A compelling survey of Texas houses that draw both on the heritage of
pioneer ranches and on the twentieth-century design principles of
modernism.
Helen Thompson and Casey Dunn, the writer/photographer team that
produced the exceptionally successful Marfa Modern, join forces again to
investigate Texas modernism.
The juxtaposition of the sleek European forms with a gritty Texas spirit
generated a unique brand of modernism that is very basic to the culture
of the state today. Its roots are in the early Texas pioneer houses,
whose long, low profiles express an efficiency that is basic to the
modern idiom.
This Texas-centric style is focused on the relationship of the house to
the site, the materials it is made of - most often local stone and
wood - and the way the building functions in the harsh Texas climate.
Dallas architect David R. Williams was the first to combine modernism
with Texas regionalism in the 1930s, and his legacy was sustained by his
protégé O'Neil Ford, who practiced in San Antonio from the late 1930s
until his death in the mid 1970s.
Their approach is seen today in the work of Lake/Flato Architects and a
new generation of designers who have emerged from that distinguished
firm and continue to elegantly merge modernism with the vocabulary of
the Texas ranching heritage.
Twenty houses are included from across the state, with examples in major
urban centers like Dallas and Austin and in suburban and rural areas,
including a number in the evocative Hill Country.
