Douglas Newby Insights
Neighborhoods, Architects, Architecture, Design, Dallas, and Organic Urbanism
Moderating Contractor Panel
The joy of moderating a panel comes from how much the moderator learns about the topic at hand, the panelists, and the interest and knowledge of the audience. The ICAA panel of contractors -John Sebastian, Rusty Goff, Corey Ford, and John Jarrett – which was organized by ICAA Texas Coordinator Mary Peyton Burgher, and hosted by Sebastian which was coordinated by Whitney Pastore and Jonathan Carrera, was a phenomenal experience. Anything associated with Sebastian is thought out in minute detail. The contractors of the panel were thoughtful, insightful and open. The audience was incredibly smart and engaged. The discussion ranged from the contractors’ interaction with architects who have given them as few as ten pages of plans and as many as 800 pages of plans. The discussion further ranged from the future challenges of finding artisans and craftsmen as third generation construction workers are attracted to new kinds of work, to the challenge of a new generation of inspectors that don’t have a good feel of the building code and bog down projects. It also came up that over 90% of construction workers might not have complete U.S. documentation, meaning that a dramatic change in government policy could shut the home building industry down. Real estate brokers help find and secure the perfect site. Architects draw plans to reflect the site and desires of the homeowner. However, an architecturally significant home is still only as good as the contractor that builds it. Thank you ICAA.
*Moderating Contractor Panel
@sebastianconstructiongroup #sebastianconstructiongroup #johnsebastian #rustygoffcustomhomes #tommyfordconstruction @jarett_construction @marypeytonb #whitneypastore #jonathancarrera #icaa @ICAATexas #DallasArchitecture #DallasContractors
Coffee Inspiration
Prior to the pandemic, I began many days at the crack of dawn at a coffee shop where I wrote about homes I had listed for sale, about the most interesting neighborhoods in Dallas, blog articles, and the occasional Op-Ed. Over time, randomly sitting next to me at the high library tables were remarkable people, often writers, creatives and business owners, getting their day started before they officially went to work. One of these talented people was Jon Jaimes who is co-owner of Inspire, an advertising agency, which has a major portion of the Kia account among others. Jon, I discovered, has an incredible eye for design, an incredible culinary acuity, and a fabulous ear for narration. When Facebook still automatically pushed content to every subscriber of a Facebook business page, I had the largest real estate and architecture Facebook business page in the world with 500,000 subscribing “fans” – more than all of the other real estate companies combined. When Facebook began charging to push content to subscribers, I retreated from Facebook. Over a few quick snippets of time, Jon Jaimes suggested I post on Instagram. I like long-form narratives and Instagram was designed for images and short or no captions. Then, when Jon suggested I might post a handwritten musing over an image, I became interested. As far as I could tell, this had not been done before and was a good way to introduce narratives that might come to mind. Jon showed me how to create this type of post with a handwritten musing, and now I have created 475 posts and have over 2,600 followers. Recently, we met for lunch at the Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winning restaurant, Ngon. While Jon is an espresso aficionado I have never seen mix milk with coffee, he indulged me by trying a favorite treat of mine – Vietnamese coffee. Meeting Jon Jaimes over time at a coffee shop and getting glimpses of his genius reminds me why living in a city and randomly meeting talented people and hearing their ideas is so meaningful. The name of Jon Jaimes business “Inspire” is perfect as that is what he did for me.
*Coffee Inspiration
@jon_jaimes #Vietnamesecoffee #Ngon @NgongVietKitchen #Dallas #DallasNeighborhood
Mayor View Point
In 1978, the office of the Dallas Mayor gained a new view point. The view changed from inside architect C.D. Hill’s Beaux Arts style City Hall to I.M. Pei’s brutalist style City Hall. These two buildings are architecturally polar opposites. C.D. Hill designed a classically ornate municipal building while I.M. Pei designed a municipal building as a 34° angled inverted pyramid. However, the vision of our current Mayor Eric Johnson is built on the vision of the first Mayor Erik Jonsson and the subsequent mayors, making Dallas the most successful city in the country. Recently, when visiting the mayor’s office where the mayor was still hard at work after hours, I was impressed with the view from the only balcony on the building, the mayor’s balcony off of his fifth floor office, the floor customarily reserved for the mayor in large cities. Mayor Eric Johnson might be the only mayor who has routinely used the balcony. Before his inauguration, both ends of the balcony were open, presumably to preserve the clean lines of the building. However, this was incredibly dangerous for anyone who might have a misstep at the edge of balcony as they would plummet five stories. Upon the mayor’s request, the city manager quickly installed glass walls at both ends of the balcony, making it safe for the mayor, his children when they come to the office, and for visitors of the mayor. Hopefully, this alteration will not impede a historic landmark designation that has been called for by the Dallas Morning News architecture critic and others. I can’t help but think that the vision of the mayor is enhanced by this view of the city. Seen are skyscrapers inhabited by both Dallas and international companies. The mayor has made Dallas the most successful city in the nation, emphasizing what other cities have long ago abandoned – public safety, lower taxes, desirable neighborhoods and a positive trend for homeowners and businesses. Dallas has the best collection of 20th and 21st century architecture and it is wonderful we can enjoy views of classical and modern buildings.
*Mayor View Point
#DallasCityHall #DallasMayor #ArchitectIMPei #DowntownDallas #BrutalistArchitecture #Architecture
Artist Connection
It is always fun to see a museum exhibition of an artist in which one has acquired a piece of theirs early in their career. My Trenton Doyle Hancock piece was done when he was in his twenties. Now the mature work of the Texas artist is seen in NYC at the exhibition “Draw Them In, Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston” at The Jewish Museum. My Trenton Doyle Hancock has greater meaning to me as I see how much Trenton Doyle Hancock was influenced by Philip Guston, an artist two generations older than him. Despite 60 years difference in age, Trenton Doyle Hancock’s work seen in this exhibition is responding directly to Philip Guston’s work. Art connects us in so many ways, intersecting different religions, races and political points of view. Ideas presented with a dynamic aesthetic permeate our consciousness.
*Artist Connection
@trenton_doyle_hancock #trentondoylehancock @thejewishmuseum #thejewishmuseum #artistexhibition #contemporaryart #NYC #PhilipGuston #artist
Style and Energy
Ralph Lauren has had such a great impact on design and on people. I was first introduced to him by Doug Bihlmaier at the Ralph Lauren store in Highland Park Village. Ralph Lauren has both an incredible eye for design but also for people. Since then, I have met so many incredibly talented people in the design business who once worked for him, like interior designer Sue Bednar Long. The presentation of everything Ralph Lauren is associated with is perfection – from Ralph’s Coffee, what many people call the best coffee in New York, to his Parisian store, to the way food is presented at the Polo Bar. Maitre d’ Nelly Moudime presents the restaurant with a smile, energy and style that permeates the Polo Bar. But the minute detail and seemingly effortless aesthetic of the restaurant and bar can be attributed in large part to an original Texan, Mary Margaret Trousdale, who is the Senior Vice President and Global Creative and Strategic Director of Hospitality at Ralph Lauren. It is fun to see prominent people and world celebrities at the Polo Bar. It is heartwarming when Ralph Lauren stops to say hello. But maybe the biggest thrill is to see the people like Nelly Moudime and Mary Margaret Trousdale who Ralph Lauren selected to infuse the Polo Bar with energy and style that is captivating and inspiring.
*Style and Energy
@nellcan @thepolobar @ralphlauren @poloralphlauren @dougbihlmaier93 @ralphscoffee @susanbednarlong #thepolobar #nellymoudime #NewYork #RalphLauren
Catapulting TED
Chris Anderson’s plan might make TED 100 times as impactful. From the front row of many TED conferences I have witnessed Chris Anderson, the owner of TED, for 25 years collaboratively guide the evolution and success of TED. At the global announcement of a “Bold New Chapter for TED,” I was headed to take a seat when a TEDster urged me to take a front row seat. It brought back many profound and treasured TED memories of talks, friends and interactions. My support of TED was based on my enjoyment of TED and my belief that Chris Anderson has an uncanny insight and generous spirit committed to generating ideas. Great ideas triumph over massive opposition, prevailing thought and apathy. TED was my perfect playpen. Even bad ideas can generate great ideas. Great ideas get built on. Ideas from hundreds of different experiences and expertise ping off each other creating books, businesses, organizations and initiatives unexpected by the creators. Chris Anderson made the right moves including TED patrons, paying several thousand dollars a day to hear TED talks, would be excited about sharing videos of these talks for free. He created TEDx events generating 100,000 TEDx videos, including my TEDx talk, Homes That Make Us Happy. Now Chris Anderson is going to transfer TED, not to retire but to leverage TED. TED is now a $100mm annual operation with a $25mm reserve. By turning TED over to an institution, organization, individual or group, a potential $2 billion could be invested in TED. This investment could come from one benefactor or five benefactors making $500,000 individual contributions. I have personally met several attendees at TED who could personally make a $2 billion investment or a portion of that amount. With that investment, TED could have 100 times the impact globally as TED leads the way in leveraging and communicating ideas. Chris Anderson, I think is right, that by ceding control he will leverage TED beyond anyone’s imagination. The best news is the entire TED community, staff and Chris Anderson are ready to help the new owners of TED generate and spread ideas. Chris, well done.
*Catapulting TED
@chrisandersonted @ted @TEDx_official #NYC #TED #ChrisAnderson
Season Starts @SandoneChristmasTrees
My Christmas season starts with a trip to the Sandone tree lot to reconfirm my standing order for a 10 foot Blue Spruce tree with strong layered branches allowing it to hold handblown glass ornaments. Blue Spruce trees are what I grew up with and remain my favorite. In a 120-year-old house, a Blue Spruce tree provides a sentimental and nostalgic Christmas look. Tony Sandone and his family for 50 years have been growing Blue Spruce trees in Michigan and each year begin bringing them to Dallas just before Thanksgiving along with the other varieties of Christmas trees, including the 40 foot trees installed at SMU, the township of University Park, and a dozen other public places. Scrolling through, you will see in this post that the trees have just begun to arrive, where they are stood up and prepared for stands, and Tony Sandone inside the standing-seam metal roof command headquarters found on Northwest Highway behind Keller’s as the excitement builds for the Christmas tree pandemonium in a few days. Not pictured is Arturo, who is my Christmas tree whisperer. Over the years, he has come to know exactly the specific characteristics I want in a tree, which he selects for my approval and delivers in a stand measured to a half inch from my ceiling. In addition, he returns after Christmas to remove this gorgeous tree and any residual needles.
Aesthetics, luxury and service is something I think about every day. Luxury to me is more about quality and nuance than overt opulence. It is inspiring to see a Christmas tree lot provide luxury. At Christmas, whether you cut down your own tree, assemble a tree or visit public Christmas trees or trees of friends, I wish you a merry Christmas as we all enjoy the thousands of individual Christmas tree expressions and interpretations.
*Season Starts
@SandoneChristmasTrees #Sandone #ChristmasTree #BlueSpruce #Luxury #Dallas #Design #NorthwestHighway
Iconic
The 1950 Keller’s sign is iconic, but for me the Sandone Christmas Tree sign below it is meaningful as well. How could one not go by the Sandone Christmas Tree lot to kick off the season and not be tempted to stop by Keller’s for a No. 5. Scroll through and you will see a carhop greeting a customer, architecture that conveys an era and mood, and the menu that never changes. There are powerful traditions like Christmas, and then there are small reoccurring moments that are also seared in one’s mind like Keller’s. Who has lived in Dallas for a while that doesn’t know exactly what and where one is talking about if a Number Five is mentioned. In a chaotic world, it is fun to have some constants.
*Iconic
#Keller’s #No.5 #Carhop #NorthwestHighway #1950 #Architecture #Sandone @sandonechristmastrees #Iconic #MidCentury
Highland Park Inspiration
Once every several years there might be a home built in Highland Park inspired by its original architecture and history and that also conveys the prominence of Highland Park. On a one-acre site framed by Armstrong Parkway and Belfort Place, the timeless grace of this perfectly executed Spanish Colonial Revival style home reflects and perpetuates the best of Highland Park. Blair Pogue, the developer of this home with roots in Highland Park, understands the aesthetics, quality and refinement a homeowner desires in a substantial Highland Park home that still relates to the neighborhood.
Architect Larry Boerder, who has designed 400 homes in the Park Cities, is intimately acquainted with the architectural nuance and notes of the community. He has also designed some of the most significant homes in Highland Park propelling him to design this architecturally significant home. Highland Park Interior designer Margaret Chambers has frequently collaborated on the design of the finest estate homes allowing her to further enhance the architecture of this home with her good eye and deft approach. Harold Leidner is Dallas’ preeminent estate home landscape architect and contributes another integral layer of excellence and appeal. The finest craftsmen and artisans bring to life the hundreds of pages of architectural details and the subliminal magic of the home.
I am excited to be involved with this home destined to become a Highland Park landmark. It is thrilling to see it emerge and evolve. In the last several years there has been no other new home that has come on the market with this level of elegance. This spring I will be offering this home for sale that provides an alternative to a homebuyer trying to find a one-acre lot in Highland Park and then waiting three years for the design and construction of a home while forced to live somewhere temporarily. Association with a project that contributes in an inspired way to the architectural landscape of Highland Park is the greatest reward.
*HighlandParkInspiration
#architecturallysignificant #HighlandPark #Architecture #HighlandParkHome @larryboerder_architects
@chambersinteriors @haroldleidner #blantyrehomes
Preservation Victory
Dallas has had sad moments but many preservation victories. Preservation writer Karen Eubank called 3925 Potomac that Hal Thomson designed for his family, “the most important home in Highland Park.” It will be preserved! The owners of 44 years, Dan and Cookie Owen, have been longtime lovers of architecture, Highland Park, Hal Thomson and preservation. Cookie grew up in a Highland Park Hal Thomson home and loved sharing her and Dan’s Potomac home with friends. Their 3,000 sf home, placed on one of the most beautiful .3-acre sites in Highland Park with a view of Turtle Creek and its backdrop of Dallas Country Club golf course, made it a target of lot buyers. Recognizing this, Dan Owen, as a tribute to his late wife Cookie and reflecting his own appreciation of architecture and history, adopted a strategy to preserve the home. Dan retained me to sell the home with a preservation front facade deed restriction to ensure it would not be torn down. Dan knew lot buyers only need lot dimensions to quickly buy a lot and home buyers need more information. Dan facilitated buyers understanding the home. A current survey was completed to clarify setbacks for additions. Floor plans were drawn to illustrate the glamorous current floor plan and proportions. Architect Wilson Fuqua, known for design work on Hal Thomson and other Highland Park homes, created several iterations of proposed plans. With Wilson’s inspired plans, buyers could easily begin visualizing configurations for themselves.
Most encouraging was a pool of potential buyers that emerged, from young couples to empty nesters, from historic homeowners to those just realizing historic homes were more elegant than new homes, from those in the market to those who were not even in the market. There is a much bigger demand for historic homes in Dallas than anyone realizes—they just need a chance to buy one. Dan Owen selling his home with a facade restriction was a gift to Highland Park and Dallas. Architecture is our public art and our history. Thank you, Dan!
*Preservation Victory
#Preservation #HalThomson #Architect #ArchitecturallySignificant #Architecture #HistoricHome #HighlandPark #PreservationParkCities #Dallas