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…
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…
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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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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Architecturally Significant Homes in Dallas are Best Collection in Country
Dallas has the best collection of 20th and 21st century architecture in the country because of the cross-pollination of ideas from the extraordinary lineage of talented Dallas architects with the regional and national architects that design homes in Dallas. The interaction of architects with each other and the patrons of architecture at this architecturally significant…
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Short-Term Rentals are Assault on Homeownership and Single-Family Zoning
Why do single-family occupied homes matter and need to be protected? Homeowners are the heart and soul of the city. When homeowners start leaving a neighborhood, the neighborhood declines. When homeowners have confidence in the future of a neighborhood, they buy a home in that neighborhood or reinvest in the home they already own in…
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Homeowner’s Greatest Property Right is Single-Family Zoning
Some Confuse a Homeowner’s Greatest Property Right With How Many Uses the Homeowner can Utilize for Their Home A homeowner’s greatest property right is not how many uses a homeowner can use their home, in addition to that as a home, such as a tavern, rooming house, short term rentals (STRs), office suites, pharmaceutical production…
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Each STR Will Cause Decline in Home Values Across Dallas
Everyone knows that a single-family home loses value if an STR (short-term rental) opens up next door. Homebuyers will pass over the STR-compromised home for other comparable homes desired by homeowners. And another thing happens. Dallas is losing population and, even more important, losing homeowners. An STR opening on a block might be so disturbing…
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Organic Urbanism is the Cure for New Urbanism
New Urbanism is Like a Virus New Urbanism is a virus that keeps coming back in mutated forms – Organic Urbanism is the cure – Douglas Newby Why Does New Urbanism Need a Cure? New Urbanism is like a virus. For 50 year it keeps coming back in mutated forms. It needs a cure. First,…
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