About Douglas Newby
Douglas Newby has an artist’s way of looking at the world and a business person’s way of representing his clients.
Douglas Newby is the leading Realtor in Dallas consistently obtaining the top sales price for specific markets of architecturally significant homes and estate properties.
Douglas Newby is a national award-winning real estate agent specializing in architecturally significant homes who is passionate about identifying the best neighborhoods, sites and homes that will make you happy. He enjoys sharing your values. You will enjoy his vision and approach focused on benefiting you and your interests.
Douglas Newby has achieved unparalleled success for his clients, helping them buy or sell a home. Experience, innovation and vision drive his approach to benefitting clients. Every step of his career, he has led the Dallas real estate community regarding neighborhoods, preservation, architecture, and homes that make us happy. Your passion is his expertise.
If you can’t write about a house, you can’t talk about a house.
Douglas Newby
He explains this is the reason a buyer so often hears the repetition of the same industry adjectives to describe much different homes – agents seldom write their own original comments about a home.
Photographing a home brings me a deeper understanding of the home.
Douglas Newby
He works closely with talented architectural photographers. Also, his own photographs have been published in many local, national and international newspapers, magazines and books. This includes a photograph in Margaret McDermott’s book, Reflections, as the lead photograph for the chapter on her home. His understanding of homes allows him to cogently write and photograph a home so a buyer can more quickly realize the home’s subtle attributes, design and aesthetics.
Douglas Newby has a privately owned firm with a built-in network of over 1.5 million other cooperating Realtors across the country.
A privately owned, highly focused firm allows personalized strategies for each client and property and provides a high profile with Realtors across the country seeking architecturally significant homes. Douglas Newby is best known for offering and selling architecturally significant homes. In fact, he created the category nationally. Prior to his registering the trademark for architecturally significant homes, significant homes, and architecturally significant, the Dallas real estate community rarely or ever mentioned an architect’s name. They just marketed the home with the builder’s name. Douglas Newby has sold more architecturally significant homes than any other Realtor in Dallas and is proud that most of these homes remain standing.
Testimonials and Generous Comments From Those Who Appreciate the Importance of Their Home and the Future of Dallas
What a phenomonal week! A million thanks to our great friend Doug Newby who is the absolute secret weapon when buying an architecturally significant home. I have become more heavily involved with real estate over the years and no one has added close to the value Doug adds to a purchase or sale.
John A. Willding II
Until my retirement in 2019, I worked at WFAA TV. I now live in south Texas near my aging in-laws. I still love to view your website and read your comments. Without a doubt you are one of the true treasures of Dallas. I always learned more about the city, its history and culture from you than just about anyone else. Just a short hello to say keep up the magnificent work.
John McCaa
A note of thanks for a most civilized experience … our recent home sale was conducted with such efficiency, discretion, and geniality that we know that our buyers were as pleased with the ease of the sale/purchase process as we. Your marketing of our home with such sensitivity to the particular merits of our property and of our neighborhood led to a surplus of potential buyers at the end — a very rewarding experience! In our 30 years of buying and selling homes in three states, never have we enjoyed such confidence in our realtor nor worried so little about the eventual successful outcome.
It is an additional satisfaction to know how well you have matched our beloved home with its new owners.
James and Patricia Shinn
Director of Dallas International Affairs
Turtle Creek Park Homeowner
Learn About Douglas Newby From the Generous Compliments of Over 200 People
Douglas Newby Works With Homes Designed by World Renowned Architects
Douglas Newby has sold architecturally significant homes by world renowned architects like Maurice Fatio who designed the Crespi Estate; Edward Durell Stone who designed the Dallas home on Park Lane that he put on the cover of his book; Harwell Hamilton Harris who said his Rockbrook residence was his favorite home that he has designed; and Charles Barglebaugh who had worked in the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. Douglas Newby has also sold architecturally significant homes designed by the godfather of Texas Modernism, David Williams, and by his protégé and Texas icon, O’Neil Ford.
In addition, Douglas Newby has sold architecturally significant homes by past modern and midcentury modern architects that have made both a major impact on the Dallas architectural landscape and on modern architects that followed them, like Frank Welch, Bud Oglesby, James Pratt, Bill Booziotis, Downing Thomas, Scott Lyons, Max Sandfield, Hidell and Decker, Howard Meyer, Arch Swank, Glenn Allen Gallaway, John Astin Perkins, Robert James, William Benson and James Nagle.
Douglas Newby has also sold architecturally significant homes designed by the earliest Dallas society architects of lasting prominence who designed the finest architecturally significant mansions on Swiss Avenue and in Highland Park. These sales include several homes designed by Hal Thomson, an architect revered by current Dallas architects designing Highland Park homes and estate homes. Also included are architecturally significant homes by other important early architects such as Lang and Witchell, Fooshee and Cheek, Clifford Hutsell, Charles Dilbeck, Goodwin and Tatum, Hal Yoakum, Wilson McClure, C. D. Hill, C.P. Sites, Mark Lemmon, Bertram Hill, John Dana, Clyde H. Griesenbeck, Cole Smith, Dines and Kraft, Ed Beran and Overton Shelmier, C.W. Bulger, Marshall Barnett, and Michael Wayland Brown.
Further, Douglas Newby has sold many homes by current Dallas architects who have won many AIA design awards and other distinctions, including Max Levy, Cliff Welch, Lionel Morrison, James Langford, Joshua Nimmo, Scott Marek, Ryan Grey Smith, Braxton Werner and Paul Field.
Additionally, Douglas Newby has sold a great number of architecturally significant homes by the current leading estate home architects like Larry Boerder, Lloyd Lumpkins, and Robbie Fusch.
Douglas Newby specializes in the finest neighborhoods like Highland Park, Volk Estates and Preston Hollow, and has also helped identify and nurture, through his sales and marketing, niche neighborhoods that had been ignored and now have become the most popular neighborhoods in Dallas: Northern Hills, Turtle Creek Park, Greenway Parks, Mayflower Estates, Munger Place and White Rock Lake.
Douglas Newby has always contributed and been active in the community in a meaningful way. While still at SMU, he served on department faculty student committees, was elected head cheerleader when still a freshman, and was tapped for the most prestigious men’s honorary society, Knights of Cycen Fjodr. Immediately after graduating from SMU he began contributing to Dallas in two different types of ways: 1) He served in leadership roles and executive committees of prominent nonprofits, civic and professional groups; 2) He specifically began his business to benefit clients and to serve as a vehicle to contribute to the Dallas community.
Douglas Newby is an Expert on Neighborhoods
Douglas Newby is a national award-winning real estate agent specializing in architecturally significant homes who is passionate about identifying the best neighborhoods, sites and homes that will make you happy. He enjoys sharing your values. You will enjoy his vision and approach focused on benefiting you and your interests.
Douglas Newby knows the potential inventory of architecturally significant homes and the nuances of neighborhoods better than any real estate agent in Dallas. Understanding inventory is more than relying on MLS or “hip pockets.” It is approaching the market as if every home in Dallas is for sale. When a buyer looks for a home from that perspective, they are not constrained by a random slice of what is presently on the market or hoping something better will magically come on the market. A traditional approach leaves economics and aesthetics to chance. For decades Douglas Newby has identified architecturally significant homes and helped clients select neighborhoods in good locations that make them happy.
The majority of Douglas Newby transactions are not through MLS. Values are determined by more important criteria than what has sold in the last six months. Homes are more important now than they have ever been. If you want more than an agent who will point out amenities and statistics, if you want an advisor, someone knowledgeable, experienced and someone you would like to collaborate with, then you should contact Douglas Newby.
He loves working with smart people who understand a home is an important economic investment and an important investment in a place that will make them happy living, working or playing in the home.
Contributions Douglas Newby makes to preservation continues. Douglas Newby is currently serving on the Texas Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Board.
Douglas Newby’s Civic Leadership Roles Have Included:
- Zoning Chairman of the East Dallas Community Design Committee
- Board Member of Preservation Dallas
- Executive Committee of the Dallas Historical Society
- Board Member of Dallas Architecture Foundation
- Home tour co-chair of several architecture and neighborhood home tours
- Advisory Board of Park Cities Historical Society
- Board Member of the MetroTex Association of Realtors
- Board Member of the Greater Dallas Planning Council
- Board Member of Shared Housing
- President of SMU Town and Gown
- Graduate of Leadership Dallas
- Steering Committee of TEDx SMU
- Chair of AIA Dallas – 50 Significant Homes project
- Co-founder of Homeowners Association
- Co-founder of Neighborhood Alliance Against Crime
- UT Southwestern President’s Research Committee – Steering Committee
- SMU Tables of Content Board Member
Douglas Newby Has Also Made Many Individual Contributions to the Community Which Include:
- Douglas Newby initiated the rezoning of the 2,000-house 100-block area from multifamily zoning to single-family zoning, resulting in $1 billion of homes that have been saved and money spent on single-family home renovation
- Douglas Newby initiated and sponsored the first Restoration House of the Year Award in the country with the Dallas Restoration House of the Year Award
- Douglas Newby co-founded the Dallas Historic Fund that purchased 21 options and then resold these houses with preservation deed restrictions
- Douglas Newby initiated the first single-family historic district in Dallas
- Douglas Newby served as co-chair of Deep Ellum Property Owners for Rezoning
- Douglas Newby encouraged FNMA to use the 100-block single-family rezoning area for their first inner city national lending demonstration project
- Created the Douglas Newby/Architecturally Significant Homes website that comes up first in a national Google search for architecturally significant homes that then shows Dallas examples of significant homes; a Google search for Dallas architects brings up on the top of the search results the Douglas Newby/Architecturally Significant Homes website that allows people to learn about past and current architects that have made an impact on Dallas; a Google search for Dallas neighborhoods brings up Douglas Newby/Architecturally Significant Homes website on the top of search results, helping people learn about the names, boundaries, and nuances of small and large Dallas neighborhoods.
- Douglas Newby has written extensively about architecture, homes, neighborhoods and Dallas in journals, magazines, books, newspapers and online publications.
- Douglas Newby has often been interviewed for major print and video publications about architecture, homes, neighborhoods and Dallas
- Douglas Newby wrote A Guide to the Older Neighborhoods of Dallas, the first book on Dallas neighborhoods:
Raffination Dinner Celebrating the Spirit of Dallas
Awards and Achievement:
- Luxury Conclave – a national organization of the top luxury Realtors across the country selected Douglas Newby for the Best Property Marketing Award for three straight years (selected by the Wall Street Journal and a New York advertising company). The third year the Luxury Conclave announced it was a Hall of Fame Award so that I would not enter further competitions and so other of the best Realtors across the country would have the opportunity to win.
- Preservation Dallas – Keystone Award
- AIA Dallas – Citation Award
- Hinsdale Hall of Fame – 2022 Inductee for Preservation
- Academy of Raffination Medal Recipient
Hinsdale Hall of Fame Selects Douglas Newby for Hall
Douglas Newby Speaking Engagements:
- Table Host for SMU Tables of Content
Douglas Newby presented as a table host for SMU Tables of Content. This black-tie event raises funds for the SMU libraries. It is always fun to see the interesting people that host tables that guests can sign up for. Table hosts have included in the past authors, artists, and people like Wick Allison the founder of D Magazine and Mary Suhm, the Dallas City Manager. Douglas Newby spoke on Dallas residential architecture and Dallas architects. - Salesmanship Club of Dallas Annual Meeting
One time a year spouses were invited to the Salesmanship Club of Dallas Annual Meeting. Douglas Newby presented as the keynote speaker discussing the evolution of Dallas and Dallas neighborhoods. - Dallas Woman’s Club
The Dallas Woman’s Club is a prestigious and prominent organization that meets in a building designed by John Astin Perkins. Their extensive programming includes noteworthy speakers discussing a wide range of topics. Douglas Newby was invited to speak on the evolution of Dallas architecture. - SMU Town and Gown
SMU Town and Gown is an almost 100-year organization founded by prominent Dallas businessmen and the president of SMU to meet monthly and give talks alternating between town and gown members. Douglas Newby, as a town member, has presented two talks—the first one: Does Downtown Dallas Want to be a Vibrant City Center or an Urban Reservation? The second talk was: Organic Urbanism is a Cure for New Urbanism. - AIA National Convention
When the National Convention of American Institute of Architects was held in Dallas, Douglas Newby was asked to present on two days. One was a tour and discussion of homes in Dallas that were designed by internationally famous architects. The second day was a tour and discussion of homes designed by famous Dallas architects. - Annual meeting of the Texas Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art
At Old Parkland, Douglas Newby moderated a panel that included Harlan Crow, the two architects who designed the renovation and expansion of this historic building and campus, and the head of leasing. We discussed the design and impact of the building on Dallas. - Dallas Chapter of the ICAA
Douglas Newby moderated panels of architects at several meetings discussing architecture in Dallas. - Beverly Drive Book Club (the oldest book club in Dallas)
Douglas Newby gave a book review and led a discussion of the book The Poor Side of Town and Why We Need It. - Shakespeare Club of Dallas (the oldest club in Dallas)
Margaret McDermott invited Douglas Newby to speak at the O’Neil Ford designed home of one of the members on the history of architecturally significant homes in Dallas. - Dallas Architecture Forum
Douglas Newby has been the moderator of several panels of architects and interior designers regarding their approach to architecture and design in Dallas. - Annual Legacies Dallas History Conference
Old East Dallas 1975, The Nation’s Most Successful Neighborhood Revitalization is the article and talk that Douglas Newby presented at the Annual Legacies Dallas History Conference. - Neighborhood Homeowner’s Associations
Several neighborhood homeowner associations have invited Douglas Newby to speak, including the Swiss Avenue Homeowner’s Association, the Munger Place Homeowner’s Association, the Hollywood Heights Homeowner’s Association, the Greenland Hills Homeowner’s Association, Junius Heights Homeowner’s Association, Northern Hills Homeowner’s Association, and others to regarding the creation of historic or conservation districts or to speak on the history of the neighborhood and its architecture. - Historic Preservation League
Participated on a panel that selected homes in various categories for restoration awards. - TEDx SMU
Douglas Newby presented the TEDx Talk, Homes That Make Us Happy, that has received over 3,000 views of the video of the Talk. - TED
At the main annual TED Conference, Douglas Newby gave a two-minute audience response on the need to shift resources from fixed rail to an infrastructure that would better enable autonomous vehicles. - National Association of Realtors Annual Convention
Douglas Newby was invited to speak on how he developed an Architecturally Significant Facebook business page that created more fans/followers than all the other real estate companies and the National Association of Realtors Facebook business pages combined. His page was also the first page showing examples of architecture that reached a half million followers. - Antique Society of Dallas
Douglas Newby presented a talk on historic homes in Dallas. - University of Texas at Arlington – Masters in Public Administration Class
Douglas Newby presented a talk on the process and effects of urban revitalization. - SMU – Urban Studies Class
Douglas Newby discussed the political process in the City of Dallas. - Dallas Historical Society
Douglas Newby chaired and presented the lecture series of influential Dallasites and their impact on the city on a range of topics from politics, history and architecture. - Conversation With An Architect
Douglas Newby hosted a series: An architect discussing a home they had recently designed at that home. This series also included him moderating a panel discussion of the architect, interior designer, contractor, landscape architect and homeowner that all collaborated on the design. - Luxury Conclave
At the annual Luxury Conclave, a professional gathering of the top luxury Realtors in the country, Douglas Newby led a session on architecturally significant homes. - Dallas Restoration House of the Year Award
Douglas Newby created, coordinated and hosted the Annual Dallas Restoration House of the Year Award. At the home that was selected, Douglas Newby would lead the Restoration Award Selection Committee which included the President of AIA, the President of ASID, the president of a bank, the editor of a magazine, and the president or director of a preservation organization. The Mayor of Dallas would present the award at a news conference at the home that was selected. - Dallas Downtown Rotary
The late ambassador Richard Rubottom originally inducted Douglas Newby into the Dallas Downtown Rotary.
Douglas Newby is the insider’s guide to the Dallas intersection of aesthetics, architecture, neighborhoods and community. He considers Dallas the most successful city in the country and wants the positive trajectory to continue. He welcomes clients coming to Dallas who he knows will love the city and also contribute to Dallas in a meaningful way.
Books Authored by Douglas Newby
Additional Resources Provided by Douglas Newby to Learn About Him – Information He Provides on Neighborhoods, Architecture, and Homes
Here are 25 websites, YouTube, and social media sites with a specific focus created by Douglas Newby that will contribute to learning more about Dallas Modern Homes, Historic Homes, Architecturally Significant Homes, Dallas Homes for Sale, Dallas Neighborhoods, Dallas Architects, Dallas Architecture, Organic Urbanism, and Homes that Make Us Happy.
DallasModernHomesForSale.com
Dallasmodernhomesforsale.com is an excellent resource to find Dallas Modern homes that are for sale in MLS and find which modern homes in MLS are designed by a significant architect.
DallasMidCentury ModernHomes.com
DallasMidCenturyModernHomes.com is a website dedicated to Mid Century Modern homes in Dallas. Here you will also be able to find Dallas Mid Century Modern homes and homes for sale from the 1950s that are listed in MLS.
DallasArchitects.com
DallasArchitects.com is specifically devoted to helping you identify prominent architects in Dallas and see examples of their architectural work.
DallasArchitecture.com
DallasArchitecture.com was developed as a site where you will be able to review architectural styles of Modern, Texas Modern, and Eclectic styles of architecture, and see the architects that designed these Historic, Modern, and Classic homes.
Understanding Real Estate Development
Architecturally Significant Homes® provides insights and services relating to the highest quality real estate development: consulting, planning, advising, concepts, vision, value. Whether you are starting with undivided land or a well-defined tract, Douglas Newby will help you interpret the site, the project, and the ultimate value of your Architecturally Significant Homes® endeavor.
My Favorite Introduction of Douglas Newby – Delivered by Mary Vernon
Introducing Doug Newby to Town and Gown is like going into Sherwood Forest in the old days and introducing Robin Hood to his own merry band. We all know Doug Newby so well as leader and prankster, as the serious questioner and the defender of neighborhoods, as a figure of fashion, and as a friend.
What a Treat to be Introduced by Mary Vernon
What a treat to be introduced by Mary Vernon as the speaker at an SMU Town and Gown meeting. Mary Vernon is a legend at SMU as a professor and as a splendid artist collected by sophisticated patrons and museums. She is the past president of the SMU Faculty Senate, chair of the SMU Art Department, and past president of SMU Town and Gown. Most importantly, she is a friend I greatly admire and who can pack much information and insight into a few humorous paragraphs. Thank you, Mary!
Douglas Newby Instagram Expressions
You can learn more about how Douglas Newby thinks about homes, interprets real estate, understands the evolution of neighborhoods, and his recommendations for making Dallas the best city in the country by looking at his Instagram or Dallas Architecture Blog.
Bucolic Highland Park
There are many reasons to love Highland Park. The pragmatic reasons include great schools, police and fire departments, safety, and beautiful homes with economic appreciation. Maybe the best reason to love Highland Park is the emotional satisfaction of living in a bucolic township just a couple of miles from downtown Dallas and the Arts District. […]
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Tribute in Orange
When one is invited to a birthday celebration for maybe the most admired woman in Dallas, and the invitation says all guests must wear orange, what would you wear? I imagined, at this architecturally significant Volk Estates home, an orange velvet rope at the entry hall in the spirit of Studio 54 would allow access […]
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Architect’s Home
Hal Thomson, the godfather of Dallas architects, designed this home at 3925 Potomac Avenue for himself and his family. Soon I will be offering this home for sale. Homes that architects designed for themselves always fascinate me. Which location, neighborhood and site did they select? What style did they choose? After Hal Thomson earned his […]
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Looking Forward
From the year 2023 platform of confusion, uncertainty, and also some major successes, we can look forward in Dallas to many great and favorable things that will propel the city in 2024, including: The completion of the best collection of architect-designed eclectic and modern homes in Dallas in decades. A greater number of architect-designed historic […]
Continue ReadingIf you are passionate about architecture, design and real value, then we share an interest.
Douglas Newby
Featured Douglas Newby Blog Article
Douglas Newby Nominated to Hinsdale Hall of Fame
Noted biographer, Gordon Imrie, who has written books, produced film and recordings, is a high school classmate of Douglas Newby who nominated Douglas Newby to the Hinsdale Hall of Fame that included this biography with the nomination. This nomination carried additional significance as Gordon Imrie was a Hinsdale High School class president, editor of The Hinsdale Courier high school newspaper, a star athlete, the brother of a Hinsdale Hall of Fame inductee, and a graduate of Stanford and Harvard that launched his multifaceted career.
Gordon Emrie’s Nomination of Douglas Newby for the Hinsdale Hall of Fame
Biographer Gordon Imrie wrote this biography of Douglas Newby as one of the sections required for a Hinsdale Hall of Fame nomination that reads as follows.
Can Hinsdale Ever Forgive Doug Newby for Moving Away?
Gordon Emrie introduces Doug Newby at Hinsdale Hall of Fame Induction
My own Hinsdale tenure is eighteen years in two blocks separated by twenty-eight years at Stanford, Harvard, and (mostly) Manhattan. Much of my experience after HC (1970) has been in real estate, big city and suburban, and especially Old Stuff—buildings over a century old. Newby’s turf. When I began hearing what he had accomplished in Dallas, I was busy spending years trying unsuccessfully to save the Hinsdale Theater as an arts center in the early 2000s. But it was Hinsdale’s struggle with teardowns where Newby’s magic could have saved many harsh words and lost antiquity. I hope we can forgive him for adopting Dallas, where he managed, as I shall demonstrate, to thread-the-needle of free-market real estate transactions, charm-preservation, and fresh construction in neighborhoods hauntingly similar to Hinsdale’s beleaguered best. I estimate he’s saved a billion dollars of present-valued homes from destruction without onerous (pun intended) regulation. Newby’s success has been by a thousand cuts from skirmishes involving policy, positions, ideas, efforts, and initiatives that changed how people thought about neighborhoods, preservation, architecture, revitalization, and real estate. He, his clients, and his neighborhoods have all prospered. But let’s enjoy how and where this conciliatory and realistic attitude and skill were hatched: Newby is Pure Hinsdale.
Our Real Estate Firm Was Created for You
Douglas Newby & Associates, specializing in architecturally significant homes, was developed with you in mind. You’re curious, have a passion for design and an affinity for the aesthetic fabric of a city. You desire to work with a realtor who is a licensed real estate broker, who understands your interest and who will personally represent your interest.
Our clients are making the greatest impact on the architectural landscape.
Douglas Newby
Discovering, Rediscovering and Reinterpreting
Architecturally Significant Homes
We want to help you discover, rediscover and reinterpret architecturally significant homes. We love hearing your response to interesting homes, and love pointing out their subtle features. This dialogue gives clients an advantage in selecting the finest home or obtaining the best prices. Armed with the knowledge of the real value of the property and home, you’ll make a better purchase.
We Want You to Have the Best Home
You understand that a home with a great design and that is on the best site is going to have the most real value. Articulating the architecture of a home and the potential of the site facilitates your understanding of a home you will enjoy for many years.
Significant Homes Will Come Into Focus
As we work together, exploring the market, the neighborhoods and specific sites in relationship to your desires and goals, the right architecturally significant home will soon emerge as your best choice.