The 1911 Group produces a thoughtful SMU Stories series that captures the experiences of alumni who have helped shape Dallas. In this episode, Mitchell Brown speaks with Douglas Newby about how an interdisciplinary education at SMU influenced his civic engagement, preservation work, and professional point of view — from revitalizing older neighborhoods to representing architecturally…
Blair Pogue DMN High Profile Feature by Sarah Hepola also Profiles Dallas
The Blair Pogue profile by Sarah Hepola in the Dallas Morning News was actually a profile of Dallas. High Profile has always been a favorite section of mine because I understand Dallas better when I know more about the people who contribute to Dallas and make it an interesting and great city. High Profile Feature…
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Dallas Business Journal Features Highland Park Estate Home at 4400 Belfort Place
It is no wonder that the Dallas Business Journal chose the Highland Park estate home at 4400 Belfort Place to feature. Dallas loves business, not just the money element, but who is contributing, what resonates with Dallas, what is the market? The home at 4400 Belfort Place answers a lot of these questions. Journalist Alexa…
Highland Park Home is Only Home Featured in Both Wall Street Journal and Dallas Morning News
The Highland Park home at 4400 Belfort Place was the only home selected this year to be featured in both the Wall Street Journal and the Dallas Morning News. How do editors select a home to feature? There are 30,000 homes for sale in MLS in the Dallas region and there are 2,000,000 homes for sale in MLS across the country. Why did they feature this Highland Park home for sale?
Why Do Spanish Revival Style Homes Evoke the Best of Highland Park?
Dallas is home to the best collection of 20th century homes in the country. Highland Park is associated with the best homes in Dallas. How did Spanish Revival style homes come to represent the finest homes in Highland Park – the best of the best – and evoke the excellence of Highland Park? The story…
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Dallas Contractors Discuss Building Traditional and Modern Homes – Stradivarius Violins and Symphony Triangles
The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA) invited me to moderate a panel of top Dallas contractors on February 13 to discuss building traditional homes in contrast to building modern homes. I’m very excited about this upcoming event and wanted to share some of my thoughts as I prepare for what promises to be…
Highland Park Teardown or Architecturally Significant Survival?
A Highland Park teardown is just another old, out-of-date house or it is an architectural accomplishment designed by one of the best architects in Dallas or the country, and the former home of prominent residents. An insignificant Highland Park teardown makes room for a new architect-inspired home. An architecturally significant home that becomes another Highland…
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Home Value Hierarchy – Hal Thomson
For a perfect illustration of home value and the many factors that elevate a home’s value, consider the Hal Thomson-designed home at 3925 Potomac Avenue. As I’ve shared before, home value is determined by a home’s location, its neighborhood, its site and its historic and architectural significance. All these characteristics combine to make this architecturally…
ForwardDallas Moves Dallas Backward
If Dallas Loses its Homeowners All of Dallas Loses Perhaps you’ve heard that there is a plan moving forward at Dallas City Hall that will permanently change single-family neighborhoods throughout our city. Whatever you might know about it, it’s actually worse than you think. Not only is there a proposal from five council members to…
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The Myths and Misinformation Promoted by ForwardDallas
This ForwardDallas talk was presented to the North Dallas Neighborhood Alliance of 50 Homeowners Associations. Thank you for allowing me to join you this evening. It is fitting that we are meeting in a church as Sharon Grigsby, a Dallas Morning News columnist who I have admired and considered a friend for many years, wrote:…
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Preservation Minded Owners are Key to Saving Historic Homes
Preservation celebrates another preservation victory. I just sold one of the most important architecturally significant homes in Dallas with deed restrictions included in the sale that prevent the home from being torn down, and helped the property sell for a higher price than the appraised value. David Williams-Designed Home Sold for Over Appraised Value and…
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Zoning Lobbyist Claims Home Owners Have Faulty Judgment When Advocating for Home Ownership
Dallas Should Nurture Home Ownership for Stable and Appealing Neighborhoods A recent Dallas Morning News column reveals the argument that zoning consultants and STR lobbyist are using to promote rental units and apartment developments in single-family zoned neighborhoods. Esteemed zoning consultant Dallas Cothrum in his Dallas Morning News column recently wrote that homeowners, usually older…
Preservation Dallas 50th Anniversary Home Tour Celebrates Architects and Neighborhoods
Understanding the relationship of architecture and neighborhoods is the foundation of understanding preservation. This 50th anniversary home tour by Preservation Dallas on April 15th is the best Preservation Dallas Home Tour yet. The tour elevates itself from previous home tours that focused on a specific neighborhood, a specific architect or random historic Dallas houses. This…
How Architect Designed Homes Can Outperform the Market
Most houses sell at generic prices and there is a reason why. The real estate industry is geared for homeowners to sell their homes for the same prices as their neighbors’ homes. The whole industry—realtors, lenders, appraisers, homeowners and homebuyers — accept the current concept of comparables. Legislators and regulatory agencies even dictate the restrictions…
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Beverly Drive Book Club Talk – The Poor Side of Town and Why We Need It
Below is the Talk Presented by Douglas Newby to the Beverly Drive Book Club It is a real treat for me to be here with you today. Thank you, Susan Bednar Long, Karen Edwards, Ruth Ruhl and the Beverly Drive Book Club for inviting me. I can’t think of any place better than the Beverly…
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