dec ‘19
// modern living dwellings: paul jankowski, aia and jay magee
1019 Dragon Street | Dallas | Design District | 214.350.0542 | www.sminkinc.com
all things considered by Kendall Morgan
When it comes to contemporary architecture in Dallas, dynamic duo Paul Jankowski, AIA and Jay Magee leave nothing to chance. Partners in the design and development firm Modern Living Dwelings since 2013, Jankowski and Magee have been working together since the mid-1990s. Notable shelter scribe Newell Turner, a former editorial director for Hearst magazines, was scouting Jankowski’s then-loft in Deep Ellum for a magazine when he recommended the two meet. “Newell said, ‘There’s a guy with very similar design sensibilities, and I think you guys would be great friends,’” says Magee, who spent time working in fashion in New York before transitioning into the world of real estate.
“We became instant best friends,” adds Jankowski, a member of the American Institute of Architects. “We have quite different personalities and quite different skill sets, but we both have a passion for design. Jay is an extrovert, and I’m an introvert. Jay focuses on the big picture, and I focus on the details, so together, we make one brain.” The two soon developed a habit of driving around town to observe current construction. At a moment that contemporary design was just beginning to trend, the two decided they could trump what current local developers were doing. Building one house on spec soon turned into four, and what began as a weekend activity developed into a thriving business. While most developers tend to be investors who farm out the design process, the own-
You Dream It, Becky Finds It.
Becky Frey 214.536.4727 beckyfrey.com 

ers of Modern Living Dwellings prefer a more hands-on approach. Explains Jankowski, “We’re design-oriented people who build houses. I like to tell people that is what ready-to-wear is to fashion; we are to the real estate market. You can get a custom home off the rack. When you buy (a house of ours), it’s a one-of-a-kind house with an attention to detail. I have a background in high-end design, and I can bring it in a price people can afford.” Adds Magee, “A lot of developers think if they have an open floor plan and high ceilings they can call it contemporary, but it’s a big hot mess. Our houses are warm and peaceful—we really focus on how people live.
We don’t just take away the molding and end up with a contemporary.” Preferring to source their lots first, the pair then plan constructions with an eye to both the outside views and the way a future resident would want to experience the space. After brainstorming together on the floorplan, Jankowski (who is also a founding partner of the Zero3 architecture and design firm) draws up the final blueprints. Working with a small group of talented builders—as well as an array of subcontractors they trust—the partners can then spend their energy focusing on the flow of the
residence. After completion, a house is staged with modernist furniture and contemporary art sourced from their warehouse to give an instant feeling of home. Rooms are constructed to be intentionally airy and bright, and beauty is just as important as practicality. Even a modern home needs plenty of storage, so built-ins are devised to hide clutter. They eschew rooftop decks, preferring to develop garden spaces just off the kitchen. And thoughtful little touches—like laundry rooms placed on the same floor as the bedrooms—make day-to-day life more calming and convenient. To date, Modern Living has built homes everywhere from
Turtle Creek to Oak Cliff, with the Henderson side of Knox-Henderson being a nucleus of their work. Though their projects typically tend to top off at around 3000 square feet, the two would love to make smaller, more affordable properties, as well as try their hands at a mixeduse development or high rise. They’re particularly excited about what 2020 will bring—a new neighborhood called Urban Commons just off Forest Lane and LBJ from notable developer Diane Cheatham. There, they’ll have a full nine houses to play with, plus a pocket park for residents to stroll through on their way in and out.
Whatever the future holds, the duo promise it won’t be boring. “We really see ourselves as design pioneers,” says Magee, “We’re always exploring new territory, new design, new areas in the city, and new ways of building. We love that pioneering spirit, and we’re always on the frontier looking for the next place to go.” Adds Jankowski, “Our work keeps getting better and better, but I like to tell people that our best designs are ahead of us.”
by KendallMorgan Morgan by Kendall
flora
THE CLAY’S & THE THING
FINDING
// cool lagoon - glazed clay, graphite
// glee club - glazed clay
For anyone gazing upon artist Marla Ziegler’s sculptures, there’s a bit of a conundrum in the viewing. How are the wafer-thin discs of “Cool Lagoon” suspended on the wall? Why do the geometric layers of “Three Musicians” resemble a paper collage? And from what do the shapes of “Glee Club” derive their unique knot effect? It’s no wonder her sculptural sleight of hand might leave the casual art fan glazed and confused.
In truth, the Dallas-based artist uses processes that are unique in the world of ceramics. In her current show “Briocolage” at Craighead Green Gallery, she’s not afraid to paint (and paint again) to the perfect texture, or coat a piece in graphite for a hyper-pigmented finish. Just don’t ask her to reveal any trade secrets. “I keep trying to make clay do stuff that clay is not supposed to do,” Ziegler laughs. “Like look like metal, or hang on the wall rather than sit on the floor. People will come up and argue with the director of the gallery, ‘That’s not clay, it looks like metal!’
LILY HANSON BEFORE I FORGET NOVEMBER 23-JANUARY 11
KIRK HOPPER FINE ART
DALLAS
// uncommon objects - glazed clay
“People can’t understand how I float my work on the wall, and I don’t want anybody to know how I attach them. I think that distracts from what you want to happen. It’s a big challenge for me to take clay where it has never been before—to go BEYOND!” First called “a modern bricoleur” in a 2002 Ceramics Monthly article, Ziegler has perfected her approach over the past two and half decades by assuring each piece is more than the sum of its parts. “(When writer Linda Luise Brown) called me that I thought, ‘Oh god, I hope it’s not bad,’ but she explained it’s a term for people who have accumulated a lot of things around them. In my case, its shapes and molds. I relate it to collage, or someone who works in collage and has
all these interesting shapes. I do the same thing, but I do it with three-dimensional forms.” With a methodology she says is akin to “dumpster diving,” Ziegler lays out masses of her “ceramic possibilities “on a table, rearranging them until they announce themselves as a larger sculpture. Works may have over 100 small pieces comprising a whole, some of which she created decades before and stashed away for a rainy day. In the past, ceramics may have had a bad rap for its lowly functionality. But there’s no denying clay is having a moment in the gallery world, with artists like Sterling Ruby and Dan McCarthy leading the charge. For Ziegler, it’s merely her chosen medium, one she fell for years before she committed to being an artist.
// three musicians - clay, glaze
Having first found a love for ceramics as an undergrad, Ziegler nonetheless put the idea of sculpting on the back burner. Graduating from Southern Methodist University with a master’s in art history, she was poised for a career in academia, and she spent decades as an instructor at Brookhaven College (where she still helms an advanced figure drawing class). Well into her 40s, she finally had the funds and time to pull together a home studio. Persuaded to enter a call for new Texan artists at Craighead Green, she almost lost her nerve until a friend convinced her to take the plunge. “I started dabbling in clay again, and decided I had so much stuff around, I should enter a show,” Ziegler recalls.
“I almost didn’t do it because they ask you your age. My friend said, ‘It says new talent, not young talent!’ Now I’ve been with the gallery for 25 years. And I love it. I love the idea that I can teach drawing, be an art historian, write about other people’s work AND make art.” References from artists like Henry Moore, Brancusi, and Matisse make themselves known in her forms, as does a playful sensibility most apparent in the titles of her pieces. The pasta-like loop-de-loops of “Glee Club” remind Ziegler of the poorly tied ties young boys fling around their neck in a rush. And the teetering tower of “Party Planner” was inspired by the pile of dishes and cups left over once a celebratory night concludes.
WARMEST WISHES TKO ASSOCIATES
// etude in black & blue -
For the first time, Zeigler has also moved beyond her chosen palette of black, grey, and white with works like “Etude in Blue” and the red striped “Heart Throb,” both currently on view. “This time, I tried to indulge myself in color, and I made so many of what are called test tiles, and I put one glaze over another—things you aren’t supposed to do—so you get a new color. Once I find these mistakes on the test tiles, I use them on the piece. I use color pencil, I use washes. I use whatever I need to get to where I want it to be.” Having pushed the medium in hue, shape, and form, Zeigler hopes to one day mount her ceramics in a museum setting, where she can get even more ambitious. “If someone would let me loose in a museum gallery, I would just go nuts,” she promises. “There’s a lot of stuff I want to make that you can’t make because it’s something you have to sell. I’d love to just show how radical or weird I can be with my work.”
// the party planner - glazed clay, metal base
“Briocolage” is on view at Craighead Green Gallery through January 4, 2020
FineArtEstates.com FINE ART
At Estate Sale Prices
fetch house by J. Claiborne Bowdon
// all photos: dustin wekesser
Louis Sullivan, the architect whose use of steel frames would lead to modern skyscrapers, coined the phrase that has dominated the thought of every field of design –“form follows function.” It was a revolutionary maxim as the 19th century became the 20th; the intent of a thing should guide the shape and appearance of the thing. There’s an entire school of architecture that embraces this notion beyond simply ensuring that if you are building a hospital you make sure the hallways allow for swiftly moving and turning gurneys and other equipment. Indeed, in these architect’s minds the equipment and the building are one and the same. The building is simply a massive inhabitable tool that facilitates a variety of functions.
The fifth annual Bark + Build competition presents an opportunity for teams of architects and contractors to explore this notion in any direction their experience and imaginations may lead them- on a smaller and more easy to realize scale than a hospital. The competition accepts finished dog houses and cat condos that are judged by ingenuity, appearance, and are then available for auction with all proceeds going to the SPCA. The designs are on display for the duration of the competition at North Park, from the end of November to early December, and can be voted on for audience favorites. There’s every era and discipline on display, with fun interpretations of mid-century, post-modernism, and even brutalist-inflected houses.
One that stands out is a remarkable fusion of function, cutting-edge methods, and the structure as a tool. The Best In Show winner for 2019 is the Fetch House by CallisonRTKL design firm and AECOM/HUNT construction. This dog house is composed of 1,000 (yes, one thousand) standard tennis balls nestled into a 3D printed frame. The 3D printed frame is plastic, and is composed of multiple sockets that grip and hold the tennis balls in place until you’re ready to pluck one away and play fetch with your dog. It’s entirely modular, both the tennis balls and the cell-like plastic frame can be customized based on preference and need. Today it’s a one-of-a kind experimental design, but who knows? It could be a new trick for the old dog of architecture that gives us a new breed of building. watch the fetch house evolve
MODERN SPACES
9026 Groveland Drive // $1,195,000 JACOB MOSS c. 214.335.1719 jacob.moss@compass.com
3030 McKinney Ave #801 // $775,000 BECKY FREY c. 214.536.4727 becky.frey@compass.com
4205 Buena Vista St. #8A// $6,650,000 FAISAL HALUM c. 214.240.2575 fhalum@briggsfreeman.com
1535 Stemmons Ave // $1,495,000 RYAN STREIFF c. 469.371.3008 ryan@daveperrymiller.com
by J. Claiborne Bowdon
THE ARTFUL HOTEL
// hall arts hotel - photos by robert tsai
I once read about a quote from Babar, the king of the elephants and a beloved fixture of children’s literature for almost eighty years now, about the joy of taking a hotel room in the city you live in for the holidays. I’ve never been able to track down the exact quote, but a king, and a character whose most recent appearance is a capsule collection from Lanvin’s Fall and Winter collection, would certainly be an authority on the finer delights of life. What better way to uncover new, exciting layers of your city than by reorienting yourself, and what better time than the holidays when the city puts on its best face and spirits are high? Dallas may still be considered a “second tier” city by whoever it is that keeps tabs on that sort of thing, but
there’s never been a better time to be in Dallas. There are more spaces and options within less distance than ever before. You could make the case that McKinney Avenue’s renaissance as a hub for nightlife and walkable urban living has spurred much of the redevelopment and directions other parts of our city have taken on, but its neighbor, the Arts District, is not to be dismissed when we consider what has and is shaping our city. As early as 1970, Dallas was taking a hard look at its cultural venues, and in 1978 it took steps to begin consolidating them within one location in the city. The Dallas Museum of Art, designed by
Edward Larabee Barnes, was the first institution to open in 1984, about 20 years after the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts had merged with the Dallas Museum of Contemporary Arts. In successive years it would be joined by I. M. Pei’s Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center n 1989, the Crow Collection of Asian Art in 1998, Renzo Piano’s Nasher Sculpture Center in 2003, and finally Foster + Partners Winspear Opera House and Rem Koolhaas’ Wyly Theater as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center in 2009. However, this 70 acre span of the city didn’t really come to life until the opening of Klyde Warren Park in 2012, which bridged both sides of the divide created by Woodall Rodgers and offered an open and welcoming greenspace for everyone in Dallas to mingle. Whether it’s a lazy Sunday, or if you experienced it during the semi-annual Aurora light festival, the Arts District offers the best of what Dallas can be with an easy to navigate backdrop of incredible architecture that just happens to house a variety of cultural and dining experiences. Its latest addition, and perfect synergy of all these things, is the Hall Arts Hotel. It’s been possible to live in the arts district for several years now, and even go to school with the storied Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts nestled in among our other institutions, but this is the first hotel that has opened in the area. The response has been absolutely electric. The structure itself, which is composed of three buildings, and its interior, place a strong emphasis on shapes. The exterior is a gleaming mix of glass and steel, like a faceted stone in a setting, with tiered multistory towers rising from the smaller first story boxes that are set back from the street and shored up with tall white columns. The lines are simple and clean, but going beyond a massive box or multiple rectangles adds just enough character and variety to delight the eye.
The interior is a breathtaking white with matte and shine surfaces and fluid visual sightlines courtesy of open frame stairs and repeated vertical lines of walls or blinds. The light fixtures are a particular standout with the delicate interconnected series of globe bulbs cascading overhead in Ellie’s Restaurant & Lounge, named for Craig Hall’s mother, and the twin Lasvit chandeliers in the 2,500 square foot ballroom. The Bentel & Bentel design group was careful to include visual cues in their work on the interior to mirror or remind all who see them of various sights that can be found throughout the Arts District. I immediately thought of the distinctive rod-like lights
Engage Educate Experience Enjoy
The Dallas Architecture Forum is for everyone who wants to experience inspired design. The Forum presents an award-winning Lecture Series that brings outstanding architects,interior designers, landscape architects and urban planners from around the world, as well as Symposia, Receptions at architecturally significant residences, and Panel Discussions on issues impacting North Texas.
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dallasarchitectureforum.org
2019-20 Lectures All are welcome, Forum Members Attend for Free. More information & join at dallasarchitectureforum.org Michel ROJKIND Founder and Principal Rojkind Arquitectos
3 December 2019 Tuesday, 7 pm Horchow Auditorium, DMA
Kevin ALTER Founder and Partner alterstudio The Frank Welch Memorial Lecture
29 January 2020 Wednesday, 7 pm Horchow Auditorium, DMA
Mary Margaret JONES President and Senior Principal Hargreaves Associates
11 February 2020 Tuesday, 7 pm Horchow Auditorium, DMA
Frida ESCOBEDO Founder and Principal Frida Escobedo Architects
Jason LONG Partner OMA New York
Dirk DENISON Founder and Partner Dirk Denison Architects
25 February 2020 Tuesday, 7 pm Horchow Auditorium, DMA
25 March 2020 Wednesday, 7 pm Horchow Auditorium, DMA
7 May 2020 Thursday, 7 pm Angelika Film Center, Dallas
that ascend before every performance in the Winspear Opera House when I saw the backlit wire chandeliers in the ballroom that end in origami-like glass fixtures. It’s a clever approach that will add joy and surprise to each journey outside the hotel as its occupants recognize sights and shapes from the building itself and the carefully curated art collection. It’s a wonderful interplay that helps to highlight and celebrate one of the cities great destinations, and also encourage engagement – even subliminally. Districts and hotspots help to make everything
feel less distant as they expand into each other, but also offer a great opportunity to venture out into the city in ways you likely haven’t before. Take some time this holiday, or even take a room, to see more of what’s out there. visit HALL Arts Hotel hallartshotel.com
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modern
cravings // winter fox faux fur hang a round chair available at pbteen.com
// round basket. gold. girotondo available at allessi.com
// shape up 3-piece chandelier by ladies & gentlemen studio available at rollandhill.com
// 32 coins designed by tonya hawkes available at fortyfiveten.com
calendar your modern
Modern events and activities make for fall fun around the Metroplex. AD EX Walking Tours, Skyline360 // December 21
Elmgreen & Dragset: Sculptures Nasher Sculpture Center // through January 05
Inaugural Nasher Member Shopping Event, Nasher Sculpture Center // through January 07
Sheila Hicks: Secret Structures, Looming Presence The Dallas Museum of Art // through January 12
FriendsWithYou, Jose Davila, Joel Adrianomearisoa , Yelena Yemchuk Dallas Contemporary // opens January 12
AD EX Walking Tours Main Street District Walking Tour // December 14
Design Inspirations Panel, Part Two Dallas Architecture Forum // January 21
An Evening at the Aldredge House AD EX // January 23
The Frank Welch Memorial Lecture Kevin ALTER - alterstudio Dallas Architecture Forum // January 23
modern
art galleries
Modern art, exhibits, around the Metroplex. Anthony Sonnenberg, Jeff Baker and Lydia Ricci Conduit Gallery // through January 04
Chaco Terada Valley House Gallery // through January 04
Thingness: A Group Show Ro2 Art Gallery // through January 04
Heather Gorham + Win Wallace + Maria Ziegler Craighead Green Gallery // through January 04
Hillary Holsonback Sean Horton // through January 04
John-Paul Philippe & Peter Ligon Barry Whistler Gallery // through January 11
Lily Hanson Kirk hopper Fine Art // through January 11
Tommy Fitzpatrick Holly Johnson Gallery// through January 25
Corey Godfrey SemosMauldin // through February 12
Lost & Found George Dahl by David Preziosi
// Credit: George L. Dahl Collection, A.87.75.26 Mrs. Baird’s Rendering, Dallas Historical Society. Used with permission.
George Dahl is one of the greatest and most well-known architects to have practiced in Dallas. He had a long and prolific career in which he designed a wide range of building types. Many know him, though, for one of his most important works—Dallas’ Fair Park. He oversaw the planning and construction of the buildings completed for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. Designated a National Historic Landmark site in 1986, the buildings survive today as one of the largest collections of historic fair architecture in the U.S. Dahl graduated from Harvard in 1923 and then spent two years at the American Academy in Rome. Upon returning
to the U.S., he worked briefly in New York and Los Angeles before settling in Dallas to work for Herbert Greene. In 1943, Dahl opened his own practice, and by the time he retired 30 years later his work totaled some 3,000 projects nationwide. Noted architecture critic, the late David Dillon, said Dahl “remained a stylistic chameleon who produced works to suit the needs and tastes of his client.” His work was unlike his contemporaries such as O’Neil Ford and Howard Meyer who developed their own styles. Dahl’s designs ranged from Renaissance Revival to Mid-Century Modern and everything in between. Dahl also worked
with a variety of building types including offices, banks, churches, hotels, retail, industrial, multi-family housing, and even prisons. During his long career Dahl designed many well-known buildings in Dallas, including the downtown Neiman Marcus, Jesuit High School, the Earle Cabell Federal Building, the Dallas Public Library on Commerce Street in downtown, Owen Fine Arts Center at Southern Methodist University, The Dallas Morning News building, and the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (now part of the Dallas Convention Center). His work outside of Dallas includes 26 buildings at the University of Texas, 32 stores for Sears Roebuck, 15
prisons for the Texas Department of Corrections, and even RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. Three of the more interesting Dallas projects are worth further consideration. They represent the wide range of buildings he designed in the last half of his career. Mrs. Baird’s Bread, formerly located at Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway, opened in 1953 at a cost of $1.5 million. The two-story brick structure was 512 feet long and contained 140,000 square feet of floor space for two custom bakeries that could turn out two million pounds of bread a week. At the time it opened, it was the largest automated bread bakery in the country. The wonderful smell of baking bread wafting from the plant ended in 2002
Credit: George Dahl papers. The Alexander Architectural Archive, The University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin
when the plant closed. The building was demolished in 2010 to make way for a tennis center for SMU. When does a bowling alley not look like a bowling alley? When George Dahl was the architect. The futuristic Hart Bowling Alley at Webb Chapel Rd. and Northwest Hiwy. opened in 1959 at a cost of $850,000. The 32-lane bowling alley featured three striking circular glass enclosures on the front, one each for a restaurant, a lounge, and a children’s play area. A pool with fountains encircled the front and a sweeping ramp led to the entrance. Unfortunately, the building was demolished in 2011 to make way for a new shopping center. // shm architects // photo: nathan schroder photography
The 11-story Gold Crest Luxury Apartments at 3601 Turtle Creek Boulevard was a personal project of Dahl’s. He not only designed the building, he also served as board chairman of Turtle Creek Investments, which built the $5 million building. He moved into an apartment on the seventh floor when it opened in 1965. The design featured large apartments with terraces on each floor that encircled the building. Dahl lived in the Gold Crest until his death in 1987. The building still stands on Turtle Creek among the other high-rise luxury apartments. Author David Preziosi is the executive director of Preservation Dallas. Originally published in Columns, a publication of AIA Dallas.