The American Institute of Architects Guide to Dallas Architecture: With Regional Highlights

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1. Jon L. Albee "Faulkner Wannabe" says

   October 17, 2014 at 12:56 pm
   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

   
   Decent building stock. Mediocre guide., March 20, 2008

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   Jon L. Albee “Faulkner Wannabe” (Houston, TX) –
   
     
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Dallas Architecture: With Regional Highlights (Paperback)

   With a few notable exceptions, the architecture in Dallas isn’t all that distinguished (it’s no Boston), so it’s hard to expect an exciting survey of the city. The major exception to this rule can be found in the work of Mark Lemmon that, mysteriously, finds few representative examples in this survey. The building selection is hit and miss. There are some gems, but there are also some gems missing. Most of the SMU buildings and grounds are absent, for example. There are many historic structures absent from this survey as well, such as the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Matthew and the Church of the Incarnation. Since the guide is somewhat dated, many of the feature buildings have been altered since. The Dallas County Courthouse now has its cupola, and Clayton’s grand Guadalupe Cathedral now has its spires. There are (too) many examples of commercial modernism, but then again, this is Dallas. And the authors do little to hide their bias against references to historical styles: One grand residential entry from Robert Stern is dismissed as “wishing to be considered sophisticated design.” Very arrogant, I’d say, considering that he was the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture and is a distinguished post-modern classicist.

   The book itself is put together rather well, in recognizable AIA format. There are far too few photographs, however, to give an armchair architectural historian a real feel for the urban fabric. The essays are fine, with the exception that sometimes the author slips a few extra lines in at the end of an entry to capture a few “honorable mentions.” It’s nice that the author chose to include important sites from outside the Dallas city limits, but those sites are relatively few and don’t do justice to the rich architectural fabric of places like Fort Worth, Grapevine, Waxahachie and Denton. Inclusion of the various county courthouses from the metropolitan area is a nice addition.

   Not a bad effort, but certainly in need of revision and expansion.

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2. Shannon Deason says

   October 17, 2014 at 1:52 pm
   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

   
   Dazzling Dallas, March 30, 2005

   By 

   Shannon Deason (Houston) –
   
     

   This review is from: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Dallas Architecture: With Regional Highlights (Paperback)

   I really love these AIA guide books, I find them so interesting, but alas, some are better than others. This is one of the best books of this type, along with the guide to Houston and New York. This guide is thorough and well thought out. The quality of the guide is first rate and all the best buildings are given a quick scholarly synopsis. Dallas, as well as Ft. Worth have some amazing building and this guide does an admirable job of touching on the most important structures. I have always liked Dallas and this guide does the city proud. If you have any interest in Dallas or architecture in general I highly recommend this book, you won’t be disappointed.

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