O’Neil Ford 1948

One of the godfathers of Dallas architecture was O’Neil Ford, one of the great Texas regionalists.  He understood the Texas climate, culture and sensibilities, and he imbued all of his work with them.  Preservation Dallas hosted a tour Saturday morning that included the Jerry Bywaters house.  John Lunsford worked with Bywaters at the Dallas Museum of Fine Art and he regaled us with tales of the amazing artists who visited the house: Miguel Covarrubias, Otis Dozier, Salvador Dali.  And I swear–must have been that it was the Day of the Dead–that all of their spirits inhabit that house.

One of the great things about the house is that, although it was built as a modest-sized house, Ford designed a second story and engineered the foundation with that in mind.  The fortunate person who buys this house gets an architectural gem, a cultural landmark, and a great view of the lake.  More photos can be found at 3625 Amherst.