Houses Gardens People: 4/1/14

E.G. Hamilton Modern Masterpiece!

Photo by Blake Marvin

Architecture that endures . . . Earl Grady Hamilton recently received the AIA Dallas' lifetime achievement award for an outstanding body of work spanning his 70-year career. In 1943 when Hamilton graduated from architecture school, modern architecture was just beginning to be embraced in the United States. He worked for some of the top architects in the country, including in NYC with Minoru Yamasaki, the designer of the World Trade Center Towers and the great modernist architect Arch Swank in Dallas. Out on his own, Hamilton designed elegant modern homes and in 1963, North Park Mall (now known as NorthPark Center). He's received a slew of awards and honors, and now as he approaches 94 years old, he appears to be as enduring as his designs.

You can view the Hamilton-designed home this weekend at the 2014 White Rock Home Tour, which runs from April 26-27, 12pm-5pm. Go Here to read more about it and to buy tickets

Photo by James Wilson

Located in the Peninsula neighborhood of White Rock, this was the first Modern-Shed, prefabricated home in Texas, and it should dispel any notion you have that prefab is bad. If you are thinking about building an energy efficient house, this one will be full of ideas—it uses soy-based energy efficient insulation, stained concrete floors and the extensive LED lighting system that is dazzling at night. You can view this home at the 2014 White Rock Home Tour, which runs from April 26-27, 12pm-5pm. Go Here to read more about it and to buy tickets

Photo by Charles Davis Smith

COCKTAIL HOUR . . . The Dallas Architecture Forum's 365 Modern Living Cocktail Receptions launches on April 30 with a spectacular private gallery/guest house.

Located on four acres on the back grounds of a home owned by a leading Dallas philanthropic couple, its posh pedigree is not just about the multi-million dollars worth of art inside, but the world-class team that worked on it. And it was a dream team for sure: architect Bill Booziotis and Company, interior designer Andree Putman and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.

The owners—whose contemporary art collection had grown so much that they needed to build something appropriate to house it—envisioned a modern version of the Frick Collection or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, both former private homes turned into intimate museums. Here is some of what you'll see when you go to the reception: an undulating brick wall created for the site by Sol LeWitt; a 70 ft. wide x 21 ft. high gallery intersected by rooms, including the living room with its 26 ft. high ceiling.

Attendance for the series of three receptions is limited. Tickets are $150-$175 for the series or $75 per evening. You can purchase your tickets online at the Forum's site, here. Dates for the other receptions are May 15 and June 12—stay posted, as I'll be showing images from those homes soon.

Photo by Charles Davis Smith

Heritage Auction's Amazing Modern Furniture/Art Auction!

Chest of drawers, 1991, by Tejo Remy for Droog; current bid: $5,000

Scrambled Eggs. . . or maybe a Word Jumble, or what a dresser might look like after a 7.5 earth quake. Made of maple and held together with a jute strap, this dresser is probably the most recognizable piece ever produced by the famous Dutch furniture manufacturer, Droog, and it's going up for sale in Dallas at Heritage Auctions on April 23 at 2pm. Heritage is offering a dozen or so Droog items from The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, and they're currently on view at the auction house's annex at 1518 Slocum St. in the Dallas Design District.

But there are many dozens of other iconic 20th century items going up for sale including almost pristine vintage pieces by Saarinen, Platner, Florence Knoll, Eames, Schultz, and stunning artwork by Vasarely and Bertoia. There will be a few highlights on view at the Dallas Art Fair (April 10-13), but you'll be able to preview the entire sale beginning April 19 at the Annex. Heritage is also inviting you to a preview party from 6-8 pm on April 22 (just RSVP@ha.com or call 214.409.1050 and let the know you're coming).

Heritage specifically asked me to relay how welcome everyone is and how easy it is to bid—you can follow the auction online here, do it by telephone or smart phone, or come in person and be a part of the live experience. Many of the pieces have low starting bids of just a few hundred dollars, which almost guarantees frenzied bidding.

Here are some of my favorites: