I have been playing with new tools that enable me to post multiple photos while trying to confirm the owner of this property. (Click on the photos to make them larger — cool, eh?) According to DCAD records, it belongs to 4300 Land Venture LLC and the deed transfer date was May 7, 2008. I snapped these pics of the tear-down on May 16. And of course
everyone was
up in arms about it.
Everyone. But you know, I’m kind of a new house gal myself and I would really love to talk to the
new owner, who sources tell me is
Mack Pogue, founder of Lincoln Property Company and patriarch of one of the most charitable and
giving families in town. I called his office to ask if I can get some details on what he’s planning on building and tell him I am dying to know who the lucky architect is. (No call backs, can you blame?) Dare I suggest we quit crucifying these people for the tear down and wait and see what they plan to create? I may be chairing an event soon and would really love a great house for a party…
Candy, this WAS a new house for all intents and purposes. I understand this might be sensitive, if for example Lincoln Property is an advertiser in D. I don’t know the answer to that, and I’m not accusing anyone of compromise, but I do appreciate economic dilemmas such as they are…Nearly always I really like your stuff; que Sally Fields. BUT this feels a little like you are “soft soaping” the idea that this landmark’s destruction is O.K. because the family is charitable. Perhaps that is an attempt to bring down the temperature of everyone Charity was obviously not the topic of the original post. Charity does not provide cover to behave like a gigantic spoiled baby un-checked. Anyhow, since you brought charity into the discussion, lets examine: By some accounts, this family is worth north of $1 Billion. They have a $30mm foundation with commitments to give out $15mm if I’ve read correctly from information readily available on the web. That then is 1.5% (promised) of what they are presumably worth, or 3% if you take total assets of the foundation. The $5mm gift to Children’s is stunning, wonderful and a great headline, but I humbly submit this should be viewed relatively…the donation cited in your post is 1/2 of 1 % of what they are presumably worth. I would take the other side of your statement that this is one of the most giving families in Dallas. Maybe they will become so, but to date I believe this is not so. I’m sure the Pogues are lovely people, kind to stray dogs, strangers, and old ladies. However, this post began because of the loss of a great and historic home which they are clearly not kind to. It is a shame that this grand dame had to go to make way for the gratification of a rich guy. Why on earth could his dream home not be pursued elsewhere? Oh, I know, because he covets THAT lot, so damn the torpedoes. Shame, shame. Money can buy you the ability to mold the landscape to your personal liking, but it clearly does not buy you taste or perspective.
Its just good business. I can understand Mr. Pogue’s desire to get that house bull dozed as quickly as possible. Remember when LPC was going to build a 27 story building at the corner of Prescott and Oak Lawn across the street from the 3rd Church of Christ Scientist which would have posititioned it perfectly to peer down into the backyards of the 4200 Block of Armstrong Parkway , Jerry Jones House, and other nearby Highland Park homes? The Highland Park Neighbors used their considerable clout to get that scaled back to 10 or so stories. And LPC was going to build it in Dallas. So once again I can see the desire to thwart public opinion by bull dozing so quickly. He being in the Real Estate Business probably always drove by that address and realized that it is the most visible physical location on Armstrong Parkway as you drive north and that too bad such a little house was on that property. Highest and Best Use, and all that Jazz you know. I would also surmise that with the thought of the coming Administration, many who will be affected by the increase in the Capital Gains Tax, and other taxes, are making plans now to sink as much of their cash into tax deferred assets of one sort or another.
I’m so with Grumpy on this one. Tom, you needn’t have wasted so much typing space. Everybody knows, including the preservationists, that “Big Shot” Pogue has the right to tear down one of the few beautiful historical elements left in Dallas to build his “ego turd”. Candy has already done that job for you. It’s very unfortunate that DallasDirt and DHome cannot write/post as openly as FrontBurner and present all view points equally. She can say nothing derogatory about the greedy builders I have come to hate, because they are the ones that provide the most AD DOLLARS to their shelter rag. When ad dollars dictate the direction of a magazine, don’t expect fair and balanced journalism. Which unfortunately includes their blog.
Wow. Hold on folks…there may be a method to my madness…
Now you’ve got me. First of all, there is a total separation of advertising and editorial at all the D pubs. Thank your lucky stars — it is the ONLY magazine in town with editorial scruples — do you see decent editorial at any of the others? Our “competitors” think a story has to have at least 55 sexual innuendos to make print. Question? Educate? Say what? That said, this is web journalism and I try to get facts straight before I post. I want to snag an interview with Mr. Pogue and ask him, why? Thus I’m trying to look at both sides and QUESTION. Plus I cannot be a hypocrite: I live in a new home (8 years old) and we moved a small, falling-apart ranch from this lot to build. It would have been cheaper to scrape it in a day as Pogue did, our’s would have taken all of ten minutes. But we wanted to give someone else the shelter and save the land-fill. For the record, when I took those Rheims pics, I could feel the dust and I was almost in tears. The “jaws” of the bulldozer just crunched that house — someone’s life, someone’s design — smashed. Smithereens. To think of the waste — where did it all go? I felt like I did when I saw the burned-out shell of Chateau De Triumphe on Strait Lane. What were they thinking? What is the plan? Why this way? Maybe, if I’m open, I’ll get some answers.
Check out Virginia Postrel’s article in the Atlanic on conspicuous consumption. jAnd why Dallas is “so Dallas”.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/consumption
A quote.
“It suggests why emerging economies like Russia and China, despite their low average incomes, are such hot luxury markets today—and why 20th-century Texas, a relatively poor state, provided so many eager customers for Neiman Marcus. Rich people in poor places want to show off their wealth. “
That’s an interesting link. Still, the Pogues are WASP (I use this losely, though I do not believe they are secular humanist inspite of their behavior), and not Russian, Indian, Brazilian, etc. So what are they?
The Pogues are drinkin Baptists. It was LPC sleight of hand that got mixed drinks underground at the required distance from the First Baptist Church across from the YMCA.