Texas Architects' Lobby Day

While the 2011 Legislative Session begins on Jan. 11, 2011, TSA preparations are well underway for our FIRST EVER Lobby Day –“Advocates for Architecture Day”! It may seem too soon to register, but it’s not. If we reach our goal of getting 150 architects in the Texas Capitol at one time, we’ve got a lot of planning and coordinating to do, so please don’t delay and register now. Mandatory Advocacy Training will commence on Jan. 25, 2011, from 9:00 am to noon, with legislative visits throughout the day. A cocktail reception with 150 of your colleagues will occur at our new digs in East Austin (500 Chicon) the evening before at 6 p.m. on Jan. 24. TSA will schedule the appointments with your Representative and Senator, unless you prefer to schedule it yourself.  Custom-designed t-shirts are available for $30. We look forward to seeing you soon!

A Celebration of David Dillon's Life and Work

by Stephen Sharpe, Hon. TSA

On Sunday, Sept. 26, about 200 friends gathered at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas to commemorate the life and work of the late David Dillon. They came together to share their remembrances of David with each other and with his family. The former architecture critic for the Dallas Morning News died suddenly of heart failure on June 3 at his home in Amherst, Mass.

Born in 1941 in Fitchburg, Mass., David came to Dallas in 1969 as an assistant professor of English at SMU, but found his life's calling several years later when he turned his attention to architecture criticism. He first wrote for D Magazine before being hired by the Morning News. In his more than 25 years on the newspaper's staff, David earned the respect and affection of many architects in Dallas and far beyond.

Welcomed by Dillon's long-time friend Max Levy, FAIA, the attendees at the Nasher heard remembrances and eulogies from 11 speakers. On the front row were Sally Dillon, David's wife of 39 years, and their two children, Christopher and Catherine.

Recollections ranged the gamut of David's life, from his passionate following of professional hockey and baseball (particularly his beloved Bruins and Red Sox) to his stealth mentoring of a younger generation of journalists. Throughout the afternoon's reminiscences, the audience learned about David's enthusiasm for enduring friendships, his connoisseurship of fine food and wines, as well as his keen interest in explaining the importance of good architecture and urban design. Far from being overly sentimental, the event was a true celebration that mixed humorous anecdotes and stories that revealed David's sincerity and his disdain for anything false.

The speakers at the Celebration of Life included friends from the Dallas architectural community (Rand Elliott, FAIA; John Mullen, FAIA; Kevin Sloan, ASLA; and Frank Welch, FAIA) and colleagues from the Morning News (fellow arts critic Scott Cantrell; the newspaper's top editor, Bob Mung; entertainment columnist Michael Granberry; and Chris Vognar, another entertainment columnist). Other speakers were Steve Daniels, a colleague from David's days at SMU's English Department, and Allen Mondell, a fellow runner who frequently joined David on jogs through local parks.

I was particularly impressed by the eloquence of Jed Morse, the curator of the Nasher, who spoke without notes about David's being the "go to" guy whenever a program about architecture was being planned at the museum, and who elicited laughter with his comment about his relief to learn that the Nasher was one of the newer buildings in Dallas that David actually admired. Most memorable was the picture Morse sketched in words of David and Ray Nasher standing in the museum's garden and looking back at the building framed by the Dallas skyline.

Max Levy ended the program by reading an e-mail from Blair Kamin, the architecture critic of the Chicago Tribune, who expressed his sentiments about the loss of an honest voice who helped the public understand and appreciate their communities.

In honor of his architectural legacy, the Dallas Architecture Forum and AIA Dallas have established the David Dillon Memorial Scholarship. The initial scholarship will be given to an outstanding architecture graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington. Additional donations are being accepted to permanently endow the scholarship and expand it to a national level. For more information, contact Nate Eudaly at the Dallas Architectural Forum at 1909 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas, 75201.

These photos of the memorial service were taken by Mark Gunderson, AIA.

Two Years Later, work on Governor's Mansion to Begin

By Mike Ward
Austin American-Statesman 
Sept. 24, 2010

More than two years after an arsonist torched the storied Texas Governor's Mansion, work to restore the exterior finally is about to begin. And thanks to the use of federal hurricane money to pay for about half of the $22 million project, the high-profile preservation work will not face the same magnitude of budget cuts that other agencies do as state leaders grapple with budget problems caused by the economic downturn. Because of that, the mansion repair budget was cut by about $450,000 — by eliminating two new guardhouses from the grounds. State Preservation Board officials confirmed new details about the project in announcing that the first restoration work on the 154-year-old structure — masonry repairs to chimneys and the thick, brick exterior walls, and a new roof — will begin in early October.

"We are under way," said an elated John Sneed, executive director of the State Preservation Board, which is overseeing the restoration. The work has been repeatedly delayed by permitting, design and logistical issues — including a public controversy over the size and design of an addition, and whether one was even necessary.

The projected completion date is now February 2012, months later than originally forecast, Sneed said. After the fire, officials estimated that the project would take 24 to 30 months. Once a new roof is completed, extensive shoring installed inside the house after the blaze can be removed and the interior restoration can begin, officials said.

Click here to continue reading the article.

Texas Architectural Foundation Bike Ride

There's still time to sign up to join fellow architects and friends of architecture for the 8th Annual Texas Architectural Foundation (TAF) Tour des Monuments bike ride in San Antonio, Oct. 17, 2010. The tour begins at the Alamo and participants can choose from three routes of 13, 25, or 45 miles. Highlights include the missions, the Riverwalk expansion, new Pearl Brewery additions, and more. Custom-designed jerseys are available for $60. Register online or download a registration form to mail or fax to TAF. 

2010 TSA Citation of Honor

TSA has awarded a 2010 Citation of Honor
to the following organizations and people: 1) Louise Hopkins Underwood, 2) the City of Fort Worth, and 3) Lawrence V. Lof. Award recipients will be recognized at a ceremony in San Antonio during the TSA Convention, Oct. 14-16, 2010.

Louise Hopkins Underwood has spent a lifetime promoting the arts and architecture, which culminated in the creation of the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts a decade ago. The center, located in downtown Lubock, was created to give local artists a place to express themselves and to allow community interaction. It has evolved into a campus that serves as a showcase for architects, artists, and landscape architects. Each project or opportunity that arises at the center is met with a collaborative effort meant to promote creative thinking in regard to the built environment.

The City of Fort Worth established the Fort Worth Public Art program in 2001 with four overall goals: 1) to create an enhanced visual environment, 2) to commemorate the city's rich cultural and ethnic diversity, 3) to integrate the design work of artists into the city's capital infrastructure improvements, and 4) to promote tourism and economic vitality in the city through the artistic design of public spaces. Through legislature, starting in 2001, the city has set aside 2% of all city Capital Improvements Program projects, including infrastructure projects, for public art. To date, over $18 million has been allocated towards public art.

Lawrence V. Lof is an assistant professor of biology at the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and also serves as the director of the Historic Rehabilitation Program. He is being recognized with a TSA Citation of Honor for his achievements in preserving and restoring historic architecture in Brownsville, along with establishing preservation and restoration construction training as part of the university's curriculum.

Texas Architect Contributor: Sean Burkholder

Sean Burkholder is an assistant professor of landscape architecture at Penn State University. He holds a bachelor’s in architecture from Miami University and a master’s of landscape architecture from Harvard. Burkholder is easily distracted by shiny objects and spends more time than he should postulating the possibilities of vacant urban land. He writes about Overlook Pavilion on page 56 of the Sept/Oct Design Awards edition of Texas Architect.

Custom Residential Architect's Network Symposium: Oct. 1-4, Austin

2010 CRAN Symposium: Looking Back to Move Forward

Oct. 1-4, 2010
Hilton Hotel Downtown
Austin, Texas

The third annual Custom Residential Architect’s Network (CRAN) symposium, “Looking Back to Move Forward,” takes place Oct. 1-4 in Austin. Among the events scheduled for this residential architects' network are a keynote address by Claire Conroy, editorial director for Hanley Wood’s Residential Architect and Custom Home magazines, and the AIA Austin Homes Tour. Click here for more information.