Hotel out of it!).  For example, the 10th avenue overlook provides and opportunities for folks to pause and watch the traffic below.  But it also frames those observers for the traffic below to observe.

It's worth a look if you haven't been.  Corner also talked about another project they're working on in Santa Monica.  Quite interesting.  Should be fun to watch the kinds of work that continue to come from his firm.

Jury members were: High School-David Farrell, AIA; John Mullen, FAIA; and gallery owner Cris Worley and Middle School-Amy Copeland, Dallas Museum of Art and Selso Garcia, Assoc. AIA.

The juries made awards to:

High School

Drawing

David Veliz, Skyline High School

Honor Award and Best of Show

Ying Quan, South Grand Prairie High School

Citation Award

Mixed Media

Sarah Voelker, Trinity Christian Academy

Honor Award

Becca DeWhitt, Trinity Christian Academy

Citation Award

Logan Landry, Trinity Christian Academy

Citation Award

Painting

Stewart Piercen Lawrence, Highland Park High School

Honor Award

Reena Bhikha, Highland Park High School

Citation Award

Madeline Autrey, Trinity Christian Academy

Special Jury Mention

Photography

Madeline Mabery, Trinity Christian Academy

Honor Award

Justine Tanner, Highland Park High School

Citation Award

Printmaking

Haley Moore, Trinity Christian Academy

Honor Award

Carolyn Heard, Trinity Christian Academy

Citation Award

Sculpture

Ashley McConnell, Bishop Lynch High School

Honor Award

Carlos Ruiz, South Grand Prairie High School

Citation Award

Middle School

Drawing

Dylan Winkler, Westwood Junior High

Honor Award and Best of Show

Shannon Flynn, McKamy Middle School

Citation Award

Dylan Winkler, Westwood Junior High

Citation Award

Mixed Media

Nahshon Ellerbe, Trinity Christian Academy

Honor Award

Painting

Mia Moore Campos, Westwood Junior High

Citation Award

Photography

Tyler Hicks, Williams Middle School

Honor Award

Alejandra Mercedes, Watauga Middle School

Citation Award

Printmaking

Makaela Painter, McKamy Middle School

Honor Award

James Richardson, McKamy Middle School

Citation Award

Sculpture

Maria Oliva, Williams Middle School

Honor Award

Clara Morris, Williams Middle School

Citation Award

Kamin says what most of us realize…and what we mention on our Saturday walking tours…the Arts District, even after 30 years, remains a work in progress.  We have the big cultural buildings, but need the other things that would keep people in the District after a performance or museum visit.  Or even better…a reason to visit on its own.  Bookstore, coffee shop, deli, anything encourages community and hanging out. He sees positive development with the park over Woodall Rodgers…which we fondly refer to as our front lawn.  (And we’ll give him credit for the catchy “architectural petting zoo” moniker.)

Kamin’s comments have generated interesting responses and comparisons beyond the e-mail and water cooler chatter that some of us have engaged in over the last couple of days.  This article from economist.com takes Kamin’s suggestions and extends them to the area in Abu Dhabi where the latest Gehry museum has been constructed.

And, giving local folks equal time, the blogger over at Quadrille takes an optimistic tone…we’re working on it.

We’re with you, Quadrille.  How about the rest of you?  What do you want to see…beyond the Park…to make the Arts District a more vital gathering place?  Come tell us on our Twitter feed or our Facebook page.

UPDATE: There's more Dallas response in this TV story.

On March 23 at 6:00 p.m., several 2010 Traveling Fellows (Jeremy Babel- Kolb-Berglund Traveling Fellow and John Ritter-Swank Traveling Fellow) will make presentations on their projects at the Dallas Center for Architecture.  

Jeremy Babel will present on his travels to Finland and an examination of the architecture of Alvar Aalto and the way Aalto uses detail to connect the human body to architecture and architecture to landscape.

John Ritter will discuss his two weeks in Curitiba, Brazil where he investigated public spaces, the transit system, and the architecture of the city

To RSVP, please send an e-mail to info@DallasCFA.com.

The application deadline for the 2011 Traveling Fellowships is March 31.  For more information and application materials, visit DallasCFA.com and click on the Scholarship link.

For more information on the Forum and the full relase, click here.

And check your calendar for next week post-thaw.  Next Wednesday, we'll be screening a couple of great short films on two of the Biggies: Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe.  More details are here.

Stay warm!  (And stay tuned for our Friday/Saturday schedules.)

For orientation purposes, let’s start with arcspace.com’s description and photos of the building’s curtain and projection walls.

Now on to the critics:

The New York Times’ Nicolai Ourousoff says that the building “spills over with populist ideas, sometimes to the point of distraction.”

The LA Times’ Christopher Hawthorne writes that “This place toys with first impressions.”

Miami local critic Beth Dunlop compares the building to a window that sings on the inside.

The Washington Post’s Philip Kennicott says that the building is a manifestation of the need to turn the concert hall inside out.

And, to close things out, here’s a bit more from The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company chimes in on the building’s gardens.

Renfro began his remarks giving kudos to Dallas, praising the city for building itself around excellent contemporary architecture.  He says there is no city in the world like it at the moment.

Renfro’s firm’s most recent contributions to New York architecture include a complete rethinking of the Lincoln Center complex.  Beginning in 2009 with the redesign of Julliard’s Alice Tully Hall, DSR has brought the 1960’s complex on a plinth into the 21^st century and connected it with the city.  A new restaurant, transformed fountain and LED signage embedded in the ground turn the plaza into something that Anthony Tommasini calls “a friendlier face.”  We can’t help but make the connection to our own AT&T Performing Arts Center.  The buildings are beautiful, but there has been an ongoing dialogue as to how to make them more integral to downtown.  Might we take some hints from New York?

As Renfro walked his audience through the design for the Museum of Image and Sound on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana Beach, I was reminded of a striking similarity to the building we were sitting in.  The focused screen that DSR uses to manipulate and focus the view that museum goers get of the beach outside the building is almost the same as the honeycombed screens that Renzo Piano uses above the Nasher galleries to admit, but control, natural light. (Sorry I couldn’t find a photo...)

And perhaps Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation could take a look at DSR’s incredible High Line park in the Big Apple.  We don't want to compare apples and oranges…much about the two projects are vastly different.  But philosophically we too want a park that lives within the city and plays host to a variety of users. Can the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher engage with the park as Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art does?  And is it too much to ask to have some of these whimsical dancing trees included?

First, the aforementioned Perot Museum of Nature and Science is closer to its fundraising goal.  They announced a $15 million gift today.

And demolition continues as First Baptist Church gets ready to realize its new campus.  Designed by The Beck Group, it includes a new sanctuary, connections to existing buildings and a water feature. World Interior Design Network has more.

Last, but not least, Gromatzky Dupree has a new apartment tower going up in the Design District across from Victory.

Recession?  Not going to stop Dallas, huh?

Conference tickets are $30 with a special Patron ticket including a Friday evening reception available for $100.  For more information and to register, visit the conference website. 

Architecture critics chimed in on the Winspear and the Wyly, but the true test has been the reviews of the patrons.  In that vein, here's a piece from The New York Times' classical music critic with his thoughts on the updated/almost finished with its renovation Lincoln Center campus. Note that he talks as much about restaurants and pedestrian-friendly spaces as he does acoustics.

The Washington Post's Philip Kennicott encourages the folks at the Kennedy Center to take a lesson or two from their Lincoln Center brethren in this article. He, too, enjoys the connections to the city that Diller Scofidio + Renfro seems to have focused on.

So, what do we think?  Should the ATTPAC folks be paying attention?  They’ve announced the addition of LED signs, but what about restaurants and further connections to the city?  Let the discussion continue…

The beginnings of an economic recovery—or at least the perceptions of such—were a boon to a hurting architecture and building sector.  Dormant projects were given new life: the Fain Johnson-designed Museum Tower began construction in the parking lot between the Nasher and Meyerson.  On the other hand, economic weakness didn’t seem to faze two non-profits:  First Baptist Church began demolition of several of its older buildings on the way to an entirely rethought campus designed by the Beck Group.  And great progress has already been made on the Perot Museum of Nature and Science; Thom Mayne’s bold design (which just won the American Architecture Award) will add another Pritzker Prize winner to Dallas’ architectural crown.

There are several other large projects that we’ll have to wait on.  First on pace for completion is Santiago Calatrava’s Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in 2011.  Then 2012 brings us the Park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway and the completion of City Performance Hall, the final venue in the AT&T Performing Arts Center. A complete redo of Parkland Hospital will keep HDR and Corgan busy until 2014.

(And ATTPAC, by the way, was fodder and food for thought for many of us during 2010.  Are the Center and the District around it working as they should?  What must we continue to do to turn the largest urban arts district in the country into a vital and active neighborhood?  Here’s betting that conversation continues for the next several years.)

Other architectural developments happened at City Hall, and will have significant impact in the years to come.  In June, the Dallas City Council voted unanimously to pass an amendment allowing court-ordered demolitions of local historic landmarks that represent an urban nuisance.  Two years ago, the initial ordinance amendment was intended to make it easier, less expensive, and faster for City Hall to demolish properties considered to be an urban nuisance in historic districts.  However, there was concern on the part of Preservation Dallas and others that the ordinance would be too sweeping, eliminate existing safeguards, and therefore put some historic structures – particularly famed downtown buildings – at risk of a quick demolition.  The final ordinance that was adopted ensures a reasonable level of protection for historic structures and provides a mechanism for interested parties to save these endangered buildings.

Meanwhile, there continues to be talk of adaptive reuse plans for architectural favorites like the Statler Hilton and 508 Park.  Will 2011 be their year?  We’ll wait and see.

Another ordinance came down in 2009, and2010 saw architects and developers learning more and discovering its effects. The Green Building Ordinance is intended to lead to a reduced carbon footprint for all new and remodeled construction. Many of the key criteria of the ordinance originate from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED rating system.  Phase I is already in effect with Phase II going into effect on October 1, 2011.  Another one to watch and see what happens…

The Dallas Architecture Forum continued to bring the best and brightest to Dallas, including architects Jeanne Gang and Alberto Kalach and architectural photographer Tim Hursley.  Here at the Dallas Center for Architecture we celebrated local architects old (Ju-Nel Homes) and new (AIA Dallas Design Award winners) and launched a new walking tour through the Main Street District.

Here’s to a 2011 full of good design, smart urban planning and an even more livable city!

London is fulfilling a twenty-year dream by beginning construction on a cross-London subway route.  So now the fun begins.  How will developers and architects work together to create the new stations required.  Here’s the scoop.

California has begun the process to build a high-speed rail line, but there are no plans to put trains on it yet.  And folks aren’t necessarily pleased with the route.  Confused?  Read this.

Finally, dateline Masdar.  Cyber-taxis?  Podcars?  All sounds quite Star Wars/Minority Report to us….

This first story has a Dallas Architecture Forum feeling to it.  Jeanne Gang was a recent speaker for the Forum and Blair Kamin is on the schedule for 2011.  (Kamin’s one of our favorites…wonder if we can kidnap him and keep him here.  Dallas deserves a full-time architecture/design critic and columnist.)  Anyway…he has the story here of the dream plans for a peninsula of land at the edge of Lake Michigan.

We head west (young man) for this story on the Vegas CityCenter complex.  We’ve reported before on the problems with reflected sunlight at Rafael Vinoly’s Vdara and the problems with Norman Foster’s Mandarin Oriental.  Turns out that the Cesar Pelli-designed Aria hotel and casino isn’t getting the foot traffic that the MGM Grand folks want.  Here’s the scoop. (Having stayed there, I have to agree that it has a strange and convoluted relationship with the Strip.)

Last but not least, a story with serendipity.  We were over at St. Paul’s in the Arts District this morning for the launch of a new brochure by the Texas Historical Commission on the African-American experience in Texas.  Afterwards, we helped lead a mini-tour on the buildings left in what was a vibrant Freedman’s Town.  It was fun to get back to the computer and run across this article on the rebirth of the site of the country’s first community of free African-Americans.

We had a great time when we went last year.  Here are a few photos.

Six rooms will be featured on this year's tour: the writing room, library, French parlor, dining room, children's playroom and the upstairs ballroom.  All proceeds for to the continued preservation of the property. 

The tour will run December 9-12 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.  Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children.  More info at this website.

Later in the month (December 13-23) they'll open their European Tea Room.

A couple of weeks ago, while in the Windy City for the AAO conference, we headed out by bus with colleagues to see some of the works that Mies is famous for.

Starting first downtown, we visited the apartments Mies designed on Lakeshore Drive in the 1950’s.  They remain classic and clean, with their black I-beams outside a glass curtain wall, the concealed in a later tower.  The recessed lobbies leave generous terraces on the first floor, and there are countless angles to explore and see something new. Here are our photos. Despite almost 60 years, the towers still seem revolutionary…one can only imagine the ruckus they caused at the time of their construction.

Then back on the bus, past Millennium Park and Soldier Field on our way out to the Illinois Institute of Technology.  Mies had the chance to completely transform/create this campus—building everything from the school of architecture to a chapel.  Crown Hall, still used by architecture students, is breathtaking—a simple glass and steel box with wide expanses for students to work.  We wondered whether it was inspiring or intimidating to work in this space designed by the master.

Rem Koolhaas recently designed a new student center for the campus and he paid respect to Mies in his own way.  Here are our photos of that portion of the tour. 

Then, after lunch, it was the ultimate Miesian experience—a visit to the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois on the banks of the flood-prone Fox River. Site Director Whitney French led us on a brilliant tour, sharing all sorts of fascinating information on the architect, the client, the House and the conservation challenges (floods, trees, you name it) that continue.   We won’t try to sum up the books we bought at the gift shop.  Suffice it to say that fans of architecture would love an experience here…put it on your bucket list.  In the meantime, we’ll leave you with these photos.

The whole tour experience really makes you think about Modernism. Mies’ ideas were so pure and remain quite powerful.  Unfortunately, his ideas were aped, copied and, in some instances, watered down to an unfortunate result. (A great line from the day was a mention of the firm—nameless here—that was know as “Three Blind Mies.”) We talk a bit about Modernism on our two walking tours.  At our docent meeting next week, I’ll be sharing these photos and hoping to open their eyes to Modernism in its first and most pure form.

Dan Wood was a recent Dallas Architecture Forum speaker.  Here’s an article where he discusses some of his recent projects, with a focus on design, food and cities.

What the what?  A centerpiece of the new CityCenter complex in Vegas might be imploded.  The Foster + Partners-designed hotel has some serious performance issues thanks to construction problems.  Here are the latest gory details.

And here’s an interesting story on how “a couple of vodkas” led to Frank Gehry’s involvement with a historic Chicago building.

Next Tuesday from 5-8 p.m., you’ll have the chance to take an up close and personal look at three of the churches in the Arts District. The Dallas Arts District is a neighborhood with a long and rich tradition.    A constant throughout the years has been our houses of worship. Among our city’s oldest churches, the histories of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, St. Paul United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church, reflect the stories of our great city and its people. Come learn about the history and the architecture of these sacred spaces. Historians, architects and volunteers will await visitors at each church.

The tour is self-directed and attendees may begin the tour at any church.  The Art Cart will be available on Flora St. to transport tour guests from location to location.  Parking is available at various locations in the district and at various prices. Tickets are only $10.  Register here.

Then for our regular film night in November, we’ll feature Fay Jones’ Sacred Spaces. Fay Jones of Fayetteville, Arkansas, studied under the great Frank Lloyd Wright, and eventually became one of the most acclaimed and significant architects of the late twentieth century. He won the prestigious AIA Gold Medal in 1990, awarded for a lifetime of work that included his masterpiece, Thorncrown Chapel, a “little glass chapel” near the quaint village of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The Chapel was recognized in 2000 by the AIA as the fourth most significant structure of the twentieth century.

Sacred Spaces is a one-hour documentary film produced by the Emmy Award winning documentary film team of Larry Foley and Dale Carpenter, both professors of Journalism at the University of Arkansas, the same school where Jones worked for much of his distinguished career as an academician and practicing architect. Emmy Award winner Kevin Croxton composed the musical score.

The film will screen November 10 at 7:30 p.m.  Admission is a $10 donation to the Dallas Center for Architecture.  Refreshments will be provided.  Please RSVP to info@DallasCFA.com.

Here are links to reviews by The New York Times, Change Observer, and Design Observer.

What do YOU think?  Make your observations on our Facebook page.

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League isn’t going to let his week’s demolition of the Oak Cliff Christian Church put a damper on their home tour this weekend.  The weather promises to be perfect, so before the Rangers game, head on out for this look at historic and contemporary structures, including one of the giant churches that still anchor Tenth Street—once referred to by Ripley’s Believe It or Not as “Church Street” for the 23 churches that lined it.

To see some architecture built in the name of a good cause, head on over to NorthPark Center for Canstruction.  Local architecture and design firms, as well as other groups, design and build sculptures and structures built entirely of canned goods.  They’re on display tomorrow through October 24 and then the food is donated to area food banks.

And architecture of a slightly more perishable nature is on display at the Dallas Arboretum.  The Storybook Pumpkin Village, claimed by the Arboretum to be the only pumpkin village in the world includes four walk-through houses made completely out of pumpkins. The houses are surrounded by thousands of pumpkins and decorative gourds as well as a pumpkin patch where guests can pick out and purchase pumpkins for their family decorations.

NOVA: Secrets of the Parthenon 

Tuesday, October 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 15 at 9:00 p.m.

The Greek Temple of Athena has served as a church, a fortress and a model for countless banks. It’s been looted, rocked by earthquakes and suffered “catastrophic” restorations. Thanks to a major reconstruction program launched by the Greek government, architects and scientists are finally able to probe the architectural mysteries of the Parthenon, the planning and construction, and how the temple was raised in just eight years, without the aid of a blueprint.

Painted Churches of Texas

Tuesday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.

From Austin PBS affiliate KLRU, a look at the 19^th century immigrant churches of South Texas. From the outside, they look like country churches, but inside the walls and ceiling are ornately painted to resemble the Czech and German churches of their native countries.

NOVA: Building the Great Cathedrals

Tuesday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 22 at 9:00 p.m.

NOVA investigates the amazing architecture and artistry of gothic cathedrals, crafted with hand tools - some taking more than 100 years to complete. An international team of engineers, historians and architects search for the dream that brought the buildings to reality.   

It’s impossible to capture all that was said, but Alan Peppard has this item and The Dallas Morning News ran this Editor’s Note yesterday. 

The Center is proud to be a part of an effort to honor David and his contributions to the education of our community about architecture.  AIA Dallas and the Dallas Architecture Forum have established the David Dillon Memorial Scholarship to honor his architectural legacy.  The scholarship will initially be given to outstanding architecture graduate students at the University of Texas at Arlington.  In order to permanently endow the scholarship and potentially expand it to a national level, tax-deductible donations tot eh scholarship fund may be sent to:

Dallas Center for Architecture

1909 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Suite 100.

Dallas, TX 75201

For more information, please e-mail us at info@DallasCFA.com.

And, of course, an item on David Dillon must end with his own words.  In this article from D Magazine published in 1980, Dillon provides a look at what Dallas’ architectural condition was at the time.  It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come…and how much of that progress that David had something to do with.

PageSoutherlandPage will be moving downtown; their new offices will be in the old Mercantile Bank Building.  Here are the details.

And HKS has launched a nonprofit center to study ways that people can more effectively use space, particularly in health care settings.

First up, some great work from a Dallas gem.  Max Levy is one of the best architects working in these parts.  Here’s a look at a ranch house he recently designed.

Now on to the awards.  Here’s news on accolades for a couple of our DART stops here in town.  We’re a couple of months late in passing the info along, but a group has recognized two newly constructed stations and their public art, including the one at the historic entrance to Fair Park.

And notice for Main Street Garden as a new urban park in our “arsenal.”

Finally, a bit of discussion on the almost-one-year-old Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Here at the Dallas Center for Architecture, we have begun discussing our responsibility and role in this process.  How can we help preserve the work of the architects who have made Dallas what it is?  Goodness know it is resource-intensive—not just in terms of money, but also labor and space.

Apparently, we’re in good company in struggling with these concerns.  Here’s an article about Yale University, no less…and the challenges it faces in preserving the legacy of its faculty and alumni.

And, of course, buildings are the ultimate legacy.  Challenges abound there as well—even for an icon like Philip Johnson’s Glass House.  Here’s more on the need for funds to preserve building that are a part of that historic campus.

The grand finale?  An item on the newly burnished Belasco Theatre in the Big Apple.  An example of an artistic and architectural landmark preserved in the best way.  That’s something we can celebrate…

First up, a look at construction progress…along with a really cool slide show. 

And while the controversy over a proposed mosque nearby rages, this article points out the Islamic design influences that architect Yamasaki incorporated into the Twin Towers. One architect has compared the site plan to that of Mecca’s courtyard. Ironic, no?

This article takes a LONG historical look at what it means to be a memorial in New York City.  It seems that there were arguments about such matters all the way back to Thomas Jefferson’s times.

This story from the LA Times almost feels like a mish-mash of two stories we deal with here in Dallas on a regular basis…the current vacant status of the Staler Hilton Hotel and the DISD’s seeming inability to figure out what to do with its historic campuses.  Any lessons to be learned from the adaptive reuse of the Ambassador Hotel.

Let’s stay out west for The Architect’s Newspaper’s review of a new tome by Thomas Hines on the modern movement in southern California.  We’ve added it to our Amazon wish list.  Anyone want to buy it for the DCFA resource library?

And we head east to Chicago for this remembrance of architect Harry Weese.  Among other 20^th century icons, he designed the stations for the DC Metro system.

The neighborhood around what is now Hall and Central was one of the largest African-American neighborhoods in the post-Civil War era.  Fortunately, several buildings associated with the settlement remain:  Booker T. Washington High School, the Moorland YMCA (now the home of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre) and St. Paul United Methodist Church.

St Paul’s celebrates its 137^th anniversary this year, and D Magazine took a look at the church’s history in a recent article.  It’s exciting to see the church and its wonderfully mis-matched bricks after a recent complete restoration.

The restoration and construction in the area has also prompted an archaeological exploration of nearby sites, revealing artifacts portraying the history of the neighborhood.  The Juliette Street Archaeological Project site has some fascinating stuff.  Check it out.

In the case of the Wyly, we describe it as  REDX/OMA project…giving credit to both Joshua Prince-Ramus and Pritzker Prize laureate Rem Koolhaas.  Prince-Ramus was the head of the New York office of Hoolhaas’ firm OMA.  In the midst of the project, Prince-Ramus left to form his own firm REX, but stayed on to see the Wyly to completion. Thus, the moniker REX/OMA.  Confused yet?

LA Times architecture critic takes the issue of credit on in this article he wrote for Harvard Design magazine.  It’s dense, but definitely worth a read.  And includes mention of the Wyly conundrum also.

While we’re on the subject of Joshua Prince-Ramus, here are a couple of other pieces.  Here’s one from Forbe’s in which he addressed the “myth of architectural genius.”  And a story on one of his latest projects in Louisville, Kentucky.

The photo to the left shows things as they stand right now.  Big hole with concrete and steel starting to emerge.  In today’s Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell talks a bit about the finished project.

News comes from the fundraisers that there is still $50 million needed to fund the project.  You’ll have the chance to get inspired and pitch in yourself at this Saturday’s Community Open House.  It will be held Saturday, August 28 from 1-3 p.m. at the Museum’s Construction Center, located at 1155 Broom Street.  Visitors are invited to view the building model, the schematic renderings of the facility and exhibit halls, and the construction site from the Observation Deck.  The model itself is worth a visits…go check it out!

The most recent news concerns one of the largest projects.  Spanish architect (and Dallas bridge builder) Santiago Calatrava has unveiled his plans for Denver International Airport’s south terminal redevelopment project.  Here’s a video showing how he hopes the addition will complement the airport’s most noted architectural feature—its white-tented roof.  And here’s more from a Denver Post architecture columnist.

Local firm Corgan Associates is in the news for its airport work as well.  Involved with the design of Terminal D at DFW Airport, the firm is now involved in projects in Sacramento, Miami and our own Love Field.  Here’s the scoop from bisnow.com.

And for a look at the big picture, here are some thoughts on what the airport of 2030 will look like.  And a compilation of the “best” airport architecture from around the world.  Agree or disagree?

This exhibition was originally mounted by the Houston Center for Architecture on the occasion of the 2009 Texas Society of Architects convention.  It features significant architectural projects completed after the year 2000 in Texas and beyond—some of which may have been overlooked by publications or design awards. The projects are located outside of Houston and were designed by architects whose practices are based outside of Houston as well.  Since the TSA convention, the show has travelled to the Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio Centers for Architecture, and it makes its final stop here at the Dallas Center for Architecture.

Local architects and their projects that are featured in the exhibition include:  Buchanan Architecture; Cunningham Architects; Good Fulton & Farrell Architects; Laguarda.Low Architects, LLC; Morrison Seifert Murphy; Ron Wommack Architect; Shipley Architects; SHW Group; and Susan Appleton Architecture.

The Center is open from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We’ll celebrate the exhibition with a reception from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on August 11 before our monthly Architecture Film Series screening.

Please RSVP to info@DallasCFA.com.  A suggested $10 donation at the door will benefit Dallas Center for Architecture programming.

ADA Awareness Day Kick-Off Event: Free and Open to the Public.

When: Monday, July 26, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Dallas City Hall
What:  Talk by Kent Waldrep and commemoration of ADA Awareness Day and reading of Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert’s proclamation

Who: Kent Waldrep, a rising football star at Texas Christian University, was paralyzed by injury. As a result, he started the American Paralysis Foundation to promote the cause of the disabled and to seek a cure for spinal cord injuries. He was appointed to the National Council on Disability and helped lead the fight for the passage of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act.
Currrently, Kent's efforts to find a cure for chronic paralysis are channeled through the Kent Waldrep National Paralysis Foundation.
Kent will offer a personal account of how the ADA has affected him and countless others like him in providing increased accessibility to the buildings that we all encounter in our daily lives. His inspiring journey will give us an idea of how the ADA has benefited our country and the disabled community.

How: The event is free and open to the public.  Please RSVP to marhoads@abadiaccess.com.

Additional Events/ Media Opportunities:

When: Monday, July 26, 2010 at noon.
Where: Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind, 4306 Capitol Avenue, Dallas, 75204
What:  Tour of Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind

Founded in 1931, the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind, located in a facility designed by famed Dallas architect George Dahl, focuses on improving and enhancing the lives and opportunities of the visually impaired in North Texas. Their guiding principle is the belief that with knowledge, training and motivation, people who are visually impaired can succeed and thrive in any workplace, live productive and meaningful lives, and be important contributors to their communities.

By providing jobs, job training and offering community services, the Lighthouse strives to empower and encourage its clients toward living independently.

The Lighthouse’s Industrial and Sewing Centers, where more than 150 people are employed, and
the Technology Lab, which offers adaptive business skills training to provide enhanced upward mobility opportunities for employment in a variety of office environments, will be in full operation for this 30-minute guided tour. Find out how the Lighthouse is making a real difference in our community and how you can help.

How: This tour is open to the general public.  For additional information and to RSVP, call Jo Baker at 214-821-2375, ext. 116.


When: Monday, July 26, 2010 at 6:00 p.m..
Where: Texas Discovery Gardens, Fair Park
What:  Tour of Texas Discovery Gardens

The mission of the Texas Discovery Gardens is to have a positive impact on the future of Texas by teaching people effective ways to restore, conserve and preserve nature in the urban environment through the use of native and adapted plants that illustrate the interrelationship of Butterflies, Bugs and Botany.   Located in the original 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition House of Horticulture at Fair Park, the facility was recently renovated by Oglesby Greene Architects.  The original conservatory is now a butterfly house. The historic building was not originally accessible, and in the renovation, it was updated to meet accessibility requirements. The tour will be led by the architect and accessibility inspector and will show how this historic building has been upgraded to meet the State and Federal requirements.  

How: This tour will be $10 for AIA Dallas and TRASA members and $20 for non-members.  The tour provides it is worth one hour of barrier-free HSW CEU. RSVP to the AIA since there is a limited number of spots. Please RSVP to AIA Dallas at 214.742.3242 or info@aiadallas.org.  


When: Monday, July 26, 2010 at 7:00 p.m..
Where: Plano Municipal Center, 1520 K Avenue
What:  The City of Plano Proclaims July 26 as ADA Celebration Day

The City of Plano joins communities across the country in recognizing the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act into legislation. The City is proclaiming July 26 as an annual ADA Celebration Day in the City of Plano. The Honorable Mayor Phil Dyer will present the proclamation during the regular city council meeting on Monday, July 26. Kent Waldrep, founder of the Kent Waldrep National Paralysis Foundation will be a distinguished guest participating in the proclamation event.

We’re big fans of Willis Winters, FAIA, around here.  (Who isn’t, right?)  So it was a thrill to see Willis recognized at this year’s Preservation Dallas Achievement Awards.  The ceremony included a wonderful tribute film produced by Quin Mathews.  Robert Wilonsky has tracked it down online and passes along this link.

Winters’ City Hall neighbors at the CityDesign Studio are celebrating these days.  They received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to work on a cultural map of the city—how to build the city with specific focus on the arts and design.  Here’s the release from the NEA outlining the heady company we’re keeping across the country.  

Cultural mapping?  There’s already some at NorthPark LEGO-style.  This is your last week to go see portions of the Dallas skyline constructed of little plastic bricks.

Hot on the heels of the groundbreaking for Museum Tower, the Arts District got more good news.  Spire Realty Group has plans to develop the 12 acres they own just south of Ross Avenue.  Here’s the scoop. 

And up the street, Rees Architecture is working on a plan to “recycle” Elm Place.  When built as the First National Bank tower, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi, but now sits empty. Rees says their plans include wind generators and solar panels on the roof to generate energy.

Another icon of downtown Dallas—the Art Deco Lone Star Gas Company building—is also looking at redevelopment.  Hamilton Properties has plans to turn the complex into housing, including affordable housing units.  Unfair Park recently posted some photos of the inside of the building taken by Harwood Avenue District champion Noah Jeppson.  They are a real treat.  (I’ll take the corner office, thanks.)  

This commentary from The New York Times put Mies (and his towers on Chicago’s Lakeshore Drive featured in the film) into the context of post-war America.  How did his “less is more” ethos impact middle-class housing in the decades to come?

Roger Ebert is a well-known Chicagoan, living in a city that Mies had much impact on.  However, it pretty clear he’s not a fan of Modernism.  In this article (which kicks off with the line “Much modern architecture has grown tiresome to me.”), Ebert explains his evolving opinion of Mies and goes on to celebrate Louis Sullivan and the Gothic grandeur of the University of Chicago campus.

And Ebert has started (restarted?) the debate.  The architecture blogosphere is abuzz.  Here’s mention in The Los Angeles Times online.  It includes a poll so you can chime in with your own opinion.

First stop…Barcelona.  We were transfixed recently here at the Center when we screened a beautiful documentary on the works on Antonio Gaudi, including his still under-construction masterpiece La Sagrada Familia.  Here’s an article on a perceived threat to its stability.  Will a high-speed rail tunnel planned for construction just meters away from the cathedral undermine its stability?

Let’s jump to Italy for a story on one of Europe’s most-storied bridges.  The Ponte Vecchio has been steadily altered since its construction in 1345 and offers a great lens on the evolving architecture of this wonderfully old city.

Germany is the site of a bit of an architectural debate.  UNESCO has been petitioned to turn Nazi rally grounds at Nuremberg into a world heritage site; Nazi architect Albert Speer’s son calls it “a weird idea.”  Here’s the scoop.

Our final stop might as well be the embarkation point for so many of our ancestors.  In Antwerp, Belgium, the warehouses of the Red Star Line will be renovated and turned into a museum.  The buildings were the starting point for more than 2 million passengers destined for Ellis Island and the United States.  Bon voyage.

First up, an article on the discovery of Old Kingdom tombs in Egypt.  More than 4300 years old, the colors on the false doors are still vibrant today.  It makes one wonder if any of our contemporary buildings will be around in two millennia.

And here’s one that’s both a look back and a musing on the future.  The title says it best, As Rome Modernizes, Its Past Quietly Crumbles.

All sessions are held at the Wilson Carriage House at 2922 Swiss Avenue.  Cost is $10 per session for Preservation Dallas members, $20 for non-members.  Discounts are offered with purchase of multiple-session packages.  Phone Preservation Dallas at (214) 821-3290, or email sroebuck@preservationdallas.org, for reservations or additional information.

Here are the programming details.  We'll see you there!

THURSDAY, JULY 8

HVAC IN HISTORIC HOMES

Speaker:  Travis Dodson—Senior UNICO Project Management

As you consider the restoration or remodel of your historic home, its heating and cooling mechanical system is often a critical element.  With the right design and installation contractor, you will have options that compete with conventional HVAC systems on design, ducting space requirements, aesthetics, efficiency, and comfort.  Partnered at a high level with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the UNICO System has many key strategic solutions to these challenges.

TUESDAY, JULY 13

Dallas' Historic Lodgings—Plaza Courts to Luxury Hotels

Speaker:  Sam Childers—Historian, Writer & Museum Consultant

In Dallas’ infancy, accommodations for the traveler consisted of boarding houses or unfurnished rooms, but within 10 years of the city’s founding, Dallas could boast its first hotel. As the village evolved from town to city, its elegantly appointed hotels that rivaled those in New York or Chicago established Dallas as a modern city.  With the rise of the automobile following World War II came dozens of motels and motor courts—and Dallas had established itself as a hotel town.  Sam Childers has selected images from a wide variety of libraries, archives, and museum collections to illustrate the history of hotels in Dallas and the role they played in the growth and image of the city.

THURSDAY, JULY 15

Dallas Landscapes for HISTORIC Homes

Speaker:  Patty Dye—PMD Landscapes

Explore landscapes that will highlight your home’s distinctive architectural style.  Five of Dallas’ most popular period house styles meet with fabulous traditional and modern plant choices.  Learn how to bring the most unique features of your home into focus by combining perennial and annual plantings for year–round appeal.  Achieve your goal of all–season beauty with easier, “greener”, sustainable maintenance—less work, less water, and lower costs!

TUESDAY, JULY 20

Old House Appraisals—CONSIDERATIONS FOR PURCHASING AN OLDER HOME

Speaker:  Ann Piper—Certified Appraiser

Ann Piper will discuss the process of comparing home values inside and outside of historic districts.  You will learn why The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation matter to your home purchase and restoration.  Included is invaluable information about tax incentive programs available within Dallas.

THURSDAY, JULY 22

PARKS FOR THE PEOPLE—THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC PARKS IN NORTH TEXAS

Speaker:  Susan Kline—Historian

The creation of parks in North Texas provided for the preservation of green spaces and the natural environment as well as recreational opportunities in the region’s growing cities.  Both Dallas and Fort Worth benefited from far–sighted city leaders who expanded their park systems in an effort to keep up with the needs of an expanding population.  New Deal programs and the post–WWII boom also shaped each city’s parks.  Through the use of historic images and recent photographs, Susan Kline will explore the legacy of these important but vulnerable cultural resources.

TUESDAY, JULY 27

WHITE ROCK LAKE FLOWING INTO ITS SECOND CENTURY

Speaker:  Sally Rodriguez—Coordinator, Dallas Park & Recreation Department

In 1909, Dallas city leaders approved the damming of White Rock Creek to create a new water source for a growing city.  Those early city leaders could hardly know that the lake they were creating 10 miles outside of Dallas a century ago would become an urban oasis enjoyed by over two million visitors a year.  In 2011, White Rock Lake will celebrate its centennial.  As White Rock Lake flows into its second hundred years, what can we do to preserve this urban oasis that serves all the citizens of Dallas?

THURSDAY, JULY 29

VICTORIAN SECRETS

Speakers:  Daron Tapscott—Architect / Kate Singleton—Historic Preservation Consultant

Toward the end of the 19th century, tensions were developing between the traditions of the past and forward-thinking philosophies in art, design and social conventions.  Learn about the lesser–known side of Dallas in the Victorian era, and how Victorian lifestyles affected Dallas’ early neighborhoods.  

But Preservation Dallas also grouped several buildings into categories that call out for policy changes. DISD-owned buildings like Adamson High School and Oak Cliff Christian Church were part of a group of structures that PD encouraged DISD to take new looks at, citing the positive example of the Arts Magnet as a school building that has been successfully renovated.  The list also draws attention to a group of mid-century library buildings that the City of Dallas has mothballed and not done a good job of monitoring.

The list also points out that the budgetary woes of the City of Dallas have gutted the preservation staff at City Hall.  PD worries that few proactive efforts can be undertaken, and that we'll end up with delayed landmark designations.

Here's the entire list:

HISTORIC Buildings owned by the Dallas Independent School District (D.I.S.D.)

Locations:  Various

Threat:  While it is clear that many DISD schools – new as well as historic – require updating for technology and to correct deficiencies due to lack of or improper maintenance over the years, the solution is NOT to demolish these venerable and beloved schools that are important landmarks to the city and its history.  Distinctive, historic schools contribute to our sense of history, context, and community.  A successful model exists of combining historic and new educational facilities within DISD – the recently completed Booker T. Washington High School.  Such an approach of utilizing a historic school has been successful in other cities making the schools the pride of the neighborhood.

Examples include:  Adamson High School and Old Oak Cliff Christian Church in Oak Cliff; Oran M. Roberts School in east Dallas; and Davy Crockett School in Old East Dallas

Crozier Tech/ Old Dallas High School

Location:  2214 Bryan Street

Threat:  This former high school was built in 1907 and is the oldest remaining school building in Dallas.  Prominently located next to the DART station at Bryan and Pearl, the structure has sat vacant since 1995.  Once vacant, the school alumni organized, attending 44 public meetings in hopes of designating their school a city of Dallas historic landmark.  During this process, a California investor purchased the building with plans to knock it down for a parking lot.  But the alumni prevailed, and Crozier Tech was saved from the wrecking ball.  Now, it sits empty, boarded-up with no plans for redevelopment. 

We commend the City Attorneys Office in issuing citations, and encourage the city to be more aggressive in its application of liens against the property for the unlawful neglect the owner is performing.  The out-of-town owner investor should sell the building so that it may once again be a viable, attractive building for downtown Dallas.

South Dallas Historic Districts

Locations:  Wheatley Place, South Boulevard/Park Row, and Tenth Street neighborhoods

Threat:  Dallas’ South Dallas historic districts are not getting the private investment and public funds that they merit.  Too many empty lots pockmark these historic districts, and demolition has been seen as the only tool to deal with abandoned houses.  There is a great opportunity for public entities to turn the situation around.  Councilmember Carolyn Davis has already demonstrated an interest in improving the quality of life for the residents but a streamlined effort in coordinating city agencies, non-profit assistance and private interests is needed.  HUD funds could be used to save these neighborhoods, programs could work on clearing property titles, empty lots could be put into the land bank and made available for compatible new construction, thus stimulating the tax base, revitalizing the entire neighborhood, and adding to our affordable housing stock. 

Statler Hilton

Location:  1914 Commerce Street

Threat:  Since the opening of Main Street Garden, there has been renewed interest in The Statler Hilton Hotel, located at 1914 Commerce Street in the eastern end of downtown Dallas.  Completed in 1956 at a cost of $16,000,000, the Statler was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly three decades and the largest convention facility built in the South. The Statler played an important role establishing Dallas as a business center for the Southwest.  It was the largest hotel in the Southwest, and helped attract convention business to Dallas for many years. 

Today, the building sits vacant.  A challenge in attracting developers is lack of parking. Located on an increasingly attractive piece of real estate, the Statler Hilton faces increasing development pressure.  City of Dallas landmark protection, financial incentives, and national attention are needed to ensure the successful redevelopment of this iconic block of Mid-Century Modern architecture.

Vacant Dallas Public Libraries

Locations:  Various, see below.

Threat:  While staff cuts and reduced hours within the Dallas Public Library system are a sad reminder of the major reduction in public services, a number of the city’s mid-century modern branch libraries are now being replaced with new libraries to accommodate shifts in demand for library services.

These mid-century branch libraries were built in response to Dallas’ new suburban growth, and are representative of a time that continues to define our City.  The branch libraries were designed by some of the best young architecture firms in the city who would go on to become prominent firms. 

Once the new replacement libraries open, the existing buildings are moth-balled, and the utilities are turned-off.  Deterioration sets in, and the buildings become vulnerable to neglect, arson, and vandalism.  As part of the de-accession process, the City is encouraged to consider appropriate preservation restrictions and to monitor the status of these buildings on a regular basis. 

Vacant Libraries include:

Former Downtown Central Library (George Dahl, opened 1955)

1954 Commerce Street

(Now owned by a private investor).

Walnut Hill Branch Library (Fisher & Jarvis, and Associates Architects, opened 1961)

9495 Marsh Lane

Honor Award, Texas region/American Institute of Architects, 1963

Casa View Branch Library (William H. Hidell, opened 1964)

10355 Ferguson Road

Hampton-Illinois Branch Library (Harold A. Berry, opened 1964)

2210 West Illinois

Lancaster-Kiest Branch Library (Harper & Kemp, opened 1964)

3039 Lancaster Road

Deep Ellum

Locations:  Main, Elm, and Commerce Streets

Threat:  For a third year in a row, the Deep Ellum area is listed as endangered. Deep Ellum, the center for Texas blues and jazz in the 1920s and 30s, includes remnants of the largest collection of one & two story storefronts from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s still standing in the city. Multiple business closings, increased development pressure due to the new Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail station, and no city historic overlay in place, has Deep Ellum ripe for demolition. Current zoning allows for larger buildings as tall as 15-stories to replace the 1 and 2-story buildings that characterize the area. Alterations not in keeping with the historic character of properties also threaten to diminish the historic look of the area. While historic district designations have been drafted, property owners have declined designation.     

Deep Ellum retains its early-twentieth century commercial character once nearly universal in American towns but now all but vanished from the landscape.  A tone or "look" has been created by accumulation over many years of commerce, music, and history.  As Deep Ellum is potentially redeveloped for the future and an ever larger population, the existing character becomes an asset to preserve and enhance.

508 Park Avenue & 1900 Young Street Buildings, downtown Dallas

Threat:  508 Park Avenue and 1900 Young Street were the subject of an application for demolition last year.  The demolition certificates were denied by the Landmark Commission, and upheld by the City Plan Commission. 

508 Park was built in 1929 as the Warner Brothers Film Exchange.  It also served as lease space for Brunswick Record's regional distribution center.  With its Zig-Zag Modern detailing, the Art Deco edifice is one of the best examples of this type of architecture in the city.  Also, the building has significance for its association with giants in the music industry including Art Satherley (inducted into the Country Music Hall of Music in 1971), famous record producer Bob Wills (inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968), legendary producer Don Law (inducted into the Country Music Hall of Music in 2001).  508 Park is perhaps best known for its association with Mississippi Bluesman Robert Johnson (1911-1938), who reportedly made his second and last recording there.

With the future development of the new convention center hotel and potential plans for light rail transit in the area, and vacant space in near-by historic buildings, Preservation Dallas hopes that a new owner will seize the opportunity to take advantage of federal preservation tax credits and redevelop these historic properties. 

Hickory Street Annex

Location: 501 Second Avenue

Threat:  Originally known as the Gulf Oil Company Distribution Facility, these six buildings from the 1920s served as a sales center and warehouse for the regional distribution of Gulf Oil products.  Gulf Oil was a major contributor to the economic development of Dallas, and the state of Texas.  

Today, the complex has been preserved, and the buildings have been re-used for commercial office and event space.  It also lies within the planned I-30 Highway expansion project.  According to the site-plan, the majority of the property will be demolished by the widening of the highway and a new on-ramp that slices through the main building.  City, state, and federal agencies must work together to find a solution that will save these icons of Dallas’ industrial past. 

Elm Street Buildings in downtown

Locations:  2226 Elm Street, 2224 Elm Street, and 2222 Elm Street

Threat:  These small buildings are some of the last late nineteenth and early twentieth-century structures remaining in downtown, and they stand in the way of the proposed widening of Cesar Chavez Boulevard, formerly Central Expressway.  Preservation Dallas supports the plans to expand and beautify the new Cesar Chavez Boulevard, and we encourage the City to explore options for moving the buildings out of harm’s way. 

City of Dallas Historic Preservation Program

Threat:  All city services are being cut to meet major gaps in the City’s budget.  Programs like Historic Preservation, which are supported by the Enterprise Fund, were cut by 50% last year.  More cuts are to come, and with no historic preservation officer in place, the program lacks the much-needed support to be pro-active.  As the economy improves, and renovations and construction increases, the staff will be stretched too thin, resulting in delayed landmark designations and protections of our historic buildings. 

The final product is a rather nice teaser for our full-blown Arts District Architecture Walking Tour.  (You have been on one, haven't you?!?)

Here's the video.

A fifth edition of the esteemed AIA Guide to New York City hit the bookstores last week.  Here’s the story of the May-September collaboration what made it possible.

Are you a fan of the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth?  Then, take a look at this “weighty coffee-table tome” on Tadao Ando.

This catalogue takes a look at the modern metropolis that is Miami.

And grab this authorized biography of Lord Norman Foster for your next reading session under the Winspear Opera House’s canopy.

Happy reading!

Prompted by this renewed interest in the architecture found in their neck of the woods, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League has borrowed a page from the Preservation Dallas folks and issued their own list of “Architecture at Risk.”  The list, which includes churches, schools and a whimsical ice cream shop, can be found here.

Let’s start in the Big Apple.  Eero Saarinen’s magnificent terminal at JFK Airport is protected by its landmark status.  Turns out that I’M. Pei’s terminal at the same airport is not…and is in danger of being demolished.  The Architect’s Newspaper has the story…and some great vintage photographs. And The New York Daily News has the reaction from preservationists and architects.

Closer to home, but to the south, our neighbors in Houston appear on the verge of serious consideration of preservation ordinances.  The Houston Chronicle thinks that’s a good thing.

And there’s good news right here in our back yard.  Katherine Seale shares the fascinating story of a community hospital turned (hopefully) children’s theatre. It’s on the docket today to earn Landmark status.  We’ll keep our fingers crossed.  

Architect and DCFA Board member Vel Hawes echoed the sentiment in his post on the DMN Opinion blog: “The architects in Dallas will especially miss David as a crusader for good design and as a friend to our profession. Dallas is and will be a better place for the intelligence, wit and character of David Dillon.” 

Fellow DMN staffer Michael Granberry wrote this remembrance—which includes snippets from Dillon’s writings.  And Dillon’s passing received national notice, including this mention by Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin.

It is fitting that Dillon was working on an article for the News quite recently.  This great piece on the Kessler Plan ran in Sunday’s edition.  But, best of all, are these outtakes from a 2006 interview done by local documentarians Mark Birnbaum and Manny Mendoza.  From Dillon himself, the great cogent thoughts that we all will miss so deeply.

First up, a simple progress update.  Back at the end of March, The Architect’s Newspaper had this report that the 9/11 Memorial pools were almost completely framed. It will  be interesting to see how everyone reacts to the finished project.  The Memorial is after all the most “emotional” piece fo the project.

That’s not to say that emotions and/or politics don’t pervade the whole kit and caboodle.  New York magazine’s Christopher Bonanos has an insightful piece in the May 24 issue that outlines the fact that, even after those politics are (somewhat) dealt with, the construction demands may be even worse.

Dramatic enough for you?  Sound ripe for a television reality show?  You’re not the only one who thinks so…Steven Spielberg is filming for a special scheduled to air on the Science Channel in September 2011—the 10^th anniversary of the attacks that felled the Twin Towers.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram kicks things off with a story with all the details…including the fact that the roof will be outfitted with photo-voltaic cells that are intended to generate enough power to offset 50 percent of the building's annual carbon emissions  And our hometown paper on this side of the Trinity has this story.  

Noted New York Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff echoes a theme familiar to all of the stories:  “It’s fair to ask if Renzo Pianowas fully sane when he agreed to design the addition to Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum.”  He goes on to include a cogent analysis of Kahn’s work and its place in the pantheon of American architecture: “Kahn’s mythic stature in American architecture is matched only by that of Frank Lloyd Wright; and even Wright is less likely to be spoken of with such reverence. The architectural historian Vincent Scully, Kahn’s most ardent promoter, once claimed that he was “the hinge on which Modernism turned.” His pure geometric forms were infused with an aura of silence, and they had as much to do with Roman precedents as with the late Modernist period he worked in. Far from mental abstractions, they were meant to be touched; their solemn surfaces of concrete, stone or brick carried the weight of history.”  The entire story is here…and definitely worth a read.  

Rounding things out are these reports from KERA’s Art and Seek and ARTINFO.com.

Chime in with your opinions over on our Facebook page.

First up, an update on the “flying saucer” that greets visitors to the Los Angeles International Airport.

And, a look at the inspirations for the sets for the current Broadway production of Promises, Promises.

And, finally, hot off the presses, a glimpse of the 1958 redo of the Mercantile Building thanks to architecture super sleuth Robert Wilonsky.

Enjoy the (long) weekend!

“Dallas contains, surprisingly, almost astonishingly in fact, one of the finest concentrations of modern architecture in the world.” Not bad, huh?  Well, The Financial Times has even more to say about our fair city here.

First Baptist Dallas has raised a record-setting $115 million to complete transform its downtown campus.  Here are more details and renderings (The Beck Group is designing.) from The Dallas Business Journal.

The new building for the North Carolina Museum of Art might not seem to have much local interest, but it does when you know the architect.  Thomas Phifer designed the building and The Architect’s Newspaper says it is “a manifesto for movement between nature and architecture” in its review. So what’s the local angle?  Phifer is designing portions of “The Park” over Woodall Rodgers.

And, turning our attentions to Fort Worth, here’s a good news/bad news item.  Lawrence Halprin’s Heritage Park Plaza has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.  That’s the good news.  Bad news?  It’s also been added to the list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places.

First up is Mies van de Rohe’s 1951 masterpiece outside of Chicago, Farnsworth House.  Turns out its placement adjacent to the Fox River is increasingly putting it in peril.  It has flooded three times in the last 13 years, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.  On ArchNewsNow.com, Fred Bernstein argues that it’s time to move it to higher ground.

Built in 1932 as the first home with a steel frame, the home Richard Neutra built for his own family is also in need of repair.  PreservationNation has the story of an endowment far too small to deal with the roof repairs and other work necessary to preserve the building.

And if you’re in the market for a Philip Johnson-designed home, this one can be yours for $2 million.

First, a bit of good news.  Persistent preservationists have won a reprieve for Richard Neutra’s Cyclorama Building at the Gettysburg National Park.  It’s a slightly sticky wicket (A Modernist building in the middle of a Civil War site?), and this isn’t the final word, but it’s nice to see the discussion continue.

Our neighbors to the west are fighters in the fight as well.  This Fort Worth editorial celebrates Sundance Square and Montgomery Plaza and the renovation of the 1899 Masonic Home and School of Texas.

Now, the less cheerful news.  In a tough economic climate and under budgetary pressure, the Save America’s Treasure project is under pressure.  But you can help with that and other funding challenges by going to this National Trust site and lobbying your Congressional representative.

And here's a final look back at Cowboys Stadium.  Sure, you can watch the neat video of the implosion, but make sure you also read the article about what's next for the site.

(And keep thinking stadiums.  We're planning an exhibition on stadium architecture to coincide with next year's Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium. SDtay tuned for details.)

We told you about the National Building Museum’s interesting exhibition on the parking garage.  The Museum of the City of New York picks up the thread and has its own exhibition on city’s role in the history of the automobile and the car’s role in shaping the New York landscape.  Cars, Culture, and the City looks at the ways New York helped build the mystique of the automobile—from architect-designed showrooms along Broadway to the pavilions built at World’s Fairs.  The show runs through August 1.

Back in September, the Museum of Nature and Science unveiled an impressive Thom Mayne design for their new Victory Park home.  Since then, they had a celebratory (albeit symbolic) ground-breaking.  But soon, the dirt really WILL start to fly.  Just a couple of weeks ago, Museum officials gave Balfour Beatty Construction the go sign.

And finally…we can’t pretend to understand the in’s and out’s of Google, but this item on Louis Kahn’s design for the Roosevelt Memorial in New York is one of the most visited pages on our website.  So, in the interest of driving traffic, here’s a follow-up. Ground has been broken; if the remaining finds can be raised, completion is only two years away.

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Preservation Dallas has announced the winners of its eleventh annual Preservation Achievement Awards.  Katherine Seale, executive director of Preservation Dallas, made the announcement. 

The awards will be presented at the awards ceremony and celebration on Friday, May 21 at the Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Kalita Humphreys Theater at 3636 Turtle Creek Boulevard from 6-8 p.m.

An independent jury of preservation professionals selects the award winners from nominated properties. 

The 2010 Preservation Achievement Award winners are:

Rehabilitation or Adaptive Use of a Residential Historic Property

311 N. Edgefield

Dallas, Texas 75204

Property Owner: Aaron Stall

General Contractors: Rob and Rex Romano

New Construction in a Historic District

316 E. Sixth Street

Dallas, TX

Property Owners: Brenda P. and Robert P. Garza

Project Architect: RPGA Design Group, Inc.-Architects

Rehabilitation of a Historic Landscape or Park

Esplanade and Parry Avenue Gate Restoration

3939 Grand Avenue

Dallas, TX

Property Owner: City of Dallas Park & Recreation Department

Project Architect: Nancy McCoy, FAIA, Quimby-McCoy Preservation Architecture, LLP

Lake Cliff Park Restoration

300 E. Colorado Blvd.

Dallas, Texas 75214

Property Owner:  City of Dallas Park & Recreation Department

Project Architect: ARCHITEXAS-Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation, Inc.

General Contractor: Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, Ltd.

Sustainability Award and

Rehabilitation/ Adaptive Use of a Commercial, Institutional, or Mixed-use Property

Aloft Hotel ( Santa Fe Terminal Building IV)

1033 Young Street

Dallas, TX 75202

Property Owner: Santa Fe Hotel IV LP, Hamilton Properties & Sava Group

General Contractor: Andres Construction

Rehabilitation/ Adaptive Use of a Commercial, Institutional, or Mixed-use Property

Texas Discovery Gardens (Hall of Horticulture, Fair Park )

3601 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard

Dallas, TX   75210

Property Owner: City of Dallas Park & Recreation Department

Project Architect: Oglesby-Greene Architects

General Contractor: Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, Ltd.

Old Parkland Hospital

3819 Maple Avenue

Dallas, TX 75219

Property Owner: Crow Holdings

Project Architect: Good Fulton & Farrell

General Contractor: Andres Construction

Structural Engineer: Datum Engineers

Sunset Inn at White Rock Lake

White Rock Lake

Dallas, TX

Property Owner: City of Dallas , Park & Recreation Department

Design Architects: Willis Winters, Raul De La Rosa, Louise Elam

citywalk@akard

511 N. Akard

Dallas, TX 75201

Property Owner: Central Dallas CDC, John Greenan

Project Contractor: Key Construction Texas , LLC

The Joule Hotel ( Dallas National Bank Building )

1530 Main

Dallas, TX 75201

Property Owner: Headington Hotel Group

Project Architect: ARCHITEXAS-Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation, Inc.

‘Sense of Place’ Award:

Dallas Contemporary

161 Glass Street

Dallas, Texas 75207

Property Owner: Dallas Contemporary

Design Architect: Edward M. Baum, FAIA

Mayfair Building/Mayfair Department Store

1414 Elm

Dallas, Texas 75202

Property Owner: Spectrum Properties

Project Architect: Merriman Associates/Architects, Inc.

Project Contractor: J.P. Berry

Preservation Dallas will also present Special Recognition Awards at the Preservation Achievement Awards:

Special Recognition in Historic Preservation:  Preservation Dallas presents a special tribute to Willis Winters, FAIA, Assistant Director at the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department. 

The 2010 Stewardship Award honors Jim Anderson, long-time historic planner at the City of Dallas .

The 2010 Craftsmanship Award honors the reconstruction of Tenor & Contralto sculptures at Fair Park .

The 2010 Dorothy Savage Award recipient is presented posthumously to Gail Thoma Patterson for her significant contributions to the historic preservation and the Dallas community.  Carrie Thoma Patterson will be accepting the award.

Detailed information and photos of the properties are available upon request.

The Awards ceremony will commence at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the Preservation Achievement Awards are available at preservationdallas.org or call 214-821-3290:  Cost is $50 for Preservation Dallas members and $85 for non-members.

Applications (attached here) will be due by the end of May with interviews in June.  Class sessions will begin in July and the new tour seson kicks off in September.  We'll ask the new docents to attend six weekly sessions for initial training, one continuing education session a month after that, and to commit to at least one tour a month.

Please join us in this exciting project!

E-mail any questions to info@DallasCFA.com.

New York’s Morgan Library has an exhibition on Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) up and running.  The New York Times has a review of how Palladio’s adaptation of Roman forms for the homes of the ruling class influenced generations’ worth of public and governmental architecture.  (Which reminds us of our next film screening on May 12.  We’ll watch and discuss The Architecture of Doom, and interesting look at the Nazi obsession with Classical forms.)

Skipping ahead a few centuries, here’s a gorgeous (and informative) slide show reminding us why so many peoples are still transfixed by the Bauhaus. And to emphasize the point, here’s an interview with the Chicago architect who recently restored the “revolutionary” Lake Shore Drive apartments designed by Mies van der Rohe.

And, finally, a look at Brutalism.  The heavy concrete architecture of several decades ago has been criticized vociferously, most recently with a discussion of the much-maligned Boston City Hall.  Architect magazine offers a defense of Brutalism…and even coins a new term for this particular style.

Check them out and then join us on a tour very soon.  You can register here.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is a behemoth architecture firm that has built some of our most renowned modern skyscrapers, including Burj Khalifa, the Sears Tower and the World Trade Center. Beyond that, they have built countless towers in urban centers across the world.  And that includes Dallas.  SOM constructed two of the towers in the Arts District.  Trammell Crow Center and Chase Tower were both designed by SOM’s Richard Keating.  Here’s a look at “the architecture firm that reached for the sky.”

The Meyerson Symphony Center is a brilliant tour de force of geometry by Pritzker Prize winner I.M. Pei.  Pei is still going strong at 92 and discusses several of his major projects in this interview.

And here’s another interview—this one with landscape architect Deb Mitchell, part of the team that designed the Sammons Park at the new AT&T Performing Arts Center.  Peter Simek of D’s FrontRow gets some interesting answers on the design process the “scoop” in front of the Wyly Theater.

By the way, now that you’ve learned so much…are you interested in being a docent for our walking tours?  We’re currently recruiting a new class.  Send us an e-mail at info@DallasCFA.com and we’ll get you the info.

We’ll admit that not all of today’s entries are strictly architecturally related.  But, the environment is a much bigger story after all.  To give context and put us in the mood, here is a GREAT timeline in The New York Times of environmental milestones over the last 7 decades.

Greenest thing we know?  That great deck park (AKA our front lawn) being built over Woodall Rodgers.  The model is now on permanent display here at the Center.  Come visit it, and us.  In the meantime, here’s the story on Unfair Park.

And, finally, are trees architectural?  We’re going to say “yes” so we can post this fascinating look at the oldest trees in the world.  They’ve survived.  Now, can we PLEASE work at preserving the great buildings around us?  Even if they are “just” a few decades old like this one.

One of the most powerful things about the film is that it was directed by Gehry’s good friend, the late film director Sidney Pollack.  As a result, it is far more intimate than similar projects.  (Gehry’s therapist is one of the interviewees, for goodness’ sake.)  This interview by Maria Giulia Zunino has a similar intimacy.

Thos of you keeping up with the kerfluffles surrounding the reconstruction efforts at New York’s Ground Zero know that the originally planned Gehry-designed arts center is no longer a part of the plan.  However, Signature Theater is still getting a Gehry building.  The New York Times has the story.

The Washington Post has an article on Gehry’s Eisenhower Memorial.  It’s in a different vein than his normal curvilinear style.

And here and here are accounts of a talk Gehry gave last week in Chicago.  Seems he’s not a fan of green architecture.  Bold talk from a bold architect.  Come to the film tonight and hear more of the same.

First up—in the “is it or isn’t it?” file—is the report that the former H.L. Hunt estate on White Rock Lake is for sale.  And the report that it isn’t. It would be great if it were…if just to go to the open house (yeah, right) and gawk at one of the most recognizable residences in town.  (By the way, you do know where the other (albeit much smaller) Mt. Vernon replica is in town, right?)

On a more modest scale, this mid-century Modern gem in the same White Rock vicinity is up for sale.  Dallas Dirt’s Candace Evans has a nice introduction to the wonders that are Ju-Nel homes…and that gives us an opportunity to put in a shameless plug for our collaboration with the brilliant White Rock Home Tour.  On April 23, we’ll hold a speaker’s panel and reception kicking off an exhibition examining Ju-Nel Homes.  The exhibition will feature original blueprints, personal effects of the architects and even furniture and decorative arts from the period.  You won’t want to miss it.

Back on the high-end, The New York Times has a lovely article (with GORGEOUS photos) of the Philip Johnson-designed Beck House. The current owners have done a glorious job restoring the home; if you ever have the opportunity to visit it, jump at the chance.

Meanwhile, for the chance to visit some other interesting homes, make sure and check out this weekend’s Park Cities Home Tour.  We’ll see you there! 

Entries were accepted from middle and high schools across North Texas and award winners selected by a jury made up of Amy Hofland, Director of the Crow Collection of Asian Art; Max Levy, FAIA; and Kevin Sloan, ASLA.  The jury was impressed by the depth and breadth of the talent represented and found themselves giving several Honor Awards in particularly “loaded” categories.

Citation Awards and DCFA gift bags were awarded to:

Lindsay Long, McKamy Middle School, Middle School Drawing

Sofie Rain Nieminen, McKamy Middle School, Middle School Painting

Kent Oliver Bhupathi, Plano East Senior High, High School Sculpture

Emily Bowe, Hockaday, High School Photography

Tyler Henderson, Garland High School, High School Painting

Stewart (Piercen) Lawrence, Highland Park High School, High School Mixed Media

Stewart (Piercen) Lawrence, Highland Park High School, High School Drawing

Caroline Thomas, Highland Park High School, High School Photography

Honor Awards, $50 cash prizes and DCFA gift bags were presented to:

Becca DeWitt, Trinity Christian Academy, Middle School Drawing

Sarah Hubner, Dowell Middle School, Middle School Printmaking

Hope Wallace, Williams Middle School, Middle School Sculpture

Jose Rodriguez, Skyline High School, High School Drawing

Alex Lilly, Trinity Christian Academy, High School Mixed Media

Scarlett Davis, Highland Park High School, High School Photography

Justine Tanner, Highland Park High School, High School Photography

Tory Tarpley, Hockaday, High School Photography

Morgan De Paoli, Trinity Christian Academy, High School Printmaking

Frances Russell, Trinity Christian Academy, High School Printmaking

Jourdan Stewart, Trinity Christian Academy, High School Printmaking

Melanie Tsuchida, Wakeland High School, High School Sculpture

Best of Show Awards went to Hope Wallace for the Middle School category and Jourdan Stewart for High School.

The works will be up at the Dallas Center for Architecture through April 20.  Come check them out!

Dallas has a couple of Wright buildings of note.  The 50 year old Kalita Humphreys Theatre is his only free-standing theatre design ever to be executed.  And the Gillon House, completed in 1958, known for its appearance in the film Bottle Rocket.  But while we have the Higginbotham Residence on Swiss Avenue, designed by a former Wright architect, we don't have one of his Prairie-Style homes here in our fair city.  But Kankanee, Illinois does.

Balir Kamin has the story of what might be Wright's first Prairie-Style home.  While it's missing its desk (Barbra Streisand bought it years ago), the structure has been restored and now awaits its fate as a house museum and arts education center.

And if you need your Wright fix and can get up to the Windy City, on May 15, you'll have the chance to go into Wright-designed houses not usually open to the public.  Let us know if you're planning to go.  We'll stow away in your suitcase...

Here's more on his designs for the New York City Ballet.

Here’s The New York Times story.

Christopher Hawthorne at the Los Angeles Times frames his story with recognition that, for once, the Pritzker jury has recognized a woman as well as the collaboration between two architects. 

Blair Kamin took the opportunity to repost his 2006 review of SANAA’s Glass Pavilion of the Toledo Museum of Art.

And, last, but not least, here’s ArchNewsNow’s take.

Nouvel—otherwise known as the architect reviled by architecture “critic” Prince Charles—has a new project in London.  Nouvel has been selected to design the 10^th installment in a series of summer pavilions for Serpentine Gallery.  Past architects who have done the same include Zaga Hadid, Daniel Liebeskind, and Rem Koolhaas.  The scarlet pavilion will include table tennis tables and a gravity-defying tilting wall.  

Nouvel has also produced a less colorful, but equally striking design for a the National Museum of Qatar. Nicolai Ouroussoff says this of the building’s disc like forms inspired by sand roses: “The lightness with which these forms rest on the land…conjure the ethereality of desert life.”

Closer to home, Nouvel talks here of his tower to be located next door to the Museum of Modern Art.  The city has required the building be shortened by about 200 feet.  Back to the drawing board…

And here’s an interview with Nouvel where he talks of several other projects: among them, a completed condo tower in Manhattan and the Louvre Abu Dhabi with it’s 600-foot diameter dome.ouse withint the Hou

City Center, originally the Shriner’s Temple, is a wonderful neo-Moorish building that now houses some of America’s most prominent dance companies.  It will undergo a $75 million facelift, with improved sightlines and restored mosaics, ceilings and plasterwork detailing. The New York Times has more info.

And, unfortunately, politics have proven to be an obstacle in redevelopment efforts at the former World Trade Center site. NPR interviews Paul Godberger who has written a book on the quagmire.  Here are the messy details.

What are the most photographed site in New York City?  I think most of us would guess the Empire State Building and Times Square.  And we'd be right.  But how many would predict Apple's Fifth Avenue Store?  Here's the story.

A mystery about a photograph in the collection of the Guggenheim Museum led to research on some American architectural pioneers—the women who worked in Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio.  Marion Mahony was actually Wright’s first employee and lead designer. And others followed.  The short documentary A Girl Is a Fellow Here offers a glimpse of some of them.

An exhibition at the Virginia Center for Architecture draws from the Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design International Archive of Women in Architecture to examine other pioneering women.  Cleverly entitled Glass Ceilings, the show looks at the previously mentioned Marion Mahony and her contemporaries and also those who cam later like Beverly Willis. Here’s more from the Virginia Tech newspaper.

Jeanne Gang has become one of the world’s most acclaimed architects.  Much has been made of her stunning Aqua Tower in Chicago, but her new media production center at Columbia College Chicago is also worth examining.  Blair Kamin takes a look at its cinematic inspirations.

And while SUNY Buffalo architecture professor Despina Stratigakos lost her bid to make Barbie an architect, she HAS succeeded in publishing a book looking at Berlin at the turn of the 20^th century and how progressive women had a hand in remapping it.

First some food for thought on the “Bilbao effect.” Does it really exist?  Or has it led to another trend—the architect as (figuratively) fashion designer?  An article from perhaps an unusual source takes on these questions and more.

Miami Senior High School is getting a makeover.  Anyone from DISD reading this?  Adamson? Crozier Tech?  See, folks, it CAN be done.

Currently, the Nasher has a stunning exhibition of works by Jaume Plensa on display. Plensa, creator of the Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millenium Park, is one of the team members participating in a design competition working to breathe new life into the area of Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

There seems to be more and more talk about the symbolism in contemporary architecture.  The recently unveiled design for the American Embassy in London was fodder for the conversation.  Next on the list? How about the International Criminal Court Building?

And, last but not least, an interesting look at some of the period revival architecture of Fort Worth.

There’s a great house just outside of Eureka Springs made of local rock, collected fossils and other detritus called Quigley’s Castle. This live-in work-of-art takes things to an even more beautiful level.  From the cow bone address numbers to a “carpeting” of t-shirts in one room, this home is a stunner in more way than one.   

Some of us here at the Center were talking the other day about whether or not we could trust that the recyclables we so carefully sort here and at home actually made it to the point that they were actually recycled.  Or are we just fooling ourselves? Well, The Dirt takes on the even more complicated question of whether or not the building products we buy are actually green in this piece. Toxicity?  Distance travelled? Sounds as complicated as a trip to the produce section at the grocery store.  

Lastly, an item from The Guardian likely to throw Queen Elizabeth’s crown akimbo.  A London design and engineering firm has proposed (tongue-in-cheek, preservationists hope) razing Buckingham Palace and replacing it with something a bit greener.  Hmmm….

Beth Sholom Synagogue—which was featured in Sacred Spaces, screened here at the Center last year—celebrated its birthday with the opening of a visitor’s center and a fundraising campaign to fund some necessary repairs and renovations. (If you guessed that the roof leaks, you’d be right.)  Here’s more on what Wright stressed was “an American synagogue.”

The Guggenheim has had an event-packed anniversary year, including a retrospective of Wright’s work.  For its latest exhibition, the Guggenheim invited more than 200 architects, designers and artists to redesign the space.  Calling the spiral rotunda the “greatest belly button in modern architecture,” New York Times critic Roberta Smith reports on “some navel gazing.” Venerable Wall Street Journal architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable examines the same show through the lens of the seeming conflict between art and the spaces we exhibit them in.  (By the way, if any of the designs tickle your fancy, you can bid on them here.)

And, finally, a show that makes the Guggenheim into a theater of the everyday rather than an exhibition space.  Perhaps it’s the most interesting idea of all?

Looking forward, a city known for its freeways is looking to cover some of them over with new greenspace.  The Los Angeles effort, especially what’s operating under the code name Park 101, hopes to unify some of the City of Angels’ best landmarks.

Hopefully, they’ve learned a lesson from Boston.  While The Big Dig has supposedly helped traffic, the Rose Kennedy Greenway on top has hit a few speedbumps of its own.

Another in a series of planned cultural institutions or the park (this time, an $80 million Daniel Liebeskind project) has fallen victim to the economy. The Architect’s Newspaper takes a look.

And the city of Trento, Italy has turned things on their head…reclaiming the tunnel itself and turning a couple of them into a museum.  Again, The Architect’s Newspaper has the story.  (Have you noticed they’re one of our favorites?  Link here and make them one of yours.)

And visit another one of our favorites www.theparkdallas.org often for updates on our very own Dallas project.  Their live webcam keeps you up to date…

And let’s cast our gaze back on these critics who have a platform to praise or criticize architects and their work.  Alexandra Lange explains “Why Nicolas Ourossoff Is Not Good Enough.”  Lange challenges The New York Times critic on several fronts and how he “is not making a case for keeping the breed.” Nancy Levinson continues and extends the conversation, worrying that architecture reviews as arts criticism is missing a critical point.  It’s not about how a building LOOKS, but how it fulfills its need.  It’s an interesting thought when applied to the Dallas architecture that has been getting so much ink these days.  Whether or not you like the Winspear or Wyly or Cowboys Stadium, how do they “work”?  Hmmm……..

First up, the most creative re-purposing of a structure we’ve heard about in a long time.  The Punta Carretas Shopping Center in Montevido, Uruguay is the town’s most upscale mall.  But before its role in commerce, it was a notorious prison, known for a 1971 prison break of 106 urban guerillas.  This story points out that the mall “is doing a much better job of keeping shoppers in than it had with prisoners.”  Perhaps the state prison on the Trinity can undergo a similar transformation?  We’re just saying…

 One of the biggest international architecture stories of the last couple of weeks has been the reaction to the designs by Philadelphia-based architecture firm Kieran Timberlake which have been selected for the new U.S. Embassy in London.  This Washington Post article describes the design competition (only the fourth time the State Department has had such a selection process) and its goals to end up with “a modern, open and secure” building. Christopher Hawthorne of the Los Angeles Times takes a more critical look.  And The New York Times’ Nicolai Ouroussof just doesn’t like it. Neither do the locals and their architects, going so far as to say that their view of the Thames is being ruined “by this boring glass cube.”

And architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are facing a different kind of critic for their sets for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Atilla.  Sounds like Santiago Calatrava has some competition in the set design arena, no?

First, Haiti.  In this article from The Seattle Times, the Haitian ambassador to the United States says that “what was not politically possible was done by the earthquake.”  Will the Haitian government and international community get past the country’s overwhelming poverty and governance issues that have been a way of life?  Will natural disaster allow a clean slate and building renaissance ala Chicago post-fire and San Francisco post-quake?

Architect Sebastian Gray has a first-hand account of the Chile quake in The New York Times. Furniture and belongings tossed about but not a single crack in his 1950’s built home.

Time magazine explains why that is so.  Will a natural disaster and human tragedy lead to change…both political and architectural?

Regardless, please support our neighbors in need.   AIA and Architecture for Humanity have relief efforts underway.

Leading off, on the education front, the architecture schools at Rice and the University of Houston have new deans, both of them women. In this story, from the Houston Chronicle, they talk about how, despite their different approaches, they see collaboration as key.

Heading just to the north, this article outlines how the natural gas industry aims to transform downtown Oklahoma City—in a greener fashion than you might imagine.

While this review is of a building “out west,” it’s by hometown-based firm HKS—the folks behind one of our newest architectural icons, Cowboys Stadium.

And, finally, firmly back in Big D, just miles from the Center in fact, here’s an update on the plans for the new Parkland Hospital.

Do you have any news stories you want to share?  E-mail us your ideas at info@DallasCFA.com.

While you ponder that, take a gander at Slate.com’s list of architectural failures.  Interestingly enough, Wright makes this list also…with one of his most iconic works.

When you take our walking tour of the Dallas Arts District, we discuss that the fact that it took 30 years to “finish” the Districts’ cultural buildings is not necessarily a bad thing.  Otherwise, all the buildings would have been built at one time—the “Lincoln Center effect.”  Almost 50 years after its construction, Lincoln Center is undergoing some pretty extensive renovation.  Including a new theatre on the rooftop of the Vivian Beaumont Theater, designed by Eero Saarinen.  Hugh Hardy, who worked on the original project is designing it.  The New York Times has the story, including the opposition that the addition has faced.

Meanwhile, further downtown, word comes that construction on the Frank Gehry-designed arts center at Ground Zero will begin next quarter.  However, thanks to the complexities of the site, he project won’t be finished for years.  And some cynics don’t think it will ever be built.

Thankfully, our arts center is up and running and garnering positive press from around the world.  Keep the momentum going.  Go here and vote for the Wyly or the Winspear as ArchDaily’s Cultural Building of the Year.

I'm headed west to see the Andy Warhol show at the Ando-designed Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Georgia O’Keefe exhibition at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, but won't pass up the opportunity to admire the other great museum buildings in the district while I’m there.  Philip Johnson’s Amon Carter.  Louis Kahn’s Kimball.  And the newest in the neighborhood,  Legoretta + Legoretta’s Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.  Architectural Record has a review.

I wish I could head even further west for Modernism Week in Palm Springs.  Time magazine has its preview here.  I love me some mid-century minimalism, but will have to wait until the White Rock Home Tour (and the exhibition we’re co-presenting here at the Center) for a more local fix.

And, of course, if you’re looking for something to do, there’s always the things we have going on here.  A local architect has started a blog worth your read…and he is kind enough to endorse the interesting stuff we’re coming up with.  Check it out here.

Come see us!

First, news from the homefront.  Everyone anticipates that the Calatrava-designed Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge across the Trinity River will bring a needed jolt to West Dallas neighborhoods.  Here’s The Dallas Morning News’ story on how the newly-created Dallas CityDesign Studio, helmed by AIA Dallas member Brent Brown, is already in the mix.

Still on our turf…you know the parking lots behind Dallas’ City Hall? Did you know that the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation has big/green plans for the site?  Architectural Record has the story.

We mentioned Sr. Calatrava in the item above.  His planned Chicago Spire is the subject of this news item.  It seems that the economy has turned sour enough that the only thing the Windy City has to show for the project is a big hole.  The Chicago Architectural Club has asked the question “What can we do with it?”  It’s an interesting development quandary.  Here’s Blair Kamin’s coverage.

And here are a couple of stories on a novel approach that some West Coasters have taken to prevent developers from altering an iconic postcard view we’re all familiar with.  The New York Times has some background, and Fast Company has some great pics as well.

First up, Christopher Hume takes on the pavilion that the Canadian government has up for the Olympics.  It’s supposed to be an opportunity for the nation to show off, but Hume says it’s “an ugly pre-fab dud.”

Brent Toderian is the planning director for Vancouver.  Here’s an interview with him “about how the city, known for progressive planning and green thinking, (is) meeting the Olympic challenge.” For example, how does a newly-constructed Olympic Village become a vital part of the city?

And The Vancouver Sun has details on the Olympic Village and the many elements that has the complex aiming for its old gold medal…LEED Gold status.

For centuries, architects have used visual imagery to assist in the design process—from Egyptian temples sketched on papyrus and Michelangelo’s perspective drawings to “back of the napkin” sketches and 3-D modeling.  These visual representations may be as conceptual as a first sketch or as detailed as construction documents and design drawings.  These drawings from their mind’s eye assist in the translation of idea to reality.  They help us to understand the architect’s vision, and, through the alteration of these drawings, architectural ideas find form. 

Since it began almost 35 years ago, the annual Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition has grown from an event that recognized hand-drawn renderings of local architects to a competition that encompasses architectural delineations made in a variety of media by students and professionals the world over.  Organized by the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the “KRob” is the longest-running architectural drawing competition anywhere. The competition is named in tribute to Ken Roberts, the Dallas architect who organized it. Roberts died in 1974 at age 34.

This exhibition features both winners and finalists from the 2009 competition on the DCFA gallery wall and the plasma screen television.

A special reception celebrating the exhibition will be held February 15 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Dallas Center for Architecture. Refreshments will be provided.  Please RSVP to info@DallasCFA.com.

We were not so successful with Joshua Prince-Ramus.  Quite frankly, we couldn't keep up.  And it was a crying shame, because the talk was fascinating.  But rather than do it an injustice, we skipped over it. 

Now though, thanks to technology, you can experience it almost first-hand.  The fine folks at TED have posted Ramus' talk at the TEDxSMU event, which is almost exactly the same as his remarks at the Wyly.  Strap yourself in for a quite interesting 20 minutes.

First, the good news.  It seems Irving schools are trying to become greener.  The Irving ISD has adopting a “net zero” model for a new energy –efficient middle school. With the planned inclusion f solar panels and wind turbines, the school could open as early as the fall of 2011. 

And it looks like Austin will soon have its own ZeroHouse.

Meanwhile, some are suggesting that in addition to making our buildings eco-friendly, we better also adapt our buildings to the inevitability of climate change. This story outlines some of those ideas, including designing for drought and more sever weather conditions.

And architects in the Big Apple are planning for the worst.  Here’s an article that outlines ideas that folks have for the waterfront if sea levels rise two feet or more as some folks have predicted.  

First, here’s another review of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.  This one from The Texas Observer.  And they throw Cowboys Stadium into the mix.  Certainly, these three buildings have gained the area a lot of architectural press.  What’s the next project or projects that might prompt the same interest?

We posted an article recently that traced the debt that the Burj Khalifa owed an earlier Frank Lloyd Wright design.  Turns out the architects say, “Not so fast.” The Chicago Tribune’s Blair Kamin has the story.

Renzo Piano seems to have made a career of additions to venerated museums, including his planned expansion of Louis Kahn’s masterpiece Kimball Museum in Fort Worth.  The reviews of his design for Boston’s esteemed Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum portends great things for our neighbors to the west, we hope.

And, last but not least, in preparation for our trip to D.C. next week and a meeting of AAO (DCFA is a Founding Member.), we ran across this review of, ummm, a parking garage designed by Herzog and de Meuron.  Definitely puts us in the mood to check out the National Building Museum’s exhibit while we’re there.

First up is Goldberger’s poetic review of Aqua, the Chicago tower recently completed by Jeanne Gang.  (Gang was a speaker for the Dallas Architecture Forum recently.)  Goldberger not only talks about the building, but also the role that Gang’s gender did (or didn’t) play in the building’s design and its reviews.

And here is an interview from the Khaleej Times online which reveals Goldberger’s thoughts on Burj Khalifa, now the tallest building in the world.

And if that’s not enough Goldberger for you, run out and buy his book Why Architecture Matters. Here’s a review from The Washington Post.

First, here is a Fast Company interview with Santiago Calatrava.  It begins with a discussion of whether or not nature influences his designs, but don’t miss the last couple of pages where there is a extensive discussion of the “dazzling” Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

And Unfair Park brings us an update on the timeline for the Continental Street Bridge redo.

We’ll make it up to you next week with lots of newsy info.  

In the meantime, we DO have a little Friday Fun.  Technology, of course, impacts us all in far-reaching ways every day.  And it has changed the architectural profession as well.  Here’s an interesting article on how animation has affected the design and marketing of architecture.  Kind of appropriate in an Avatar-tinged world, huh?

And to take things one step further, here’s a short film that one of our architectural photographer friends sent our way.  The Third and the Seventh uses 3-d rendering to delve into some architectural masterpieces, including work by Mies and Louis Kahn.  Enjoy!

Some of our recent watercooler talk has been on the elevator experience at the Burj.  How long does it take?  How many times do your ears pop? Do you get the bends on the way down?  Well, it seems that 14 people trapped in one of the elevators for an hour have a great story to tell the grandkids. Reporting on the same incident, NPR (and we love how they do things like this) branches out with a look at the mind-bending technology involved in the modern elevator. (And the last, soon to be extinct, manual elevator in the U.S.)

And here are a couple of looks at from whence the Burj came and what it might inspire.  Slate has an article on what the Burj owes Frank Lloyd Wright and his never-built Mile-High Illinois.  And is someone already looking to out-Burj the Burj?  Here’s news on a proposed 3, 200 foot building in…Miami. 

And just in case you thought the Burj was taking the winds out of everyone else’s sails, our very own architectural accomplishments, namely the Winspear, Wyly and Cowboys Stadium are still getting plenty of ink. “The bolder, the more beautiful…” We like the ring of that.

While we probably wouldn’t touch one today, Funyuns were a wonderful treat that was always a part of the field trip brown bag lunch.  Is it possible they inspire the work of award-winning architect Zaha Hadid? Fast Company has a fun analysis of Hadid’s works vis a vis…um….chips.

And I’m sure we’re all glad to see work continuing at Ground Zero.  When Freedom Tower is completed, it will rise 1,776 feet.  But right now, perhaps its most interesting feature is its already “complete” restaurant.  Here’s what The New York Times has to say about a sandwich shop which will ascend right along with the construction workers.

After all that, we’re off to hit the vending machines…

 If you’re up D.C way, you’ll want to check out the National Building Museum’s exhibition “House of Cars.” The Washington Times has a review of the show, which includes contemporary examples, as well as designs by Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.

 And NPR’s All Things Considered has their story here. 

(Sidenote: anyone else think this building, beautiful as it is, looks a lot like something from Star Wars?)

LA Times´ Christopher Hawthorne points out that, thanks to a flagging economy, the building might be complete, but it’s likely to sit empty for a while.  He carries that theme of emptiness out to other aspects of the built environment. 

Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune praises the building by hometown architect Adrian Smith (formerly of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) calling it “an Eiffel Tower that people live in.”  It offers “offers God-is-in-the-details articulation along with its dazzling shape.”

The Wall Street Journal also has a story, including some great photos and video.

But, wait!  What DO we call it?  This just-in story from The New York Times says that the name was changed at today’s opening ceremonies to Burj Khalifa, in honor of the President of Abu Dhabi.

Our blog is not even a year old, so we won’t be sharing our own “Top 10” list quite yet.  (We will be keeping track for next year though.)  That said, of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention THE big architectural story of Dallas in 2009; the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.  With the completion of buildings designed by Foster + Partners and REX/OMA, the largest urban arts district in the U.S. boasts buildings by 4 Pritzker Prize laureates.  The Arts District has been the focus of international attention and is the fodder for our current exhibition and the first walking tours we’ve kicked off.  It has been great fun being just “across the street” from all the excitement.

And we’ve been on some lists ourselves.  The Dallas Center for Architecture was named a 2009 Outstanding Project by the Dallas Chapter of TEXO and was named Best Cultural Project in McGraw-Hill’s Best of 2009 Design Awards. We were also featured in Texas Architect and Modern Luxury Dallas. Quite an inaugural year!

So now on to the list of other people’s lists.  (Wouldn’t it be nice to include something that our local full-time architecture critic (if we had one) had put together? Obviously one of our collective 2010 resolutions needs to be to force the media to pay more attention to the architecture around us. Anyway…)

Paul Goldberger, one of our favorite critics, posted his Ten Most Positive Architectural Events of 2009 online for The New Yorker. Like most, he heralds the High Line. Mention is also given to the Guggenheim Museum, which like our own Kalita Humphries Theater, celebrated its 50^th birthday this year.

Big D gets mention in LATimes critic Christopher Hawthorne’s Top Ten Architectural Moments of 2009.  The Wyly Theatre is paired with Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall as a building “that helped breathe new life into the design of spaces for the performing arts.”

 The New York Times chimes in as well with a retrospective of the last year.  One hopes that Thom Mayne’s building for our Museum of Nature and Science is as well-received as his building for Cooper Union has been.

 And San Francisco critic John King, who wrote the feature article on the Arts District opening for D Magazine, goes back through the entire decade for his list of architectural achievements out west.

This first story is about a project that's still in the planning stage, but what a cool idea! The Washington Post has this story (and some cool pics) on the potential (and temporary) Diller, Scofodio and Renfro addition to the Hirshhorn Museum's original Gordon Bunshaft "donut"-shaped building. 

If you're headed to play some slots over the holidays (Hey...gotta pay for those gifts somehow, right?), you can check out the conglomeration of "starchitects" whose work is a part of the new (gala opening tonight) CityCenter complex on the Strip.  Vinoly and Liebeskind and Foster (and more), oh my?  LA Times critic Christopher Hawthorne explains how the parts don't necessarily add up to an impressive whole.

And, if you're going reaaaaaly far afield, you'll want to read this article on the bursting of Dubai's construction bubble.

Here's the story on the hope for the Statler.  A darling with the architecture set here in Dallas, ongoing challenges such as asbestos and eight-foot ceilings are always cited as soon as someone starts talking about redevelopment.  This story, from a weekend edition of The Dallas Morning News, reports that a shift in ownership and a new development initiative has generated some new progress.  The city now expects to see redevelopment plans of some sort in early 2010.

And DMN's Alan Peppard provides some interesting Conrad Hilton factoids.  Turns out "Connie" (as Don Draper would address him) was married here in town at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and then, after his 1979 death in California, brought back to town for burial at Calvary Hill Cemetery.  Scroll past the first two entries in this column for the details.

As we’ve reported here before, Pritzker Prize laureate Thom Mayne is designing the new Museum of Nature and Science being built just down the street.  One hopes that it has the same critical and practical success that Mayne’s new building for Cooper Union in New York has had.  Here’s one of many glowing reviews.

As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kalita Humphreys Theatre (and we are scheming on some interesting plans, don’t worry), here’s an item on how the members of one of Wright’s “sacred spaces”-the Beth Sholom synagogue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania-are trying to draw attention to this “symbolic Mount Sinai.”

Finally, a slightly technical story on some problems emerging with the marble panels cladding I.M. Pei’s addition to the National Museum of Art.  We saw the building’s beauty in a recent screening in our Architecture Film Series.  Here’s hoping that the proposed fixes work so that future generations will have the same chance.

First off, to discover just about all there is to know about Philip Johnson and his work in the Lone Star State, you must read Frank Welch’s brilliant book Philip Johnson & Texas.  It’s a invaluable resource for your architecture library.

Johnson’s first work in our neck of the woods was the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth.  The original box-like building with its porch and white stone arches was completed in 1961.  (Johnson also designed the Museum’s various extensions, the last completed in 2001.)

Similar design elements are seen in the North Dallas home that Johnson designed for Patty and Henry Beck.  Two tiers of cast-concrete arches surround the home in a combination of loggias, windows and in-filled spaces.  The interior centerpiece of the house is a pair of curving stairways that Mrs. Beck insisted upon. Originally, the pavilion-like dining room was upholstered in Fortuny fabric.   I can say from personal experience that the arches are even more astonishing as you gaze from inside the home at the lawns and gardens surrounding the home.

The architect’s 1970 memorial to the assassinated John F. Kennedy has been somewhat controversial.  (It even showed up in a recent local column about “ugly” buildings downtown that should be demolished.)  Some see it as too plain, but the Kennedy family wanted something simple, and, for many of us, the stark “empty tomb” just blocks from Dealey Plaza is a fitting tribute.

Johnson’s remaining work in the area was designed in partnership with John Burgee. And their next two North Texas projects were park spaces.  The 1977 Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas borrows some of its design elements from the earlier Fort Worth Water Garden (1974). Both are angular, but serene oases in the middle of their respective city’s downtown, and both use sunken spaces and wandering pathways to provide respite from the urban life around them.

The fact that Johnson designed the façade for the Marshall Field (now Saks) store (1982) at the Dallas Galleria deserves mention, but one can’t discuss Johnson in North Texas without mentioning two major developments in or near the center of the city at the height of the Texas real estate boom.  The 1985 Crescent complex with its French mansard roofs and iron grillwork might seem a departure, but Welch’s book points out that Johnson went out of his way to connect it to Texas regional architecture, comparing it to buildings in Galveston.  Someone else points out that with all the chateau-esque mansions being built for wealthy Dallasites, it “seemed right.”

Johnson’s tallest contribution in the area is one that still is a major part of Dallas’ signature skyline.  Comerica Tower (originally Bank One Center) was completed in 1987.  It’s a pink granite tower with an impressive lobby of barrel vaults, marble and exotic woods.  The vaults are repeated at the top of the building’s 60 stories.

A Houston critic once mused that “Philip Johnson saved his worst Texas buildings for Dallas,” but the Crescent and Comerica Tower are reflective of the nouveau riche lifestyle so embraced in the 1980’s.  And one must agree that Johnson’s earlier works are some of the most striking architectural accomplishments in the area.

Join the Forum Thursday night to learn more about the Glass House, Johnson’s home and perhaps most iconic achievement.

A part of our exhibition on the architecture of the Arts District and our Arts District Walking Tours concentrates on what Ross Avenue used to be…the poshest residential street in town.  Unfortunately, today, only three have survived the wrecking ball.  One is a part of Fannin Elementary School and the Dallas Bar Association is the caretaker of the Belo Mansion in the heart of downtown.  The third is the Alexander Mansion, the home of the Dallas Woman’s Forum since 1930.  Built in 1906 by C.D. Hill and Sanguinett & Staats, the home is remarkably intact, with its original light fixtures and a Tiffany-style window.  This week and next, you have the chance to tour it as a part of the annual Holiday Home Tour.  Details are here.

Kessler Park rings in the holidays with its traditional Holiday Lights which begins Saturday night.

And, Art Deco masterpieces return to Fair Park.  Contralto and Tenor, two gilded wonders that originally stood at the foot of the Esplanade have been recreated and reinstalled.  They’ll be on display this weekend at Fair Park Holiday.  The official City of Dallas tree will be lit, and it will be our first chance to see the newly renovated Esplanade fountains and their Bellagio-style displays.  DCFA will see you there! 

An online discussion prompted by a newspaper article on "ugly" Dallas buildings to tear down (Sigh.  Help us out by adding some depth to the conversation by going here and adding your informed opinions.) included mention of New York's old Penn Station and its unfortunate demise.  It was quite serendipitous, therefore, to find this great bit on other train stations that fell to the wrecking ball.  Some real lost gems there...

An international story has us realizing the power (political and religious, not just artistic) of architecture. The people of Switzerland have voted to amend their constitution to ban minarets on mosques.  The LA Times has some online analysis. 

On a more uplifting note, we climb into the melded world of star-powered philanthropy, architecture and the environment for this story on the houses being built by Brad Pitt's foundation in New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward. 

First off, we're curious as to the architecture here in the area that you're most thankful for.  We started that conversation on our Facebook page.  (Are you following us yet?)  But let's continue it here.  Send us an e-mail at info@DallasCFA.com and we'll post an update with your ideas next week.  To get you started, that's a photo of the stained glass from the interior of Philip Johnson's 1977 Thanksgiving Square in downtown Dallas.

Last week, we mentioned that Robert A.M Stern had unveiled his design for the George W. Bush Presidential Library at SMU.  Fast Company has this look at Presidential library architecture all the way back to Nixon and discusses what the buildings say about the men they memorialize. 

While the only Erro Saarinen architecture we have here in Dallas is the Neiman-Marcus store at NorthPark, that gives us an excuse to post this item about an exhibition in New York on the Modernist architect.

Happy Thanksgiving!  We'll still be posting on Facebook and Twitter over the holiday, so keep in touch...

Here's the link.

Let's start locally with Robert A.M. Stern's hot-off-the-drawing-board plans for the Bush Institute at SMU.  This morning, we posted David Dillon's review on our Facebook page.  (Become a fan!) Since then, Christopher Hawthorne of The Los Angeles Times and Blair Kanin of the Chicago Tribune have chimed in.

Meanwhile, across the big pond, Zaha Hadid's new museum of contemporary art is getting its kudos.  The New York Times, the Times Online, and The Guardian have chimed in with their opinions.

And, in a look back, New York magazine and Time (check out the great educational video too) both have discussions of the Bauhaus and why it's still so relevant today.  Why all the fuss?  Well, the Bauhaus was founded 90 years ago and the Museum of Modern Art has a retrospective up now through January 2010.  (Along with an exhibition on Tim Burton?!?) 

First up, here's a bit of info on some of her earlier projects in and around Chicago.

And here's Blair Kamin's review of Aqua.  He calls it " an design that is as fresh conceptually as it is visually" and praises the building's "sensuous, undulating balconies."

First up, Thom Mayne.  The Pritzker Price laureate is designing the Victory Park home of the Museum of Nature and Science.  (The model is in the thumbnail photo to the left.)  In the meantime, Time magazine's Richard Lacayo has an interview with Mayne about one of his latest buildings, a facility for Cooper Union in New York.

You'll have to change your flight if you have plans to attend the opening of Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world located in the United Arab Emirates.  The new opening will be January 2010.  If you, like us, won't be headed to the more than 2,600 foot tall building (For comparison...the Wills nee Sears Tower in Chicago is a measly 1700 feet to the tip of its antenna.), there's more info and a photo here.

Seems like our neighbors to the south are trying to keep up with us and our great urban arts district.  The Houston Ballet continues construction on a $53 million headquarters building by Gensler.  Here's the scoop.

If you have a few minutes, Gary Cogill, reporting for WFAA, has a 20 minute video special online that you can see here.

The Dallas Morning News split reviewing duties with David Dillon taking on the Winspear and Scott Cantrell providing his report on the Winspear.  Meanwhile, the paper on the other side of the Trinity published  

The Wall Street Journal has this article by local Willard Spiegelman. And The Los Angeles Times has this to say.

The New York Times has a couple of articles: the "official" review and this one putting the Arts Center in a larger national and chronological context. Newsweek takes a similar big-picture approach.

Just want to look at the pictures?  Time has an online gallery here.

Did we miss anything?  Yeah, probably.  If you have one that's a favorite e-mail us a link to info@DallasCFA.com and we'll update.

Now that the hooplah surrounding the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center is fading to a dull roar.  (Although the reviews continue to roll in...we'll offer a digest sometime soon.) Now, it seems that we're eating, sleeping and breathing parks.  Construction on the Woodall Rodgers deck park officially began last weekend with the demolition of the Harwood bridge.  This weekend, it's the end of the road for the St. Paul flyover.  You can watch progress for yourself on "The Park's" newly launched website and their construction cam here.

It looks like the Dallas monsoon season is playing havoc with the final phases of construction of the much-awaited Main Street Garden. They'll get there though, as a confident Willis Winters, FAIA, told Unfair Park's Robert Wilonsky on a muddy sneak peek tour.  And that's just the beginning.  Several other downtown parks are underway, as Downtown Dallas reports in their blog. 

Two local connections to this next story.  As we all know, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is designing a series of signature bridges for the Trinity River.  And, several months ago, we screened a documentary on the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus of Florida Southern College.  Well, Calatrava is getting into the college business himself.  Here's a story on his proposed master plan for the University of South Florida Polytechnic's Lakeland campus. 

And finally...while Dallas is finally celebrating its new architecture, we have beaten ourselves up about the buildings we have managed to demolish.  (We actually will feature a series tese lost Dallas buildings in future issues of the AIA Dallas magazine Columns.)  No schadenfreude here, but it's somehow comforting to know that Chicago, that champion of all things architectural, can make the same kind of mistakes. For example, this. Here's hoping we all learn from our collective goofs.

The Arts District has been a thirty year plan in the making and now boasts buildings by four Pritzker Prize-winning architects within a span of several blocks.  The district’s architectural richness extends beyond that, however, with examples of significant buildings erected as far back as the late 1880’s, just 40 years after Dallas’ founding.  We will explore the history of the buildings and the culture of one of Dallas’ most interesting neighborhoods.

Our 90-minute architecture walking tour is led by a trained tour guide and will examine buildings from the 1890’s to the present day.  You will explore the architectural detail of the District as well as the institutions, individuals and visionaries who are a part of this fascinating story.

Tours are held on the first and third Saturdays of each month, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the ceremonial entrance to the Dallas Museum of Art (Flora and Harwood).  The tour is held rain or shine.

The tour lasts approximately one and a half hours. You may park either at the Dallas Museum of Art Parking Garage or at the Trammell Crow Center Parking Garage (entrance on Olive Street on weekends and pay the guard at the desk on the ground floor before you leave) or at a nearby surface lot or meter. This is an outdoor tour and includes both historical and architectural information about the venues and organizations in the Dallas Arts District. The tour does not include the interior of any of the buildings in the Dallas Arts District.

To make reservations, please register through PayPal at this link or e-mail artstour@downtowndallas.org if you would like to submit payment in the form of cash or check.  Reservations and payment must be made in advance.  Due to the necessity of scheduling docents, we are unfortunately unable to accommodate walk-ups.
 
Cost: • $10.00 for adults
• $8.00 for Dallas Arts District and AIA Dallas members
• $5.00 for seniors 65 and over and students with valid ID’s
• Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult

Dallas is still abuzz from the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and all its surrounding hoopla.  We ran across this website recently, chronicling the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Learn more about the building here.  Just goes to show the creative cutting-edge design going into the cultural buildings of the 21st Century.

Of course, there was cutting-edge design going into cultural buildings half a century ago...or at least there was in Dallas as Frank Lloyd Wright built the Kalita Humphreys Theatre.  John King of The San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at another mid-century masterpiece of that time, Wright's Marin County Civic Center.  (You've seen it on the right side of the highway if you've ever driven from San Francisco to the Wine Country.) 

In news closer to home, Page Southerland Page was awarded the 2009 Architecture Firm Award at the annual convention of the Texas Society of Architects last week in Houston.  You can see their local work on the UTD campus and in buildings such as the Mesquite Arts Center and the new Texas Instruments wafer fab complex in Richardson.  Visit their website here. Congratulations!

And, finally, here's a story from Unfair Park in which Brent Brown, AIA, fills us in on the new Dallas City Design Studio.  Much more to come...

On Friday, October 9th, five students from the Skyline Architecture Cluster attended the first ever TEDxKids symposium which was held on the campus of SMU. The program was sponsored by the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering, and included more than 300 7th-9th grade students from schools around the Metroplex.

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is an international, invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration. The theme of the TEDxKids conference was, "What will change everything?" The talks, which were 18 minutes maximum- a TED tradition, focused on a number of themes including innovation, exploration, and the interface of engineering and humanitarian projects around the world. Speakers included astronaut Anoush Ansari, aerial photographer Bobby Haas, physicist Amory Lovins, and William Kamkwamba a student from Malawi who built a windmill that brought water and drought relief to his small African village.

The half day conference for students was followed by a full day TEDx event for adults that featured additional speakers including Joshua Prince-Ramus who discussed his design of the new Wyly Theatre in the Dallas Arts District.

Once inside, most people were getting their first look at the red glass drum of the Margaret McDermott Performance Hall and the gorgeous views of the Arts District and the rest of downtown through the glass facade and up into the enormous canopy.  Once the doors opened, we filed into the house and sat down for an introduction by John Dayton, the long-time Dallas Opera supporter who headed the committee that awarded Foster + Partners the opera house commission.

Foster, in pastel suit (and almost hidden by the Mac on the podium), began by stressing three major themes that he says run through most of his firm's work.  They were to become themes of the talk as well.  CITIES.  CULTURE. NATURE.  Our report won't be strictly along that structure, but here are some highpoints.

Foster and his firm are clearly interested not just in buildings, but in the development of cities and the importance of sustainability.  He showed quite a few slides demonstrating the statistics that seem to drive their design work.   That 70% of all energy usage comes from buildings and the infrastructure needed to connect those buildings.  The spike in population growth and the progression of people moving from rural to more urban environments.

We then saw a series of projects...Commerzbank in Germany and the Swiss Re Headquarters in London among them...that use atria to gather natural lighting and ventilation.  And the resulting energy savings.  But, already, one had the clear impression that this was not a science wonk building structures solely to meet statistical measures.  It's clear that Foster is also profoundly interested in the comfort and user-friendliness of his buildings.

Foster + Partners has also had a hand in transforming historic buildings.  Foster demonstrated how the design of the Hearst Tower "scooped out" the interior of the original 1929 building and placed a tower on top.  The same "scooping out" cleared a plaza in the center of the British Library and breathed new life into this mid-19th century building.  Similar rejuvenating projects at London's Trafalgar Square and Berlin's Reichstag stress the importance that Foster places on public access.  The cupola of the Reichstag (inspired in part by Foster's long association with Buckminster Fuller) creates a public space that sits literally on top of the main Parliament chamber. And Trafalgar Square was returned to pedestrians after years of being a good environment for only the pigeons, as Foster put it.

After a few images of the Beijing Airport (there's that red again...), Foster turned our attention to the Winspear.  Remarking that he found Dallas to be remarkably pedestrian-friendly, he discussed the collaborative process that building architects and landscape architects employed to make the spaces between the arts center buildings inviting and comfortable...even in the brutal Texas heat.  The canopy, greenery and water features are all designed to help cool the space, to turn it into an urban room. He also pointed out that the traditional closed opera house was open to more public view at the Winspear.  The canopy makes the transparent glass facade possible; he calls it "transparency without the penalties."  On the interior, the performance hall is a traditional horseshoe shape with better sightlines...and roomier seats, I might add...than the most-respected European halls.

His last remarks (which I cannot do justice to here in the space allotted) was on the fascinating Masdar project in Abu Dhabi.  Elevated 25 feet off the desert floor, the walled city within a city uses both traditional and technologically innovative methods in its pursuit to be the first truly carbon neutral development on the planet.  For more on it(including the really cool Jetsons-like driverless personal rapid transports that you can beckon from your cell phone), visit here and here.

And it was indeed a full house.  Charles Wyly himself, along with other ATTPAC muckety-mucks like Mary McDermott Cook, Deedie Rose and CEO Mark Nerenhausen.  Also in the house were several AIA'ers including Bill Booziotis, Mark Wolf and Mark Gunderson.  The rest of the seats were filled with architects, architecture lovers and students.

But enough scene-setting.  What about the main act?  Koolhaas, decked out in a green pullover to match the seats and walls (It really IS his signature color.), was forthcoming and enlightening.  He explained that as he prepared for the talk, the research he did on past work demonstrated to him a consistency and "boring persistence of certain ideas."  Ironically, however, those certain ideas are pretty breathtaking. There was nervous laughter as he mentioned that he'd like to give a brief history of architecture and a Greek temple flashed on the screen.  Thankfully, Koolhaas quickly skipped forward quite a few centuries to concentrate on the architecture of mid-19th century New York, especially Coney Island.

One wouldn't think that Coney Island would be such an inspiration for this most modern of architects, but it truly seems to be.   With the amusement park as context, Koolhaas contrasted the "spontaneous Modernism" of America with the more codified manifestos and movements of Europe at the time.  He showed representations of what he called an "embrace of artificiality" (night swimming with artificial illumination) and the hourly displays of the burning of Pompeii.  To him, the fairgrounds design was a city of unrelated towers that created spectacle and became the model for the future eclectic American urban skyline. 

And, Koolhaas pointed out, with the advent of the elevator in the 1850's, architecture changed forever.  It was now possible to "stack" functions on top of each other in small spaces.  For example, an athletic club could have exercise rooms on top of a golf course on top af the swimming pool.

Which brings us to the design of the Wyly Theatre.  One could hear the excitement in Koolhaas' voice as he discussed the opportunity he had had to filter the 3000-year-old tradition of the theatre through the relaitvely young 150-year-old technology of the skyscraper.  Showing how he took the traditional horizontal arrangement of the theatre tower, the front of house (lobby) and back of house (support spaces) and placed them on top of each other, Koolhaas showed images of other projects with similar themes...a library in Paris among them.  He stressed, however, that "verticality was not the point, but placing diverse activities in a small area."  He also mentioned (to the biggest laugh of the afternoon) that this verticality of the design helped keep the Wyly from becoming a "mini me" to the larger Norman Foster-designed Winspear Opera House across Flora Street.

Koolhaas also had comments on Dallas architecture, pointing out that his first visits in the 1970's convinced him that the city was "the epicenter of what is generic."  Strangely, it almost seemed a backhanded compliment.  He now (unlike then) admires the Dallas World Trade Center and thinks that the "restraint" shown by buildings in our fair city might actually be a good thing.

The last few minutes of the talk were concentrated on his building for China's Central Television Headquarters.  It too is "stacked," but turned in on itself like a 3-D square.  Quite a remarkable, visually arresting design.  Koolhaas concluded the lecture by suggesting we skip questions so we could "get back to our lives."  But he was gracious and stayed to talk to folks and sign autographs afterwards.

We'll be at the Norman Foster and Joshua Prince-Ramus talks tomorrow.  Look for our reports.  And make sure to come by DCFA to study the stacked design of the Wyly in the model and architectural plan we have on display.  We'll be open October 18 from 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. as a part of the Art District's Spotlight Sunday.         

A discussion that has already begun here around the Arts District is how to make the neighborhood a place that will cause museum visitors, concert goers and theater audiences to come early and then stick around after their planned event.  Much was made in remarks at Monday's dedication ceremony for the AT&T Performing Arts Center of Sammons Park as aplace for families to picnic and children to play.  But what other draws are there? Yes, there are restaurants at One Arts Plaza, but it's pretty clear that additional retail development is necessary.  The Dallas Business Journal has taken a detailed look at some of the projects that are in the pipeline.

And the discussion spills over to the rest of downtown as well. The vision for the Arts District and its blend of residential, retail and cultural facilities is one that could (and should) extend through all of downtown's districts.  The folks at DOWNTOWNDallas, along with city staffers, have launched DowntownDallas 360, a process that will look at strategies for the continued revitalization of downtown.  DOWNTOWNDallas has a report on this week's community forum on their blog, listing some of the topics discussed.  Follow along and be a part of the discussion.  In the meantime, the great website Renegade Bus has a list of things they'd like to see.

The HOGI Traveling Fellowship was awarded to Jonathan Brown of JHP Architects and Brian Miller of Beck.  The gentlemen began their travels last week, and while dodging typhoons, are examining Japanese architecture and blogging about it here. 

DALLAS, Texas, October 6, 2009 – At Dallas City Hall’s Flag Room today, The Trinity Trust Foundation and the City of Dallas announced a $5 million gift from Deedie and Rusty Rose, of which $2 million will be used to establish the Dallas CityDesign Studio to expand the city’s design efforts for planning and development. 

Housed in Dallas City Hall, the Dallas CityDesign Studio will work collaboratively to advise, plan and consult with public and private entities on the importance of urban design in a 21^st Century Dallas.  This resource center will engage, advise and support work focused outside the levees, particularly as potential development occurs, as well as on the Trinity River Corridor Project itself.   

The new Dallas CityDesign Studio will be funded for five years with three full-time positions created and paid by The Trinity Trust until the 2014-2015 fiscal year. At that point, the city will assume the entire cost of operations.

This gift follows the September anonymous donation of $10 million, given in honor of Mary McDermott Cook, to convert the Continental Avenue Bridge into a green space and pedestrian bridge.

Deedie Rose said, “I believe in the Trinity River Project and how it’s going to change our city.  I’m excited to imagine what’s ahead, and we all realize that this it’s imperative that Dallas plans now for the very best design, to bring thoughtful and imaginative planning to our neighborhoods.  Great urban plans make enormous impacts on the way we live, work and play. I’m excited about how this gift will be used and to see the progress of community design.”

Mayor of Dallas Tom Leppert said, “We appreciate the support and generous giving of civic leaders like Deedie and Rusty Rose. This gift will be a true catalyst toward helping us transform Dallas into an even more appealing city for business, residential, and environmental marketability and to showcase its true spirit and character. Thanks to The Trinity Trust Foundation for securing this gift and for being a major partner with the City of Dallas.”

The Trinity Trust Foundation President Dr. Gail Thomas said, “Next week, we celebrate the opening of the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts.  Three persons in this room dreamed, took action and made it happen: Bess Enloe, Caren Prothro and Deedie Rose.  And what a remarkable treasure their hard work is offering to our city. We now live in the only city in the world with four buildings on one block designed by Pritzer architects.  Imagine what we can do along the Trinity River and outside the levees with great urban design.”  

Thomas added, “This gift is a result of Deedie Rose’s combined passion for great art, architecture and urban design.  I have known Deedie and have been dreaming with her for many years. Thank you, Deedie and Rusty, for this inspired gift that will keep on giving to our community in years to come.”

City of Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm remarked, “I want to extend my thanks to Rusty and Deedie Rose for this generous and special gift to the City. It gives us the opportunity to create the Dallas CityDesign Studio, which will be housed at Dallas City Hall.  It is not a separate entity, but it shows that the City of Dallas will work collaboratively across a number of departments to create and implement great design for the City.”

Larry Beasley, world-renowned urban planner and former city planner in Vancouver, will be the special adviser to Dallas CityDesign Studio.  Suhm added, “Vancouver is the best prototype any of us have seen for this type of transformation, and Larry will lead this effort and bring best practices from around the world to our Texas doorstep.”

Brent Brown, AIA LEED AP, will serve as the director of Dallas CityDesign Studio.  As founder of buildingcommunity Workshop, an architect and planner, Brown is focused on innovative community design, larger scale and sustainability.  “The studio will bring together a multidisciplinary approach of thinking outside the box when it comes to the areas along the Trinity.  As we work, this is going to be about good design and how to build a more beautiful city outside the levees.”

David Whitley has been named as associate director of the Dallas CityDesign Studio. 

Todd Howard of t. howard + associates and American Institute of Architects Dallas president, said,

“AIA Dallas is an avid supporter of the development.  Our members worked on the Balanced Vision Plan, which provided the framework for development.  The establishment of this department serves as one more step on the road to the success of this project, and we applaud the city for appointing Brent Brown, one of our members, for this pivotal position.”

Each year, AIA Dallas honors an artist or craftsman in recognition of their extraordinary ability to render the architect’s vision.  Haley-Greer has met this challenge with the creation and installation of the iconic red glass curtain wall that tops the new Winspear Opera House in the Dallas Arts District.  For more than 30 years, Haley-Greer has led the curtain-wall glass and glazing industry.  Today, it is one of the largest specialty glass companies in the nation.  Founded in 1979 by Don Haley and Jim Greer, the company is headquartered in Dallas, with a satellite office in Houston.  While this artful company has made an indelible mark on Texas as the state’s “Top Specialty Contractor,” it also has completed projects in Washington, D.C., Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, California, and Maryland. US Glass Magazine cites Haley-Greer as one of the industry’s “Most Influential Companies.”

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. was honored as Contractor of the Year. Beginning with the W Hotel and Residences at Victory Park and continuing with construction of the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, McCarthy has long valued its association with the architecture profession.  Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the United States, with more than 3,000 projects completed in 45 states. This year, Engineering News Record ranked the company as the tenth largest domestic general building in the nation.  Annually, construction volume in Texas alone exceeds $300 million in revenue.  McCarthy’s range of projects include commercial buildings, higher education, healthcare, parking facilities, and heavy civil construction.

Landscape architect Rosa Finsley, ASLA, is honored as Consultant of the Year for her body of work in landscape design and preservation of old garden roses, native Texas trees and shrubs, and unusual perennials. In 1986, she opened Kings Creek Gardens in Cedar Hill, now known as the place where landscape architects shop for their own home gardens.  Locally, she is the design talent behind the conservation-focused pathways and gardens at Montgomery Farm, a new 500-acre sustainable community bordering Plano and Allen.

Founded in 1956 as the prestigious architectural firm Harrell and Hamilton, Firm of the Year Omniplan is best known in Dallas for its enduring design of Northpark Center, as well as its recent expansion. With offices in Dallas and Phoenix, Omniplan has designed buildings in 38 states and six foreign countries. In 2000, Omniplan was named Firm of the Year by the Texas Society of Architects. To date, it has earned 95 design awards and five 25-year awards for its innovative architectural design. Founded on the core value of elevating the quality of the built environment, the firm especially focuses on large-scale commercial retail and mixed-use developments, as well as higher education facilities designed to support science and technology.  Omniplan has been generously involved in site selection and funding of the new Dallas Center for Architecture, as well as shaping governance and operations for the 9,000-square-foot home of AIA Dallas and related organizations.

At the preview last Friday morning, Nasher director Jeremy Strick and curator Jed Morse said a few words of welcome and then introduced Spencer de Grey, Foster + Partners' Head of Design, who has been with the firm for 36 years. After a few words on some of his (and the firm's) philosophies, he led us on a tour of the exhibition. 

Here are some highlights:

• In explaining the exhibition's model of the Reichstag in Berlin, de Grey pointed out the importance of the public domain and the irony that, after the renovation, the politicians worked on the lower level, while the people they served were above them on the public areas of the building's dome.
• Foster + Partners frequently faces the challenges of taking the "old" and making it "new." Not only in the Reichstag, but also in their work on Trafalgar Square and the British Museum, they took iconic designs and improved them...especially in terms of traffic flow and public access.  It's clear that, for them, it's not just about the building itself, but how it relates to its environment and is used by its occupants and visitors.  That's a refreshing trend that more and more architects are emphasizing.
• Which leads us to the Winspear Opera House.  De Grey made a point of explaining that the Winspear's design is as much about the spaces between the buildings of the arts center.  The Winspear, with its vast canopy and public performance park, is part of a grander vision for the performing arts in Dallas.  It is hoped that a vibrant pedestrian presence and festival atmosphere will be a feature of the new and improved Arts District.
• Other models on display demonstrate the eclecticism of the firm's practice.  They include: a spaceport in New Mexico, an airport in China and a complete rethinking of the historic Pushkin Museum in Moscow.  And of course, the "Gherkin" (although no mention is made of this nickname in the accompanying text) and the wonderful Hearst Tower in New York.

Rightfully, the Nasher dedicates an entire gallery downstairs to the evolution of the designs of the Winspear.  Models, sample materials, drawings and photographs tell a very interesting story of how the building came to be.

Make sure you don't miss the wall of Foster drawings behind the stairwell downstairs.  Vibrant and at times whimsical, they distill the architect's thoughts to a few phrases and ideas. The napkin sketch becomes the true blueprint of the project to be.

This is an exhibition not to be missed.  For more information, visit the Nasher's website. (And make sure you visit the DCFA Facebook page in the next couple of days to see photos of the show that we took last week.)

The top honor of the evening was the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Reagan George, FAIA, was greeted by a rousing standing ovation as he accepted his award from Todd Howard, president of AIA Dallas.  In 1964, long before today’s emphasis on environmental sustainability, Mr. George initiated AIA Dallas’ Environmental Awareness Committee.  A 1959 graduate of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University, Mr. George began his career as designer and project manager for the worldwide hotel practice of William B. Tabler, Architects in New York.  In 1963 he joined Pratt, Box and Henderson, Architects in Dallas, where he was project architect for the Great Hall of the Apparel Mart and The Quadrangle.  Until 1999, when he “retired” to the Hill Country town of Willow City (where he is now a sole practitioner in residential design), Mr. George was a partner in The Architects Partnership, senior vice president of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, and managing principal of LAN/Leo A. Daly, all in Dallas. In service to his community, he served two terms as president of the Greater Dallas Planning Council and was chair of the City of Dallas’ Urban Design Task Force. In 1977 he was elected president of AIA Dallas, went on to become a director and vice president of the Texas Society of Architects, and served on numerous committees of the American Institute of Architects.

Also recognized were three new honorary members of AIA Dallas:

Lucy Crow Billinsgley was honored not only for her leadership in transforming the Dallas cityscape, but also for the model she has become as a community leader committed to quality development and sustainable growth. She currently serves on the boards of directors of the Grameen Foundation USA, the World Affairs Council, the Hockaday School, the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, and Texas Wall Street Women.  She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Lyda Hill was honored for her leadership in the redevelopment of the Dallas Arts District and emergence of the Trinity River corridor.  Long known as a champion of the architect’s value, Lyda Hill has shown through her support that good planning leads to positive growth for Dallas. She is the recipient of more than 25 local and national awards for her volunteerism, business leadership, and support of education, medicine and historic preservation.  She is president of LH Holdings in Dallas.

Author, historic preservationist and urban planner Virginia McAlester is a fifth-generation Dallasite. A graduate of Harvard University and former student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, she is the author of six books—her latest is Great American Suburbs: The Homes of the Park Cities. Her first book, Field Guide to American Houses, resulted from her interest in historic homes and neighborhoods around Swiss Avenue. Her Swiss Avenue neighborhood subsequently formed Preservation Dallas. Mrs. McAlester also founded Friends of Fair Park, served on Dallas’ first Landmark Commission, and helped to establish modern form-based codes for Walkable Urban Neighborhoods, based on planning for site adjacent to the State-Thomas neighborhood.  Today, Mrs. McAlester serves on the city’s Urban Design Advisory Committee and is at work on rezoning for mixed-use development along the Trinity River. She has just received the Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History for her research and writing.

Congratulations to all of these worthy recipients!  We'll post additional updates on other honorees later this week.

The Dallas Morning News' Scott Cantrell emceed the evening attended by several hundred architects and fans of good design from around the region.  The jury had deliberated for two days and presented its decisions as images and plans of the winning entries were shown on the huge screen overhead.

Here's a list of the award winners.  We'll have additional updates in the next several days with more information on the projects and comments from the jurors.  Stay tuned...

Unbuilt Category:

Citation: HKS, Inc., Cancer Center Hospital & Research Institute
Citation: Munn Studio, Prairie Elevated, Dallas
Citation: RTKL Associates, Inc., The New Casino Box, Las Vegas
Merit: HOK, Samsung Research and Development, Seoul, South Korea
Merit: Perkins + Will, Gateway Park, Jackson, Mississippi
Honor: FTA Design Studio, Inc., Art Box, Oslo, Norway
Honor: HKS, Inc., Dallas L A N D_S C R A P E R

Built - Large Category: 

Citation: HKS, Inc., Cowboys Stadium, Arlington
Citation: Laguarda.Low Architects, Vioro in Fukuoka, Japan
Citation: Omniplan, Inc., NorthPark Center, Dallas
 

Built - Small Category:

Citation: Good Fulton and Farrell, Dallas Academy
Merit: Buchanan Architecture, Open House, Dallas
Merit: Ron Wommack, 4143 Buena Vista , Dallas
Honor: Laguarda.Low Architects, St. Augustine Park Pavilion  Dallas

Interior Architecture Award:

SHW, SHW North Texas Studio, Plano

Excellence in Sustainable Design:

HOK, Samsung Research and Development Center, Seoul, South Korea

Best of Show and Excellence in Community Design:

Laguarda.Low Architects, St Augustine Park Pavilion, Dallas

Congratulations to all the winners!  These firms are producing great work and helping to make Dallas a world-class architectural city.

With dynamo Museum CEO Nichole Small hosting and Mayor Tom Leppert reminding us what a great week it has been for Dallas (AT&T Performing Arts Center, Woodall Rodgers Park, Convention Center Hotel, et al), Thom Mayne-striped socks and all- gave us a peek at the building soon to be under construction in Victory Park at the corner of Field and Broom Streets. And what a building it will be. At 180,000 square feet and 170 feet tall, it should be visible from many vantage points downtown.  Invoking the importance of exposing students to science, Mayne discussed how the building had been designed as a merging of enginerring and nature.  As important as the cube is the surrounding landscaped plinth...which is elevated well above the existing grade of the site.

Standing in front of a building model (which he pulled apart to show the exhibit space within the building), Mayne admitted that details of the exterior cladding had not been finalized.  Invoking Roman ruins, he said the aim was to demonstrate "Nature taking over building" and that the hope was to include plants and living material in the exterior finish.  Talley Associate's landscape design already incorporates a grove of trees, native Texas plantings, and, as Mayne described it, "a savannah" on the north side of the building.

The design is conscious of its proximity to downtown, with a transparent atrium on the corner of the building providing dramatic views of the skyline.  The semi-exposed elevator shaft on the outside of the building encourages visitors to ascend vertically and then work their way back down through the Museum.  (Shades of the Guggenheim, maybe?)

There is still work to be done.  (The Museum estimates that it needs to raise another $60 million or so.) But it is clear that we have another dramatic work of architecture on our horizon. 

NOTE: The public is invited to view the Museum designs and building model this Saturday, September 19 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at the Museum's Construction Center located at 1155 Broom Street (off the Woodall Rodgers westbound service road at Field Street). 

(For more images and a few photos from this afternoon, visit our Facebook page.)

The Woodall Rodgers Park (although it's currently being called "The Park" by planners...no doubt they are in search of a naming donor) will span the freeway from Pearl Street to St. Paul.  Its 5.2 acres will include a children's garden, water features, a restaurant and a performance pavilion.  On Monday, community leaders and dignitaries, including Mayor Tom Leppert and U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, marked the symbolic beginning of construction.  Since there's not really going to be any digging going on, the traditional turn of the dirt with a gold-plated shovel wouldn't do.  Instead, the talented students from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts danced, mimed and sang their way through a ground MAKING ceremony.

It was an exciting beginning to a project that will transform downtown, connecting it with Uptown and providing a wonderful greenspace alongside the Arts District.  And it will be a beautiful pathway to all that we have going on here at DCFA.

To really drive the point home, the Real Estate Council put on a pre-ceremony breakfast featuring Tony Jones, the Chancellor of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  He walked the crowd through the development of Chicago's Millenium Park, the transformation of blighted parking lots and railway yards along Michigan Avenue intot he most visited tourist site in the Midwest. Their creative financing, incredible programming, and top-notch art and architecture can truly serve as a model for what is possible here.

After all, we have something going for us that they don't.  We'll be able to enjoy the park in December without fear of frostbite.

First off, an article from Sarasota, Florida on an exhibition travelling the United States.  (We'll have to investigate getting it here to DCFA!)  The exhibtion, presented as five case studies, wonders if we don't place too much emphasis on the architectural value of a building from the 1950's and 60's rather than stressing its cultural significance as well.  Do we really, as Lewis Mumford once said, reject our fathers and embrace our grandfathers? 

In Los Angeles, the Getty Research Center celebrates a treasure trove of mid-century Modern ephemera.  Included are photographs by the late Julius Shulman, subject of a documentary to be screened by the Dallas Architecture Forum as they kick off their 2009-2010 Lecture Series.

And we save the best for last...even here at home, the debate is strong over this style of architecture.  In the "Disney" streets in Dallas, the conflict between preservation and property rights is coming to a head.  The Dallas Morning News has the story.

First up, a story on a broad new initiative begun by the U.S. Green Buildings Council to collect data on all LEED-certified buildings and their ongoing energy usage.  They want to see if designs are actually delivering the savings that were intended.  Click here to read more. The New York Times also has a story.

And what's the difference between being environmentally sensitive and common sense?  It seems planners are having to look at cost-benefit issues more and more in this economy.  In this article, the conflict between long-term efficiencies and short-term cost savings is examined. 

Finally...no, those aren't giant flyswatters. They're a proposed way to absorb carbon emissions.  Read about (and see) them here.

While you're at it, visit our friends at the North Texas chapter of USGBC and see all the great work that they are doing. 

AIA Dallas' Young Architects Forum is partnering with West Village and the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority to hold an architectural design competition for several trolley rest stops at West Village.  The competition is open to architects who have been licensed for less than ten years, architectural interns and architecture students.  Designs are due September 10.  For all the details, go here.

Over at Daily Dirt, Candy Evans is always dealing up the best real estate news in town.  We just ran across this entry.  If you're in the market for a mid-century Modern in University Park...an AIA 25 Year Award winner no less, check it out.

Finally, some food for thought. FastCompany.com has this story on an architectural competition to design the National Library of Kazakhstan.  It raises the issue of architects and their moral obligations.  What do you think?

The series also includes an October screening of Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman, an award-winning documentary on the photographer, who passed away in July.  Director Eric Bricker will attend.

Other highlights include Christy MacLear, Executive Director of Philip Johnson’s “Glass House” and internationally-recognized architect Rafael Vinoly.

Still to come are announcements on the Forum’s symposia and panel series.  For more details on all the Forum’s great activities, visit their website here.

The first two are sites associated with AIA, the American Society of Architects.

The Shape of America (http://shapeofamerica.org/) features American architectural icons (like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building) with short videos including architects' opinions and insights.  You can get in on the discussion by adding your own commentary.

Architectural Record (http://archrecord.construction.com/) is the online version of AIA's monthly magazine.  It includes news, including great information on the industry, and interactive features.  Right now, a photo contest features our very own Statler Hilton.

A Daily Dose of Architecture (http://archidose.blogspot.com/) provides images and commentary on buildings, installations and art fomr across the globe.  Check out the August 11 entry for some gorgeous photos of Zaha Hadid's Burnham Pavilion in Chicago.

Preservation Nation (http://www.preservationnation.org/) And, of course, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's site is always good for news and information.

Send YOUR favorite architectural websites to us at info@DallasCFA.com and we'll include some of them in a future posting.

The New York Times got the first tour, but The Dallas Morning News and The Dallas Observer have also had the chance to see the contemporary art installations that the Jerry Jones family has included in the new Cowboys Stadium. We're all for it... here are a few photos at Unfair Park.  

The House, the latest addition to the Victory Park skyline, is now open for business.  We haven't checked out the Hard Rock Cafe yet. (And that burger might be hard to swallow if you reminisce about its former location, the now-demolished 1910 McKinney Avenue Baptist Church.)  Anyway...Candy Evans over at Daily Dirt has some photos of your potential new pad.

And, finally, while everyone seems to be seeing red over the potential for health care reform, one of North Texas' largest health-care providers, the VA's Dallas Medical Center is going green.  The Center has completed the largest solar PV installation in Texas.  It's expected to save the hospital more than $62,000 a year in energy costs.  Energy Current has the full story and a photo here.

First off, some background on Grannis and the exhibition:

Here in Dallas, we don’t have many opportunities to surf.  (Is that a part of the Trinity River plan?)  That said, inspired by the exhibition, we wanted to give you a list of architecturally significant sites in North Texas to explore on your own.  Some are around water and some simply capture the “vibe” of the late 1950’s and 1960’s.  So, hang ten and go adventuring!

We'll start this week with one of the most beautiful avenues in Dallas...Turtle Creek Boulevard.  While placid Turtle Creek might not provide much opportunity for surfing or other watersports, it does sit adjacent to two of Dallas’ late 1950’s architectural gems.

Apartment Building, 1957
3525 Turtle Creek Boulevard
Howard Meyer

Commonly referred to as “3525,” this high-rise apartment tower, one of Dallas’ first, is set apart by its Mexican brick and textured concrete interior and its distinctive concrete brise-soleil (sun screens).

Kalita Humphreys Theater, 1959
3636 Turtle Creek Boulevard
Frank Lloyd Wright

Wright’s only public theater and one of his last designs has been the home of the Dallas Theater Center for 50 years.  DCFA has been a part of the discussions which will lead to a new master plan as the Kalita enters a new chapter.

WAVE Sculpture, 2002
SMU-Meadows Museum
Santiago Calatrava

One of Dallas’ best pieces of public art and perhaps its most literal “surf” spots is at the south entrance to the campus of Southern Methodist University.  The perpetually-moving 40-by-90 sculpture and reflecting pool were designed by Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, architect of the signature bridges in the Trinity River Plan.

First off, some background on Grannis and the exhibition:

In the early 1960s in Hermosa Beach, California, surfer and amateur photographer LeRoy Grannis began documenting the burgeoning surfing scene along the Southern California coast.  This exhibition captures surfing’s golden years and the entire surfing lifestyle in California and Hawaii, including the fashions, landscapes and architecture.  Our exhibition (NOW EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 22) is organized by independent curator Cynthia Mulcahy.

Here in Dallas, we don’t have many opportunities to surf.  (Is that a part of the Trinity River plan?)  That said, inspired by the exhibition, we wanted to give you a list of architecturally significant sites in North Texas to explore on your own.  Some are around water and some simply capture the “vibe” of the late 1950’s and 1960’s.  So, hang ten and go adventuring! This weekend is a great time to start.

Fountain Place, 1986
1445 Ross Avenue
I.M Pei & Partners (New York); Harry Weese & Associates (Chicago); WZMH; Dan Kiley (Charlotte, Vermont), landscape architect

Sheathed in shimmering green glass reminiscent of the sea, this is the most extraordinary of Pei’s three Dallas towers built during the 1980’s.  The six-acre plaza and beautiful water garden surrounding the tower is one of the great urban spaces in America.

Statler Hilton, 1956
1915 Commerce Street
William Tabler (New York)

This prow-shaped hotel would look almost as at home on Waikiki Beach as it does in downtown Dallas.  When it was completed in 1956, the 1,000 room Statler Hilton was the city’s most sensational modern building…and perhaps the country’s first truly “modern” hotel.  With George Dahl’s 1953 Dallas Public Library next door, this is the best block of 1950’s architecture in Dallas.  Unfortunately, the Statler Hilton has been on both Preservation Dallas’ and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Most Endangered List.

The Esplanade at Fair Park, 1936
George Dahl

One of the city’s most dramatic water features is the Reflecting Basin at Fair Park, even more so due to its surroundings.  Fair Park is the world’s largest collection of 1930’s Art Deco exposition buildings, built in 1936 for the 100th anniversary of Texas’ independence from Mexico. In recent years, the complex has undergone renovation of its buildings, outdoor sculptures and murals.  Currently, the Esplanade itself is undergoing an extensive renovation which will result in the recreation of  a two monumental Art Deco statues and a synchronized light, water and music show inspired by the fountains of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

North Texas is fortunate to be home to the University of Texas at Arlington and its outstanding architecture program.  Our neighbors to the south at Rice University also have an excellent architecture school and they have a new dean.  Sarah Whiting, an expert in urban and architectural theory, comes from Princeton and will begin work January 1.  Go here for more details.

Not a scoop here...KERA's Art & Seek pointed this out first, but it bears repeating. The dynamic duo of the soon-to-open Dallas Center for the Performing Arts--Lord Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas--will join a local designer to consult on conceptual plans for a $2.7 billion cultural district in Hong Kong.  Lord Norman created a previous masterplan (including an enormous glass canopy...sound familiar, Winspear Opera House fans?) that was greeted less than enthusiastically by potential developers.  Sounds like the Hong Kong folks need to come to Dallas and check out our own Arts District to see what's possible.  The Architects' Journal has more on the story here.

We posted links to a couple of reviews of the Guggenheim Museum's Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit on Monday.  Today, The Dallas Morning News joins in with a review by David Dillon.  It includes mention of the unbuilt Rogers Lacy Hotel right here in Big D. We're on it...going to do some research and post more in an upcoming post. 

And there's breaking news on the status of 508 Park Avenue.  Robert Wilonsky posts an update on Unfair Park just in time for a meeting today at Dallas City Hall. Check out Justin Terveen's photos of the building here.  (Justin is the excellent photographer whose great shots of Dallas buildings are all over our website.)

First up is AIA Dallas annual Design Awards.  On a regular basis since 1950, the Chapter has recognized Dallas architects who have achieved excellence in both built and unbuilt categories.  Past honorees include iconic Dallas buildings such as Temple Emanu-El and NorthPark Center, as well as more recent structures like One Arts Plaza and the W Dallas Victory Hotel. This year, the community is invited to gather at Victory Plaza on September 23 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. as the awards are presented.  Event admission is $30.00 ($15.00 for AIA Dallas members).

Just a few days later, AIA Dallas will welcome 400 black-tie clad revelers to the stunningly restored Union Station for CelebrateArchitecture 2009!: An Urban Renaissance.  The evening will include a silent auction, dinner by Wolfgang Puck Catering, and the presentation of Community Honor Awards to civic leaders who so actively support the creative vitality of Dallas.  All proceeds of the September 26 event benefit the Dallas Center for Architecture.  For sponsorship opportunities or information on individual tickets, please e-mail us at info@DallasCFA.com.

On November 7 and 8, seven of the finest contemporary residences in Dallas will be featured on the AIA Dallas Tour of Homes.  Tickets for this premier event are only $25.00.

Of course, our "regular programming" at DCFA will continue with the Architecture Film Series (don't miss The Fountainhead Wednesday night!) and exhibitions like The Architecture of the Arts District.  Join our mailing list or become a fan on Facebook so you continue to receive all the latest updates. 

Check back with us tomorrow for our regular Wednesday round-up of architecture news. 

For those of us unable to visit in person, The Wall Street Journal and NPR have their stories here and here.

Of course, North Texas architecture fans have a special fondness for Kahn.  The Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth is one of his great masterpieces.  Soon, Kahn-ophiles will have the excuse for a pilgrimage to New York.  Work will begin in mid-August on the long-delayed Four Freedoms Park, one of Kahn's last projects.  The 4.5 acre (and $45 million) park will be a memorial to president Franklin D. Roosevelt and located on an island in the East River across from the United Nations.  Architectural Record has more on the story, including images,  here.

First off, hopefully you have seen the good news...progress is being made on the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park.  A contract has been awarded, with groundbreaking scheduled for September 14.  We here at DCFA are particularly thrilled; when completed, the park will be our front yard, connecting us directly to our neighbors in the Arts District and downtown.  The Dallas Morning News has more on the story here. 

The Landmark Commission met on Monday and discussed a new tear-down ordinance that has preservationists concerned. The Commission made several suggestions and sent it back to the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee (aka ZOAC) for further action. We'll keep our eye on this one as it makes its way to the Dallas City Council.

DowntownDallas and the AIA Dallas Communities by Design committee have announced that they have selected a winner in the competition to design a temporary facade for the Statler Hilton Hotel.  Congrats to some folks at Good, Fulton & Farrell.  The full announcement is here. No images yet...there apparently need to be a few adjustments made before implementation.  We promise to show them to you as soon as they're out.

And, finally, we can't resist linking to this blog entry from The Dallas Observer on another weighty matter that was before the Dallas Landmark Commission on Monday afternoon. 

Here at DCFA, we will undertake our most significant exhibition to date:  PUTTING IT IN CONTEXT: THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT will run from October 7, 2009 to January 8, 2010.  This exhibition—including several models, original blueprints and other artifacts— will examine the District’s evolution and place its buildings into a larger context within the extraordinary architectural richness of the region.

After all, the foundation for the District began over 25 years ago with the relocation of the Dallas Museum of Art from Fair Park to its newly constructed Edward Larrabee Barnes-designed building downtown.  Today, the Arts District is a veritable living museum of architecture—featuring not only the work of four Pritzker Prize-winning architects: Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, I.M. Pei and Renzo Piano—but also other buildings important in the civic history of the city.  Even before the Arts District, the neighborhood included parts of Freedman’s Town as well as Ross Avenue, the toniest residential street in Dallas.  We’ll look at the big picture—past, present, and future.
 
The DCFA exhibition will be accompanied by walking tours of the Arts District as well as other special events and programs.  (We were just strategizing today with our friends from the Nasher about a collaborative film series.  Stay tuned for more on that…)

Speaking of the Nasher, they will join the celebration with The Art Of Architecture: Foster + Partners, a retrospective of the work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster and his firm, running from September 26, 2009 to January 10, 2010.  They also will have some wonderful auxiliary events, including education programs and  a lecture by Spencer Grey, Senior Executive and Head of Design for Foster + Partners.

The Dallas Museum of Art will also have a special exhibition with items from their archives tracing the history of the DMA and its neighbors over the last several decades.

The Arts District promises to be the place to be this fall and DCFA is glad to be in the thick of things.  Make sure you join our e-mail mailing list and follow us on Facebook to get all the latest information and updates.

The Kalita Humphreys Theater turns 50 years old this December. (It’s just slightly “younger” than the Guggenheim in New York.)  Completed in 1959, unfortunately months after architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s death, the Kalita has been the primary home of the Dallas Theater Center for all of those 50 years.  But that’s about to change.  DTC will soon become the resident company at another architectural wonder—the Rem Koolhaas-designed Wyly Theater at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. (They’ll still be a presence at the Kalita though, and other groups are already announcing plans to perform there.) 

So what’s to become of the Kalita?  (Which still creates fond memories as well as much debate and discussion as seen by two recent posts on KERA’s Art & Seek.)

Ann Abernathy, AIA, is project architect for a master plan for the City of Dallas-owned building, being done by Booziotis & Company architects and a national team of consultants.*  While she rightfully didn’t pull back the curtain on that process, she DID share a lot of wonderful history and observations as a part of Preservation Dallas’ Summer Sizzler series last week.  While it will be much better spelled out by Abernathy and her team in the master plan and subsequent public meetings about it, here are a couple of tidbits gleaned from the talk and the discussion afterwards:

• There are actually interesting similarities between the Kalita and the Wyly.  A site little bigger than a residential site adjacent to Turtle Creek meant that Wright had to “stack” the theatre vertically—lobby at grade, theater cascading down the hill, and support spaces like technical support below that.  The Wyly will reverse that—the audience enters below grade and ascends to the theater; support spaces (costume shop, offices, rehearsal studios, et al) stack on top of that.
• The Kalita was actually intended to be the anchor of an Arts District, the 1959 version.  Plans for a flanking concert hall and art museum never came to fruition.
• The other Frank Lloyd Wright building in Dallas (did you know there WAS one?) is actually from the same period.  The Gillin House was completed in 1958.
• A standard complaint about the building is that the design was “pulled off the shelf.”  Abernathy did a wonderful job of showing how the design was indeed based on previous drawings that Wright had done (he had a long-held interest in theater design), but also how it had been beautifully adapted specifically for the rocky Turtle Creek site.  (As for the complaint that the building is “backwards,” there’s not enough space here to explain, but suffice it to say that the original design minus subsequent additions makes perfect sense for the site. I’m sure that we’ll learn more on that front from the master plan.)
• The interior of the theater, while it has proven a challenge to subsequent directors and new technology, was perfect for original DTC artistic director Paul Baker and his team. And clearly Wright was profoundly influenced by his knowledge of Kabuki theater (the architect had a well-known love of all things Japanese); one rendering in Abernathy’s presentation showed the stage with Japanese drama being performed on it.
• And, as for the apocryphal story about the stage elevator which had to be hidden by boxes for a visit by Wright, Abernathy pointed out that it was impossible.  Felled by a stroke in 1958—well before the concrete for that area was ever poured, Wright never visited the site again.

Stay tuned.  There is much more to be learned about this great architectural jewel.  And there will be plenty of discussion on how to move forward.  The Dallas Center for Architecture plans to be well-involved in that discussion and hopes you will join us.

* Consultants on the project include: Theater Projects Consultants, Akustiks, Quimby McCoy, Schirmer Engineering, Charles Gojer Engineering, Accessology, Stewardship, Inc., John Thorpe and Associates, and MESA.  Also integral to the process has been Kelly Oliver, AIA, who was the original supervising apprentice.