Douglas Newby Insights - Page 3
King of Gallerist@BarryWhistlerGallery
Gallerist Barry Whistler reminded me a bit of a younger King Charles at the opening of Reed Anderson/Flagworks 2017-2024. I thought it was fitting for Barry Whistler, who is a Leo, to have a royal comparison as he approaches his birthday. Barry Whistler is the link to the great Dallas gallerists of the past like Murray Smither, a mentor of his, and the new gallerists that add additional vibrancy and depth to the art world of Dallas. However, Barry Whistler and his gallery at 315 Cole Street in the Design District remains the key gallerist and gallery in Dallas. Every show is a great exhibition of beautifully curated works by important artists who are either emerging or experienced, but always who have staying power and create art with lasting value. Barry Whistler, the artists he represents, and the clients he consults with are a major part of the sophisticated art collections found across Dallas. *King of Gallerist
@BarryWhistlerGallery #Art #ArtGallery #BarryWhistlerGallery #DallasDesignDistrict #BarryWhistler #Dallas #ModernArt #ReedAnderson #ArtOpening
Cool Space@ThePoloBar @Nellcan
On a hot summer day it is easy to think about cool places. Distant locations come to mind but also do dark wood-paneled restaurants and bars that bring relief from the sun and heat. In New York, what is cooler than the Polo Bar. What I find interesting is that in the winter these dark wood spaces feel warm and cozy, protecting us from the bitter cold of winter. Maybe that is why in the spring and fall I often gravitate to lovely patios and terraces for lunch and dinner. The Polo Bar is an extension of the Ralph Lauren international brand. The Polo Bar has also become a New York institution because of the number of celebrities and friends of Ralph Lauren who join him at the Polo Bar. The incredible Nelly Moudime, the maître d’, contributes to the Polo Bar becoming a New York institution as she extends the warmth and style of Ralph Lauren himself.
The most popular and successful restaurants in Dallas like Cafe Pacific and Javier’s are not extensions of a national brand but are Dallas institutions. Cafe Pacific and Javier’s are owned by Highland Park and Preston Hollow homeowners respectively. They attract celebrities and a prominent clientele with international reputations. Those at the front of the house express the quality, warmth and style of their owners as well. And, like the Polo Bar, they have dark stained wood featured in the interiors – that are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They also both have glorious patios and terraces.
In the mean time I will head through Paris to cooler temperatures and maybe I will see some Ralph Lauren Olympic attire in transit. *Cool Space
@ThePoloBar @Nellcan #PoloBar #NewYork #IconicRestaurants @CafePacificDallas @JaviersGourmetMexicano
Aesthetic Eye
On the last week of Jeremy Strick’s 15 years of successful leadership as the Director of the Nasher Sculpture Center, we went to lunch and discussed his approach to the Nasher. I have always loved the exhibitions at the Nasher while Jeremy was the Director. Credit must also be given to the Jed Morse, Chief Curator. These exhibits were all very different and I never stopped to think what was their common denominator. At lunch I discovered that any potential exhibition first had to pass through two filters. The work had to have a point of view and the work had to be visually appealing. This might sound obvious. Modern art is known for having an edgy point of view, and art is of course stimulating and appealing. But how often has one gone to a modern art exhibit and you get the point the artist is making but aesthetically the work is lacking? Jeremy Strick’s aesthetic eye was drawn to powerful pieces that were presented as more than a concept; they were presented as art.
A protestor can shout a point of view, but an orator can entice and compel with radical ideas eloquently presented. I looked back at just how diverse the Nasher exhibitions were. One saw hard edges, soft edges, some were humorous, some were stern, subtle or exaggerated. However, they were all like visual oratory – graceful and lyrical as they presented a strong point of view.
While Jeremy Strick did not announce his plans for the future outside of traveling to Europe and both coasts this summer, I presume he will be advising on art in some capacity. What a good baseline for any collection – think like Jeremy Strick. Does the piece you are considering have a point of view and is it visually appealing? What a good baseline for any architecturally significant home – does it have an architectural point of view and is it appealing to live in?
Thank you, Jeremy, for what you added to Dallas and to my personal enjoyment and understanding of art.
*Aesthetic Eye
#JeremyStrick #JedMorse #NasherSculptureCenter #CafePacific #HighlandParkVillage #ArchitecturallySignificant
Sketch Session
Architect Wilson Fuqua creates an architectural magic trick. In live time, before my very eyes, I was able to watch Wilson take the floorplan of the second floor of the Hal Thomson designed home at 3925 Potomac Avenue that has three bedrooms and two modest sized bathrooms and create a floorplan within the same footprint that has three bedrooms and three bathrooms including a new proper master bathroom and a new master closet with over 16 feet of closet hanging space. This was something I could have never visualized ahead of time, and from just looking at the space am still not able to visualize it in person. However, a talented architect like Wilson Fuqua can keep the loadbearing walls in place, work with existing footprint of the space, and after several sketching iterations create a modified floorplan that is brilliant. Architects and interior designers are underappreciated in how they can see things, sketch plans, and technically bring them to life.
My fascination with the magic architects can do came at the beginning of my career. I would ask an architect to take what could be aptly called a jungle of rooms in a home that had been converted to four or five apartments with front doors placed on all four sides of the house. Again, like a magic trick, an elegant floorplan would emerge from the architectural chaos. One of my favorite floorplan sketching discoveries was finding an original, elegant, 8 foot wide corridor running the length of the home. No one would have ever known that corridor existed by just walking through all the apartment units. Also, during renovation of this home, 9‑1/2 foot ceilings became 11 foot ceilings with the original stained wood beams uncovered and intact. Sometimes renovations destroy the historic character of a home, sometimes with a good architect the historic character is revealed and enhanced. *Sketch Session
#WilsonFuquaArchitect #Architect #3925Potomac #HalThomson #ArchitecturallySignificant #HighlandPark #DallasArchitect #DallasArchitecture #HistoricRenovation #HistoricDesign @WilsonFuquaArchitects #HighlandParkHome #historichome
Architectural Family Tree
Ron Wommack, December 4, 1950 – June 30, 2024, is part of an architectural family tree that has grown to provide the best 20th and 21st century architecture in the country. Ron Wommack has joined the past modern architects of Dallas who continue to influence great architecture in the future. Ron’s career took root in both the offices of legendary modern architects, Bud Oglesby and Frank Welch. The influence of these two architects can be seen in Ron’s work. One of my favorite homes Ron designed is the modern home at 1810 Bermuda pictured above in which you can see the influences of Frank Welch and Bud Oglesby. One is also able to see the architectural influence that Ron Wommack had on young successful architects and his contemporaries. Maybe just as important is Ron Wommack’s influence on the Dallas community as a past president of the Dallas Architecture Forum, AIA award winner, Preservation Dallas award winner, a frequent architecture panelist, and a great contributor to the conversation on architecture in Dallas. Architect Ron Wommack will continue to be remembered.
*Architectural Family Tree
#Architect #ModernArchitect #Architecture #DallasArchitecture #DallasModernHomes #ArchitecturallySignificant #ModernHomes #ModernDesign #AIADallas #DallasArchitectureForum #RonWommack #RonWommackArchitect #FrankWelch #BudOglesby
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. My favorite Highland Park residential site has become the one at 3925 Potomac Avenue in the Mount Vernon neighborhood. This street ends at Turtle Creek, which eliminates traffic. Rush hour in front of the home might mean that one or two housekeepers in the afternoon are leaving for the day. While photographing the architecturally significant home architect Hal Thomson designed at 3925 Potomac, I found myself in the middle of the street for over an hour without a single car going by. Highland Park is filled with beautiful parks and homes with acreage that contribute to the bucolic atmosphere of Highland Park. We sometimes forget how nice it is to have Dallas’ oldest country club and golf course in the middle of Highland Park just around the corner from Highland Park Village. Arriving at the home at 3925 Potomac, one is greeted by a backdrop of Turtle Creek, pictured here, lined with layers of large and ornamental trees that allow a filtered view of expansive green of the golf course behind it. This view continues from the front yard, dining room and upstairs bedroom. Highland Park is one of the few locations that offers so many city amenities and residential sites totally embraced by nature. *Bucolic Highland Park
#PotomacAvenue #3925Potomac #HighlandPark #TurtleCreek #HalThomson #Architect #Landscape #Bucolic #Dallas #Neighborhood #DallasCountryClub #DallasGolfCourse #ArchitecturallySignificant #MountVernonNeighborhood
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 depending on the vibe and attire of the guest. Sure enough, those attending this well curated birthday party wore orange with verve. Artists including three internationally published photographers, several authors, a celebrity chef, sophisticated philanthropists, business titans and art patrons filled the party. Entertainment included a magnificent opera singer that preceded the guests singing Happy Birthday to the celebrant whose favorite color is orange.
An architectural observation that I often note when I am in an architecturally significant home like this one designed by architectural firm Greene, LaRoche & Dahl, one can see into five or six or in this case seven separate rooms while standing in one room of the home. Also in one room, one can see sunlight or nature illuminated in all four directions. Besides allowing sunlight to flow in from several different directions, at a party one can easily see guests one would like to say hello to several rooms away. It is worth mentioning that this estate home is very large, but since it is just one or two rooms deep, each room feels intimate and connected to nature while being part of a grand architectural gesture. There is so much to love about Dallas, but when one is surrounded by wonderful people who love Dallas, one’s affection for the city continues to grow. This is how I answered the question above. I elected to wear a Savile Row bespoke double-breasted linen jacket by tailor John Coggins, an Hermes orange tie, a pocket square also by Hermes, boutonniere by Park Cities Petals, trousers by Incotex, and orange tinted glasses selected and created by Reece Barton of Barton Perriera in the meatpacking district. *Tribute in Orange
#VolkEstates #GreeneLaRocheDahl #orange #boutonniere #DallasParty #ParkCitiesPetals @Reecebarton #SavileRow #Architect #ArchitecturallySignificant #EstateHome #Dallas
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 architecture degree at MIT, finished his tour of Europe and became the society architect for Dallas patrons, it is easy to understand why he selected for his own home Highland Park as the location, Mount Vernon as the neighborhood, and the second lot up the hill from Hackberry Creek on Potomac Avenue for the site. This was the perfect site for the home he designed for himself and his family as the forested hill was perfect for a New England style home that blended into the neighborhood and in the interior of the home reflected the architectural grandeur and detail of the majestic homes he designed in Highland Park. A front facade easement will maintain the architectural magnificence of this home. *Architect’s Home
#3925PotomacAvenue #ArchitecturallySignificant #HighlandPark #MountVernon #Architect #Architecture #ArchitectHalThomson #HackberryCreek #DallasNeighborhood #Dallas
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 homes preserved as both sellers and buyers have a greater interest in architecturally significant homes. Preservation deed restrictions that have successfully worked for my clients for many years will be more prevalently utilized in 2024.
The trend and devastating silliness infecting cities that allow ADUs and apartments in single-family zoned neighborhoods will be thwarted in Dallas. Dallas has a strong history of supporting single-family zoned neighborhoods that Dallas residents understand contribute to the stability and vibrancy of the city. Fashionable urban policy promoted by itinerant planners and a minority of City Councilmembers will be resoundingly rejected by the homeowners in Dallas.
Dallas will double down on its historical vision of Dallas being a city for residents to enjoy and prosper. Parks, trees, safety, and wealth creation for every resident will resonate with people from other cities who will continue to move to Dallas. Dallas is now third in the country for Family Offices. One could say the smart money is on the future of Dallas.
#2024 #ArchitectDesigned #ArchitecturallySignificant #HighlandPark #HighlandParkVillage #SingleFamilyZoning #Density #Architect #HistoricHomes #PreservationDeedRestrictions
#Dallas #ADUs
Holiday Connections
Cafe Pacific naturally attracts family and friends to connect during the holidays. People congregate at church, sacred spaces and each other’s homes, but part of the holiday tradition is connecting with those important in our lives at Cafe Pacific. Cafe Pacific is the inspiration of Jack Knox, who curates the look, feel and staff at this iconic restaurant that provides the elegance of a special occasion and the warmth and familiarity that makes it feel like a family restaurant for all generations. In December, Cafe Pacific becomes even more alive. The entire month is filled with gift exchanges, selfies, toasts, connecting and reconnecting with friends, family and clients. Pictured is Terry Cook, an incredibly talented chef, and Dieter Krappl, the best restaurant manager in Dallas. They have made this December the best Christmas month in 45 years at Cafe Pacific. Every server, busser, hostess and assistant manager have contributed to the Cafe Pacific magic. Scroll through and you can see examples of tranquility and elegance, diligence, and even the occasional light show at Cafe Pacific, and party drinks being served. Looking forward to another year at Cafe Pacific, which represents the best of Highland Park, Highland Park Village, and the incredible people who enjoy this special place. Congratulations to Jack Knox on his great success. I am looking forward to more of Cafe Pacific triumphs in 2024. Thank you! *Holiday Connections
#CafePacific #HighlandPark #HighlandParkVillage #DallasChef #TerryCook #DieterKrappl #DallasRestaurant #HolidayRestaurant @CafePacificDallas