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DallasArtFair

National and international art galleries endorsed Dallas by participating in the Dallas Art Fair. Often artists lead the way in discovering and reclaiming neighborhoods making them fashionable. Much the same can be said of art galleries. Barry Whistler Gallery gave Deep Ellum a boost three decades ago and then gave the Dallas Design District an additional thrust. Now international galleries are doing the same thing for Dallas by participating in the 15th Dallas Art Fair. We know Dallas has the country’s most diverse economy attracting a steady flow of Fortune 500 companies. We know substantial people are moving to Dallas, resulting in more homebuyers than home sellers in Highland Park and Dallas. Dallas, increasingly attractive for relocations, is rightly associated with an open friendly city, lower taxes, safety, educational opportunities. Now international galleries are endorsing the aesthetics of Dallas. Art transcends even the draw of jobs, safety, education and favorable economics. People of all incomes enjoy art. Now Dallas enjoy the art world coming to us. This year Art Fair spaces were consistently beautifully curated, the art strong, the galleries friendly, and the viewers excited. The Dallas Art Fair also showed the strength of Dallas art galleries. Dallas art galleries at the Fair more than held their own. Dallas art galleries in the Dallas Design District also had art openings to coincide with the Art Fair and the week of art conversations in Dallas. Private art collections were also made available to view. Art work presented by east and west coast galleries and those from around the world made me even more appreciative of the fabulous Dallas art galleries, art collectors and collections that we have in Dallas. Since grade school, I have loved fairs – including writing a long school report on fairs, going to book fairs, the Chicago International Trade Fair, art fairs in other cities, and of course the Texas State Fair. The Dallas Art Fair has blossomed into an internationally important fair – one that is enjoyable, educational, and one that endorses Dallas. *DallasArtFair
#DallasArtFair #DowntownDallas #DallasArt #DallasDesignDistrict #Dallas

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Real Deal

Real Deal insights were provided earlier this year by Publisher and Founder Amir Korangy of The Real Deal, the largest real estate magazine in the country. It is interesting how people outside Dallas interpret the city. Amir Korangy hosted a dinner at The Mansion Restaurant that included former Mayor Mike Rawlings; CEO of Crow Holdings, Michael Levy; Dallas Regional Chamber Senior VP of Research and Innovation, Duane Dankesreiter; The Real Deal’s National Managing Editor Jerry Sullivan, Texas Editor Rachel Stone, and Dallas reporter Erick Pirayesh, along with a few other real estate leaders. I find interesting to compare the perspectives of those from inside and outside of Dallas. When over a year ago Amir visited Dallas to learn about the city, he asked people what made Dallas so successful. The first person suggested it was because the people in Dallas were nice. Amir said he thought this didn’t seem enough to be the foundation of a city’s success. He said after he spoke to 30 people over the week and they all said essentially the same thing, that maybe this was the key component to the success of Dallas. One certainly could not point to mountains or an ocean as the draw to Dallas. Nice is a pleasant but rather anemic word for something more profound in Dallas. When my clients are moving to Dallas or considering moving to Dallas, the first way I describe Dallas is that it is the most open city in the country. In Dallas people are considered for what they contribute and add to the city. Recently this idea was reinforced at a Dallas dinner for 80 people being celebrated for their contributions to the city. It was mentioned that Dallas is a place far more collaborative than divisive. The fun, generous, warm mood of this assemblage of successful people from the full political spectrum conveyed this. At the earlier dinner, Amir Korangy said that Dallas is both a magnet for Fortune 500 companies and is an encouraging environment for people in every demographic to start a business. The sentiments and mood of these two dinners reinforced in my mind—niceness in Dallas is the real deal. *Real Deal

#Dallas #City #TheRealDeal @mrkorangy #rosewoodmansiononturtlecreek

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Preservation Poetry

This Robert Frost style poem was inspired by my blog article on DouglasNewby.com- Preservation Dallas 50th Anniversary Home Tour Celebrates Neighborhoods and Architecture.

In neighborhoods, where history breathes,
Preservation Dallas, its mission weaves.
Fifty years have come and gone,
A golden era, a tale now spun.

With architect's passion and vision clear,
Neighborhoods standing, as we stand here.
A house, a home, a living tale,
In every brick and timbered bale.

Kessler Park and Swiss Avenue,
Touched by hands, old and new. Cheek and Fooshee, Dilbeck, too,
A tapestry of architects, their essence imbued.

Winds of change, they blow and gust,
Yet in these homes, our trust is thrust.
Oak Cliff and Munger Place, a story to share,
Intricate patterns, a legacy's heir.

As I wandered through these homes,
I felt the whispers, the ancient tomes.
Of lives well lived and dreams fulfilled,
In every corner, history distilled.

To celebrate these architects, we gather near,
Their talents, their visions, we revere.
For in their craft, they've woven time,
Preserved for us, a gift sublime.

We stand upon the shoulders of the great,
Their work, an anchor, against time's weight.
And as we walk the neighborhoods of yore,
A part of us, forevermore.

So let us celebrate this jubilant day,
In honor of those who've paved the way.
For through their work, we too shall see,
A past preserved, an eternal legacy. *Preservation Poetry

#PreservationDallas #DallasNeighborhoods #DallasArchitects #SwissAvenue #OakCliff #dallashometoura

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MayaMargarita

Here is how iconic drinks are maybe named at iconic restaurants. Javier’s Gourmet Mexicano is the oldest iconic restaurant in Dallas. It is much loved, known for its professional service, unwavering Mexico City inspired food, and much fun. Led by Javier’s example, wearing an Italian suit, with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other stylish cars lined up in the front, Javier’s is known for tradition and style. It is against this backdrop that an iconic drink may be created. When Javier inquired what drinks he could request the server to bring to the table, he was told a top shelf Margarita rimmed with sugar. Javier’s eyes got wide and a curious expression appeared as he said he has never had that request. When told he could think of it as a Maya Margarita, Javier repeated, “Maya Margarita” and said, “It has a good ring to it.” Grace Kelly, a stylish woman, propelled a Hermes handbag to be called the Kelly bag. Here a stylish woman might propel a sugar-rimmed top shelf Margarita to be called a Maya Margarita. *MayaMargarita

#JaviersDallas #Javier #Dallas #IconicRestaurant #MayaMargarita #SugarRimmedMargarita #Margarita #DallasRestaurant #MexicanRestaurant #eventdirector #nationalmargaritaday @JaviersGourmetMexicano

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Katz Ascends

From graduate student looking work on the first level of the Guggenheim Museum, Alex Katz’ work ascends to the highest level and to the triumphant and concluding piece of the exhibition, which was loaned by Dallas’ own art collector, Marguerite Hoffman. Katz’ wife was a reoccurring subject matter throughout his 60-year career, including the oversized faces Katz is best known for. The final piece in his show has his wife’s back to the viewer, and yet we still can tell exactly who it is. A retrospective this linear is also nice as we see the evolution of an artist’s work and in this case the distinct evolution of styles and attitudes of each decade. As you slide through the images, you will be able to see the final picture of the back of the woman repeated six times on the canvas. This piece is destined to become part of the Dallas Museum of Art’s permanent collection. *Katz Ascends
#guggenheim #ArtExhibition @guggenheim #AlexKatz #DallasArtCollector #UpperEastSide #Design

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Reclaim Dallas

Michael Lee, a brilliant designer and a Highland Park native, has reclaimed Dallas as his home and continues to reclaim Dallas architectural components and artifacts from architecturally significant homes and merge them into new spaces. A celebration at his new retail space at Nick Brock on Slocum in the Design District provided the opportunity to see how a collection of individual pieces offered for sale were placed in a graceful composition that was as enticing as each individual piece. Additionally, sunlight illuminated the space. When Michael moved to Malibu, his genius was quickly recognized. His California work was featured in Architectural Digest and he was the talk of the town. Simultaneously, his projects in Dallas were equally revered. It is so fun to have Michael and Gatsby back in Dallas. When you see them, you are bound to see many of the most talented and delightful people in town. Here we see the Director of the Dallas Opera, the North American CEO of Christie’s Auction House, and Carol Lee, who with her late husband John Ridings Lee, lived and entertained in iconic modern and historic homes that were the toast of the town. From business leaders to aesthetic leaders and interior designers, this space glowed with talent and love that always surrounds Michael Lee. *Reclaim Dallas
#NickBrockAntiques #Antiques #GatsbyGeerts #DallasDesignDistrict #ArchitecturallySignificant #ArchitecturalArtifacts #Retail #DallasCelebration #Dallas

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Celebrating Home

Pure ice on the first day this architecturally significant historic home was on the market. Today, my clients are enjoying their new home on a sunny day. Ice is a buyer’s best friend.

My clients said ideally they would like a historic home, an architecturally significant home, a home on around a half acre of land, looking across from a golf course, and in the next six months before they were to be married. There has been virtually no inventory of homes for sale over the last six months. Where would you have recommended? They bought this home, a historic 100-year-old home, an architecturally significant home, on almost a half acre, overlooking a golf course, the day before their wedding.

As I told this beautiful couple – NEVER a doubt! *Celebrating Home

#DallasIce #Dallas #DallasNeighborhood #HistoricHome #ArchitecturallySignificantHome #CentennialHome #100YearOldHome #neighborhood

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Entrepreneurial Art

The Dallas Museum of Art and Director Agustin Arteaga continues to inform and delight with a wide and deep spectrum of exhibitions. Recently opening was “Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks.” Art history is more than the history of artistic technique or expression, it is history itself. We heard from Dr. Katharina Van Cauteren that the 16th century paintings in Antwerp and Flanders was the start of the art market. Artists began painting speculatively rather than painting solely on commission. An art market broadens the subject matter of paintings from predominantly portraits to landscapes, still lifes, and other vignettes that were in demand. The paintings seen are primarily curated from The Phoebus Foundation collection with strong Flemish paintings from the DMA interspersed. Oil paint was invented during this period, allowing the intense detail we are seeing in these paintings. An entire wall is dedicated to 20 prints that portray inventions and processes of the day, such as the machinery pressing olive oil. The beauty of art can be emotionally elevating, but the history of art and why it was made can illuminate our history. *Entrepreneurial Art
#DMA #FlemishArt #Flanders #OilPaint #ArtMarket #Dallas #ArtHistory #ArtDistrict #ArtOpening #PhoebusFoundation

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Ford and Cece

Ford and Cece are in the house when you see a yellow Corvette. For decades they have driven a new model yellow Corvette. In Highland Park Village at Cafe Pacific you see so many Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and Maybachs lined up it is hard to know which car belongs to whom and yet when you see a yellow Corvette, you know the owner. Ford and Cece are the only couple in Dallas where either one of them can be referenced by first name only – Ford or Cece – and people will know to whom you are referring. Cece Smith founded the largest retail specialty venture capital fund. Cece has been on many corporate boards, is a past chair of the Dallas Federal Reserve, and current chair of the Dallas Symphony Board. Ford Lacy is the Highland Park resident intellectual, a Highland Park and Harvard graduate, he was a successful Akin Gump attorney and continues to dazzle others with his vast source of knowledge and insights on myriad subjects. Maybe the greatest contribution of Ford and Cece is their founding of the President’s Research Council (PRC) at UT Southwestern over 35 years ago. PRC grants annual distinguished research seed grants to promising young researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. These funds are generated by community members of PRC who convene quarterly to hear about exciting research taking place at UT Southwestern. Lectures by the immensely talented clinicians, doctors and faculty at UT Southwestern provide the most exciting lecture series in Dallas. Often emerging technology and medical breakthroughs are heard here years ahead of the TED Conference presenting them. Recently, Ford and Cece were honored at iconic Cafe Pacific for a fun PRC Appreciation Dinner for their founding PRC and underwriting the PRC annual dinner announcing research grants with PRC members seated with Nobel laureates, past PRC speakers and distinguished members of UT Southwestern. Among many honors Ford and Cece have received is being selected as academicians in the Academy of Raffination. *Ford and Cece

#Raffination #CafePacific #CeceSmith #FordLacy #PRC #PresidentsResearchCouncil #YellowCorvette #highlandparkvillage

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Orbit of Jim Young

Jim Young, 40th employee of EDS, is presented first ever Texas Business Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award and given tribute by Morton Meyerson. In fact, Dallas icon Morton Meyerson, the 57th employee that became the EDS President and CEO, gave the finest and most important personal and historical tribute I have heard. Morton Meyerson said he had never told Jim Young this before, but when he arrived at EDS, which was only about two years old, it was a cold, stiff organization still trying to get established, where he felt out of place. Jim, with his elegant, warm, inclusive and supportive sense of humor, allowed him to survive and thrive at EDS. He credited Jim Young with creating a company-wide atmosphere of humanity and opportunity for the thousands of employees around the world. Pictured here are his wife, Carole Young, who has also made an incredible impact on Dallas and Texas, with even a Texas prison named after her; and Dale Petroskey, the President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, who wrote a definitive LinkedIn post on Jim receiving this award. Dale is a good example of the incredibly successful people in Jim Young’s orbit that include Jim as a mentor, friend and inspiration, as I do. Jim Young has always placed his family (who have all been incredibly successful, including his daughter Kelly Stoetzel, who headed the TED conferences for several years and selected the TED speakers for 15 years, and his son Jim Young who received a Master’s Degree at University of Cambridge and started his own successful business) first, and treated those young and old around the world as if they were family – Jim was always incredibly interested, and generous with his thoughts, guidance and encouragement. The world is a better place because of Jim Young and everyone that knows Jim Young has benefitted. Thank you Jim! *Orbit of Jim Young
#JimYoung #CaroleYoung #DalePetroskey #OrbitOfJimYoung #Dallas #TexasBusinessHallOfFame #Mentor #Leader #Inspiration @TexasBusinessHallOfFame

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History of a Highway

Crosstown Expressway connecting Interstate Highway 30 to Central Expressway was imminent. Its dedicated path included Munger Boulevard as it was supposed to cut through a dozen Old East Dallas historic neighborhoods. Before the Trinity Toll Road proposal, before the Klyde Warren deck park, and before any movement to reduce or eliminate roads, the homeowners in Old East Dallas did what seemed impossible – they stopped Crosstown Expressway. Crosstown Expressway was eliminated and Munger Boulevard actually had two lanes of traffic removed to enable a landscaped median to be installed reflecting the Munger Brothers original development. Further, Collett and Fitzhugh, that had been one-way couplets, were returned to two-way residential streets interspersed with stop signs. In a neighborhood where a highway had been planned, high speed through-traffic streets were returned to residential streets. The transportation travesty of Crosstown was transformed to a corridor of nature. Please note the 20 miles per hour school zone sign allowing children to walk to school. *History of a Highway
#MungerBoulevard #CrosstownExpressway #Fitzhugh #Collett #MungerPlace #OldEastDallas #HistoricNeighborhoods #DallasHistory #Dallas #DallasNeighborhoods

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The Courtauld Update

Whenever I go to London I try to stop by The Courtauld Institute of Art. It was the first London museum I visited years ago on my initial visit to London. The Courtauld resonated with me for many reasons. I love the architecture. Sir William Chambers in 1775 designed the building that replaced the original 1552 home of the Duke of Somerset. The paintings were predominately lit by natural sunlight in a salon-like setting of dark wood floors, enormous ceilings and tall windows. In the first room on one wall was A Bar at the Folies-Bergere by Edouard Manet. I had first seen this Manet painting when it was on loan at the Chicago Art Institute for a blockbuster exhibition. Ropes were placed eight feet away from the painting enclosed in glass. People were standing three deep. On my first visit to The Courtauld, when I approached an almost empty room, I asked the guard how close could I get to the painting. The guard replied, “Oh, about six inches.” How can you not love a museum that has a fabulous ceremonial staircase, a living room/salon setting for a lovely Manet that one can view at an unhurried pace from any distance. On my last visit right before the pandemic, The Courtauld was shut down for renovation. This trip was my first return. The building and approach is still magical. It brought back memories of seeing then Prince Charles just a few feet away getting into his Jaguar as he departed the museum. The interior of the renovated museum is now opened up with art lighting and light wood floors. Paintings share spaces with several other paintings on the extended walls. The renovation was necessary. It now has a much better event space for fundraisers, private dinners, events and parties. The galleries are better lit and feel more up to date. However, it reminds me of why homeowners go back to their original home and wonder why it has been changed. On this visit, Chinese nationals for their London university art class, asked me to write my feelings on a photocopy of the painting. I wrote “highlighted and hidden.” *The Courtauld Update
#TheCourthauld #SomersetHouse #London #ABarAtTheFolies-Bergere #ArtMuseum #Art #Architecture #History

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Hierarchy of Stairs

Builders use staircases trying to reflect, in their traditional spec homes, the grandeur of great European houses. Bill McKenzie, an editorial board member for the Dallas Morning News in the 1990s, asked me, for an editorial he was writing, for examples of the difference in “Big Hair Houses,” starting to dominate Dallas streets, with architect designed homes. As always, Bill asks thoughtful questions that had me reviewing homes with this question in mind. I provided examples including: architects used real bookshelves in the library off the front door, while builders might use bookshelf wallpaper. Where builders would often stack 16 inches of ceiling molding, architects might design 8-inch moldings - more expensive to create but more elegant. However, what I most remember were these Big Hair houses in University Park in Dallas on standard size lots often had two staircases just as one might find in a European estate home. The difference was that the two staircases in Big Hair builder homes, only a room or two away from each other, were almost identical in size, rise and treads. While in architect designed estate homes, the primary staircase was much grander and the servant stairs were steep and narrow indicating a hierarchy of stairs. The best example of this in Dallas is the Crespi Estate, designed by architect Maurice Fatio in 1939. In London, I was reminded of this in the Somerset House now housing The Courtauld Institute of Art. The primary staircase is elegant and inviting, making it enjoyable to walk to the third-floor galleries. As you slide through the images, you will see the secondary stairs, steep, narrow and forbidding. Generic builders often build spec homes just for show; architects design homes for show and purpose. *Hierarchy of Stairs
#Stairs #TheCourtauld #Architect #ArchitectDesign #EstateHomes #BuilderHomes #HierarchyOfStairs #London #Historic #SomersetHouse

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London Light

London light, uninterrupted by tall buildings, illuminates the architectural detail and relief of London’s significant historic buildings. Luminescence prevails even on damp days. A blue sky is a welcome change in the monotony of a grey London landscape. Bright lights and Christmas lights add ornamentation to architecturally significant buildings already heavily ornamented with stone carvings and architectural detail. I have decided London light is more profound because it is distributed in a judicial way, somehow only illuminating the best historically significant buildings, leaving the flat-faced generic ones cast in dull shadows. Even the glitz of New Bond Street has a patina of glimmer. *London Light
#Light #Shadow #Luminescence #London #ArchitecturallySignificant #HistoricallySignificant #NewBond #Historic #Architecture #Historic #LondonLandmarks

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Tunnel of Color

Trees announce a neighborhood. One immediately recognizes Highland Park as the most expensive neighborhood in Dallas because of the abundant trees that grace the architecturally significant homes. One cannot see the good police and fire departments or good teachers, but one can immediately enjoy the trees lit by landscape lighting in the summer or Christmas lights in December. When Munger Place was at its nadir, the few artists and urban pioneer homeowners in the neighborhood planted parkway trees – the first sign of revitalization. New curbs, sidewalks, antique streetlights replacing telephone poles and lamps created additional confidence for new homeowners returning divided up renthouses back to single family homes. I grew up with tree-tunneled streets in Hinsdale and visualized the same for Munger Place. Now, every season I marvel when I ride my bike through this Munger Place tunnel of color – bright green buds in spring, deep dark greens in summer, and yellow, oranges and reds in the fall. *Tunnel of Color
#Tree #ParkwayTrees #MungerPlace #Revitalization #Dallas #DallasNeighborhood #HighlandPark #TreeTunnel #autumncolors

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Architectural Focus@DallasArchForum @AlterStudio @HockerDesign

For 25 years, the Dallas Architecture Forum has focused on Dallas, regional, national, and international architects and their architectural influence on Dallas. The patron party and Talk on this Highland Park Residence created a brilliant focus on the current good architecture that is being created in Highland Park and Dallas. This was an event on architecture for architects, patrons, and aficionados of architecture. National award-winning architects, AlterStudio Architecture, based in Austin, Texas, designed this modern home. National award-winning landscape architect David Hocker designed the landscape. It was exhilarating to see this modern home as it revealed itself as one moved through the gardens and home. A generous Talk by the participants provoked additional insight. Equally exciting was seeing many of the very best Dallas architects admiring and enjoying the design of this modern residence. The reason Dallas has the best collection of 20th and 21st century architecturally significant homes is because of the cross-pollination of architectural ideas from Dallas, regional, and national architects. The Dallas Architecture Forum patron home showcased this collegiality and talent.
*Architectural Focus
@DallasArchForum @AlterStudio @HockerDesign #DallasArchitectureForum #AlterStudio #Dallas #HighlandPark #ModernHome #ModernArchitecture #Architecture #ArchitecturallySignificant #Architect #ArchitecturallySignificantHome #LandscapeArchitect

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Show Precedes Studio@eskiedal @julieenglandart @nishikisugawarabeda.art

What a great idea for artist Julie England and artist Mary Vernon to show off their new studio space with an exhibition of their work along with that of three other artists. Five talented female artists in this delightful space at 135 Howell Street in the Design District invoked memories of my favorite gallery for years, the DW Gallery. Originally, the Dallas Women’s Co-op on McKinney and Hall Streets, this gallery had fabulous exhibitions introducing the work of many female artists, and also in group shows many of my favorite male artists, like the Tremont artists James Surls, David McManaway, and David Bates. Congratulations to Julie England, Mary Vernon, Nishiki Sugawara-Beda, Lin Medlin, Cassandra Black.
*Show Precedes Studio
@eskiedal @julieenglandart @nishikisugawarabeda.art #eskiedal #julieenglandart #art #artist #Dallas #ArtStudio #DallasDesignDistrict #ArtShow

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My Favorite Tour

I have grown up with home tours. Since graduating from SMU, I have attended early Swiss Avenue home tours, the oldest Dallas home tour; had my home on the first Munger Place home tour; organized a tour of homes representing 14 neighborhoods; have been a sponsor of Highland Park and Preservation Park Cities home tours; and helped support numerous other home tours in a number of capacities. However, the only home tour I make a point of going to every year is the AIA Dallas Home Tour. My thought is that every home tour should have a greater emphasis on architecture and how it relates to the neighborhood. On the AIA Dallas Home Tour, one often has a chance to meet the Dallas architect, the homebuilder, the landscape architect, interior designer, and maybe even the owners of these recently built architecturally significant Dallas modern homes. The Dallas AIA Patron home is always an extra treat. This year one had the chance to say hello to the owner, Cricket Griffin, pictured with architect Paul Jankowski, in addition to the modern homebuilder Larry Hartman, who is also pictured. Thank you, Dallas AIA, for helping us learn more about architecture and the neighborhoods like where this home is located, one of my favorites, Turtle Creek Park. *My Favorite Tour
#AIADallasTourOfHomes #DallasAIA #AIADallas @HomeTourDallas #HomeTourDallas #DallasHomeTour #Architect #ModernHome #TurtleCreekPark #Dallas #Architecture #ArchitecturallySignificant #ArchitecturallySignificantHome #DallasNeighborhood #KatyTrailNeighborhood

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Nasher Always Beckons

Former DMA Director Rick Brettell once said to me that it is the small museums that people generally mention as their favorite museum. I hear from so many people that love visiting the Nasher for a variety of reasons. I also find it appealing for many reasons. Often the Nasher has extraordinary exhibitions, dynamic lectures, and a variety of vibrant, casual, or serene experiences. One might see friends, acquaintances, or make new friends. However, what is remarkable is that even if the exhibit one finds rather dull, or the other visitors uninspiring, the space is supreme. The architecture, space, and setting in the Dallas Arts District in downtown Dallas makes every visit to the Nasher joyful.
*Nasher Always Beckons
#Nasher #Garden #SculptureGarden #Dallas @NasherSculptureCenter #DallasArtsDistrict

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Dallas Travels

Early this fall, I visited Chicago and New York on short trips. Regardless of the reason for the visit, I always go to the museums in these great cities. This year, on my return travel to Dallas, I immediately went to the retrospective opening of Matthew Wong: The Realm of Appearances. Normally, seeing art when traveling out of town rejuvenates me. This time my travel back to Dallas and seeing this exhibition refreshed me. The paintings were visually appealing, maybe it was the hint of fauvist influences that I liked. Learning about the artist was interesting, and seeing Dallas art patrons is always intoxicating. We are lucky to have the Dallas Museum of Art and so many collectors and patrons in Dallas.
*Dallas Travels
#DMA #DallasMuseumOfArt @DallasMuseumArt #MatthewWong #Art #Dallas

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Love A Parade

I don’t think of myself as a sucker for a parade until I hear the sounds of marching bands, enthusiastic crowds, and then I begin anticipating the always joyful surprises of a parade. This Columbus Day Parade (Indigenous Peoples’ Day) included the Cadillac Club’s decades of vintage Cadillacs, including one with the horn from The Godfather film. The dog riding on the back of the motorcycle reminded me of my Texas State Fair Midway bulldog that I adorned with the World War II helmet I acquired as a four-year-old. And where but in New York in an Italian parade would one see a cement mixer rolling by?
*Love A Parade
#ColumbusDayParade #NYC #NewYorkCity #Parade #IndigenousPeoplesDay

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NYC Retro Safety

New York seemed to be longing for a return of a safer New York City. The New York City Police Chief was in the Columbus Day Parade, populated by many first responders. The vintage police cars reminded me of a TCM noir film review. New York City sure feels safe on a sunny day watching a parade along Central Park and the architecturally significant homes on the Upper East Side.
*NYC Retro Safety
#ColumbusDayParade #NYC #NewYorkCity #Parade #vintagepolicecar

Brick-Paved Street

Historic homes have a certain grace that is missing from new developments. Architecturally significant homes create an aesthetic elegance in a neighborhood. Brick-paved streets root the neighborhood in another era that seems almost unimaginable. As a young boy, the streets paved in brick meant more than a bumpy bicycle ride. These brick-paved streets created weight and substance to the homes I was riding by. This 7600 square foot Richardson-Romanesque style home at 306 E. 1st St. in Hinsdale’s Robbins Park Historic District was built in 1898. Its size and impressive architectural style expresses its prominence, as does the Richardson-Romanesque style Old Red Courthouse built in Dallas in 1892. This is another example of how, through similar architectural design and materials, early Dallas and Hinsdale expressed their aesthetic achievement and substance. When I see vestiges of streetcar rails in the Munger Place Historic District, it is almost like running across an arrowhead at a creek’s edge. Growing up around brick-paved streets provided an even slower pace to a village that already had a peaceful gait. *Brick-Paved Street

#BrickPavedStreets #HistoricHomes #ArchitecturallySignificantHomes #HistoricDistrict #MungerPlace #RobbinsParkHistoricDistrict #Hinsdale #RichardsonRomanesque #OldRedCourthouse #Dallas #Architecture

Architectural Cadence

I have often attributed my inspiration and interest in architecture, neighborhoods and community to my hometown. The architectural and aesthetic backdrop, when I was delivering newspapers in grade school while walking or riding my bike through the neighborhoods, made an incredible impression on me. Growing up on two ends of Park Avenue, the homes I passed were often a bit older than those in the Munger Place Historic District, but many were of the same age and reflected much of the same style. An architectural cadence was set in my mind and an aesthetic example of a lovely neighborhood has influenced me ever since. Here are a few of the homes I walked or rode my bike by every day. *Architectural Cadence

#ArchitecturalCadence #HistoricHomes #Neighborhoods #Inspiration #Hometown #robbinspark #Hinsdale
#MungerPlace #HistoricDistrict #Architecture

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Hometown Honor

There is something about a hometown honor that allows one to also honor one’s classmates, friends and hometown. Convening on the football field brought back high school memories of serving as pep rally chairman, announcing the Homecoming Queen, organizing festivities for the weekend, and escorting one of the young women across the field at the Homecoming game. Returning, I enjoyed a fun weekend with incredibly successful, talented and generous people. *Hometown Honor

#Homecoming #Honor #hinsdale

Realtor Douglas Newby provides the insight to ensure you make an inspired purchase.
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