#Mckinney Architects

[brownbrown01]

Looking for professional commercial architects in McKinney? Our experienced team offers expert design and construction solutions tailored to your business needs. Contact us for innovative and reliable architectural services today.

[thechanelmuse]

My Book Review

I finished this book a week ago. I’m still struggling to put my thoughts into words because this book jam packs a load of history in 430 pages. Where does one start? 

Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams travels back in time to the founding of what would be Los Angeles in 1781 by a group of eleven families—forty four Black Spaniards— before building upon the land and establishing what would be the home of the film industry. This book spans six decades within the history of Black actors in Hollywood beginning with Madame Sul-Te-Wan, the first. It even includes those surrounding the Hollywood scene like dancer Carmen de Lavallade and Paul Williams, the foremost trailblazing Black architect who created the blueprint for the eye-catching structures and homes of the stars still standing firm today. 

Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams is a lot to take in from the bad to the good. It’s partly because the wealth of info would be more digestible had it been fleshed out further without creating a sweeping effect (like snippets) through moments in time to build the larger framework. After all, we’re talking sixty years. 

I’m a cinephile so I would’ve enjoyed more focus into the actual creation of a number of films, particularly the all-Black productions in those days. As for the gossip scene and the 👀 happenings in their world, here’s a snippet: Duke Ellington had an affair with Freida Washington, whom she felt was the love of her life. Duke wouldn't leave his wife so Freida did work in Paris to keep busy and get over him. When she returned, she ended up marrying a member of Duke’s band 🙃. Also, Lena Horne had an on and off-again affair with heavyweight boxer, Joe Louis. Might be hella messy and pearl-clutching in our world, but you gotta remember Hollywood is its own world. Small. They operate differently and nothing is swept under the rug in their society. Though discreet, everyone knew everyone’s biz.

I can’t even imagine the amount of research that went into making this book. It’s def worth the read. Just know that it may feel a little dense because it’s so many actors, gigs ands so forth spanning decades.

PHOTOSET: Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Ernest “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, Ethel Waters with Freida Washington, Daniel L. Haynes with Nina Mae McKinney, Mildred Washington, The Nicolas Brothers, Eartha Kitt with Sammy Davis Jr, Joe Louis with Lena Horne, and the Dandridge sisters: Dorothy and Vivian.

SN: Off-topic. The author’s surname, Bogle, caught my attention when I first got this book, which had to be about about 10 years ago now. (Yes, this book has been sitting on my shelf for that long...among the other 600+.) The only Black Americans I’m familiar with with that surname are from Philly dating back to chef Robert Bogle, the creator of catering: 

Whad'ya know? The author too is from Philly. I’m curious if they’re related. That’s a book in and of itself.

[dankusner]

Starck contrast

The year was 1984.

A rich kid from Preston Hollow created a Studio 54 for the landlocked on a dicey stretch of McKinney Avenue.

The stories were legendary: People had sex in the bathroom. They did ecstasy, which was legal, and cocaine, which was not. The place was designed by Philippe Starck, aFrench architect who’d given his name to cool chairs that were wildly uncomfortable (the place had a few).

Stevie Nicks was part owner, though people rarely saw her during the club’s five-year run.

They did see Prince, Oliver Stone and Rob Lowe.

Clubgoers lined up to get inside. They wanted the scene, but they needed the music.

Punk, post-punk and new wave, spun on vinyl by real, living humans who knew more about obscure artists and B-sides than Casey Kasem could ever hope to learn.

The live shows were epic: Australian noise band SPK, New York art monster Grace Jones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Video was projected onto the walls, because avirtual dreamworld still felt like a novelty.

Nobody knew screens and media would rise up like atidal wave and swallow us whole. You should have been there. And for one night only, May 12, you (sort of) can be when the Starck Club returns for a 40th anniversary party, thanks to the good folks behind the Longhorn Ballroom and the Kessler Theater, which is the far more civilized setting for this bash.

Of course, the event is already sold out, giving wannabe clubgoers the familiar experience of getting shut out ofthe best party in town.

Details: 6-11 p.m. May 12 at the Kessler Theater,1230 W. Davis St., Dallas.

Stalling for time FROM THE ARCHIVES In 1985, the now-acclaimed Texas Monthly writer Skip Hollandsworth contributed astory toThe Dallas Morning News about how men's rooms in Dallas were having amoment—avery opulent moment. He noted the upholstered walls ($70 per square yard) inside the gentlemen's lounge atCafe Pacific inHighland Park Village. He praised The Mansion on Turtle Creek's "hand-cast sink fixtures and commodes with comfy seats."Buthewas most gobsmacked by the facilities at the city's hottest dance spot: "The newly opened Starck Club downtown may be the only nightclub in Western civilization that has gotten national attention for its bathrooms. The facilities look like a combination video game, church parlor, hair salon and somebody's idea of a great practical joke. "The mirror-encased lobbies of both themen's andwomen's rooms arecoed. Everybody sits around high-tech couches and talks and smokes cigarettes. Occasionally,someone may get up to actually use the facilities. "There is a television monitor abovethecathedral-likedoor thatleads to the stalls.Likearrival-departure screens at the airport, the monitor tells you which stall is occupied. Each stall is setoff in its own separateroom large enough to startan impromptu game of handball." Hollandsworth spoke with valet attendant Herman Babers, 60, who worked the men's lounge at another showy nightclub, Mistral, inside the then-Loews Anatole Hotel. "I always thought you were supposed to pop inand out of abathroom," Babers told him. "But these men today like to come in and brush their hair and think about things, I guess." Christopher Wynn"The facilities look like a combination videogame, church parlor, hair salon and somebody's idea of a great practical joke."

For One Night Only, the Kessler Theater Turns Into the Starck Club The infamous night club in the West End opened its doors 40 years ago. The Kessler Theater is bringing it back to life, briefly. The scene at the Starck Club during its peak.

New York City had Studio 54, London had the Hippodrome, and Dallas had The Starck Club. The West End venue, named for its Parisian designer Philippe Starck, defined the nightlife scene in Dallas throughout the 80s and reveled in the excesses of the decadent decade, powered by a new and curious drug called ecstasy. DJ Mark Ridlen says there’s more to The Starck Club than meets history’s narrow eye, a cultural touchstone that meant far more than the unchecked libido of the clubgoers. “All they talk about is the drug busts, ‘Who shot J.R.?,’ and the 80s but you’ve never seen a club with such an eclectic lineup over the years whether it was a band, fashion shows, plays, performance art,” Ridlen says. “You name it. They had it.” The Kessler is bringing back The Starck Club for its 40th anniversary reunion by transforming into the venue for five hours on Sunday May 12 into a new version of the influential Dallas nightclub. Kessler Artistic Director Jeff Liles said the event sold quickly: it took less than a week to sell out. It is not dissimilar to the venue’s tribute to the long-gone Video Bar, a room that was influential in the avant-garde scene of the 1980s. “We love paying homage to the venues that made Dallas culture what it was,” Liles says. “It was happening right at the same time as the emergence of the Deep Ellum scene.” Club founder Blake Woodall opened his vision of a hip, technology-filled nightlife spot in 1984 under a Woodall Rodgers overpass near the West End in a converted warehouse space. The first official show for the club’s investors brought Grace Jones and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks to its stage. They were the first of many celebrities to walk through its doors, early adopters before Rob Lowe and Princess Stephanie of Monaco. Talking Heads’ David Byrne dropped in while in town to film his movie True Stories. Members of the famed Brat Pack who starred in movies like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink spent evenings there. Prince even hosted an after party at Starck one night that went “well into the morning,” according to David Hynds, who ran the club’s video and art department with his then wife, Suzie Riddle. Word of mouth spread mostly by hairdressers to their clients helped build the club’s reputation as a fashion hot spot for the late-night partier. The Starck Club’s popularity started with some exclusivity but eventually, it wasn’t a place where you had to argue with a bouncer to convince them you were important enough to go past the velvet rope. “Initially, it seemed to have an upper-end feel to it but as time went on, we attracted a much broader range of customers,” Hynds says. “Part of the design and desire was to have a complete mix of all spectrums of people.” The space wasn’t just used for live music, dancing, and the occasional hit of what we now call Molly. The Starck Club was one giant canvas that a got a new coat of paint every evening. “We had these funky theme parties,” Ridlen says. “We would make it look like a grocery store or we would make it look like a rodeo. We’d have these fun themes with appropriate music. We’d always have video exhibits, people showing their art videos. We had events just for that.” ADVERTISEMENT

The club’s first theme party took on the psychedelic. Hynds asked Ridlen if he would create a band that fit its far-out theme. Ridlen’s band was named Lithium X-Mas and the group stayed together long after the club’s closing. “It was only meant to be a one-time deal but a few months down the road, they decided they would carry it forward under that name,” Hynds says. The Starck Club served as a kind of zeitgeist thermometer for its time that reflected changing trends and new sounds. “It was the beginning of the DJ culture in Dallas,” Liles says. The events on the club’s calendar weren’t just concerts. The Starck Club would host fashion shows, plays, and all kinds of performance art. “It was a hotbed of all kinds of just really cool activities under one roof,” Ridlen says. “You would come and see that and then, of course, stick around the music.” No ideas was too off the wall for the Starck Club. Hynds had everyone on the staff pitch ideas for shows, theme nights, and artistic expressions. “One of the things we did was a furniture fashion show,” Hynds says. “It had the basic design of a fashion show instead of clothing, we had people dressed as furniture movers bringing up furniture. Me and Suzie and [Greg Snyodis] from Lithium X-Mas had the idea of doing a band but instead of audio or music, it was visual. Instead of musical instruments, we used visual instruments.” So no recreation of the Starck Club would be complete without a reconstruction of its eclectic style. Camron Ware, the owner and founder of Lightware Labs who provided the visual tech for The Kessler’s recreation of the Video Bar, will work with Hines to turn the Kessler into a visual recreation of the Starck Club. “It’s going to feel like it’s all really immersive when you come in,” Liles says. “There’s going to be a red carpet and everything. We’re really gonna trick out The Kessler that night.” The Kessler turns into the Starck Club for one night only, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on May 12. Tickets are sold out, but keep your eye on this page. 1230 W. Davis St.

[wadegriffith]

The new 118,000-square-foot H-E-B store in McKinney, Texas was built by EMJ Construction and designed by RSP Architects.

It officially opened on July 19, 2023 and joins the new Frisco and Plano locations, as well as six Central Market locations that have been serving DFW shoppers for more than two decades. The store features True Texas BBQ, a full-service pharmacy with a drive-thru, a fuel station and car wash, and Home by H-E-B decor.

EMJ Construction has been serving as a general contractor for H-E-B since 2018 and has future projects including H-E-B Alliance in Fort Worth that plans to open in Spring of 2024. 

© Wade Griffith Photography 2023

[internationalrealestatenews]

[ad_1] A Victory Park web site that’s ripe for improvement is up for grabs. Dallas-based Provident Realty Advisors and Missouri-based Kroenke Group have employed Foundry Business brokers Marty Neilon, Alex Perry and Zach Hartzer to promote the three.6-acre parcel at 703 McKinney Avenue, the Dallas Morning Information reported.  The property, bordered by Houston Road, Continental Avenue and Stemmons Freeway, includes largely floor parking and a 141,000-square-foot industrial constructing. The constructing at 703 McKinney Avenue was developed within the Eighteen Eighties as a brewery, and it was the location of the legendary Dallas nightclub the Starck Membership. The sellers are enjoying up the providing as a redevelopment alternative, with choices to renovate or broaden upon the prevailing construction. “This web site is and has been a quintessential a part of Dallas’ historical past,” Provident CEO Leon Backes informed the outlet. In 2016, Provident started shaping its personal improvement for the location, with plans so as to add two flooring to the previous brewery and convert it into an workplace complicated, alongside an condo high-rise with greater than 300 models, the outlet reported. It’s unclear why the venture by no means bought off the bottom, although. And the companies’ actual purpose for promoting is imprecise. The Starck Membership, based by Preston Hole scion Blake Woodall, was designed by French industrial designer and architect Phillippe Starck. It was open from 1984 to ’88 and drew celebrities resembling Annie Lennox, Andy Warhol, Prince and Rob Lowe. The constructing additionally has a 50-foot properly inside. When it housed a seafood restaurant known as Newport’s within the ’90s, the workers reportedly used to strip down and dive in after closing. Provident and Kroenke have collaborated on earlier initiatives, together with mixed-use improvement Preston Hole Village and promoting land for the 80-acre Midtown Park improvement, each in North Dallas. Victory Park, simply south of the burgeoning Uptown space, is seeing an uptick in improvement exercise. Houston actual property titan Hines not too long ago unveiled plans for its second condo tower within the neighborhood. The 497-unit, 28-story venture will rise close to Hines’ 39-story Victor condo tower and its 17-story One Victory Park workplace constructing. Plus, Goldman Sachs is constructing a $500 million workplace campus within the space, which might be a part of Hunt Realty’s NorthEnd, an 11-acre mixed-use hub slated for workplace, retail, residences and resort rooms surrounding a 1.5-acre city park. —Quinn Donoghue  Learn extra [ad_2]

[ultraheydudemestuff]

The Hangar Recreation Association

 24400 Cedar Rd.

Beachwood, OH        

The Hangar, a private recreation center, was built in 1930 as part of the Dudley S. Blossom estate, in what was then Lyndhurst but is now Beachwood, Ohio. Many estates and country houses of that era incorporated a private sports facility, as a place where children, their friends -- and adults -- could swim and play tennis indoors.  From the outside, this Cleveland version of a private recreation center does partly resemble an airplane hangar -- because of the two glass-pitched roofs, one each over the tennis court and swimming pool. The plain stucco exterior evokes Art Moderne. Its architect was the highly regarded Abram Garfield, whose father, James A. Garfield, served briefly as the 20th president of the United States before dying in 1881 of wounds from an assassin's bullet. The Hangar shows the fluency that Abram Garfield had.  It was the only Art Deco building Garfield would ever create.

     Dudley Blossom was a successful Cleveland businessman, but he and his wife are more widely known for their philanthropy, in particular their support of the musical arts.  Elizabeth Blossom -- nee Bingham -- was the sister of Frances Payne Bolton, who was married to Chester Bolton, a congressman whose seat Frances would fill upon his death. The Bolton and Blossom estates took up hundreds of acres of the land adjacent to what is now Cedar and Richmond roads.  The Blossoms, best known today for the amphitheater named for them in Cuyahoga Falls, the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra, had a longtime friendship and professional relationship with Abram Garfield.

     Garfield, who would found the school of architecture that would be enfolded into Case Western Reserve University, had designed many other homes, including the Mather House at CWRU and the Hay-McKinney Mansion of the Western Reserve Historical Society. He had also designed the Blossoms' Tudor Revival home in Lyndhurst, which was built about a decade before the Hangar was added.  The Hangar was his first foray into the design style that had swept the world since the 1925 exhibition in Paris of "arts decoratifs." That exposition debuted a modern style characterized by a streamlined classicism, and geometric and symmetrical compositions. Its prominent motifs often included stylized animals and Aztec or Egyptian references (the latter inspired by the mania surrounding the 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb).

     The Hangar is not open to the public. Today, it is owned by Charles Bolton, whose great-aunt was Blossom's wife, Elizabeth.  It is Bolton who oversaw its restoration in the mid-1980s, which was around the same time that the Hangar was listed on January 9, 1986, with the National Register of Historic Places. The Hangar's glory resides in its interior.  Guests who arrive in the main lounge are immediately surrounded by a vivid, sea-themed wall mural that leads upward to a sapphire-glass tray ceiling, from which hangs a sleek, silvery chandelier. The mural is signed "June Platt, 1930."  Platt's mural at the Hangar shows a mastery of detail and imagination. Sea anemones, guppies, zebra fish and other samples of fantastical marine life swirl in pinks, mint greens and soothing blues, in forms both bold and delicate.

      In the 1970s, the membership rolls of the private Hangar Recreation Association read like a who's who of Cleveland's East Side, including names such as Burton, Meacham and Dempsey. Even Sherman Lee, the director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, was an avid tennis-playing member.  During the restoration, the Boltons (Charles' wife, Julia, was also greatly involved) salvaged small pieces of wallpaper from protected areas and then had a specialty firm in Cincinnati re-create the original design, using a silk-screen process. The result: walls papered with vintage designs in saturated hues.  Today The Hangar is the occasional site of a wedding or a member's private party.

[bbaachurch1234]

Small Church Building Designs in McKinney

As specialists in Small Church Building Designs, we recognize the importance of creating intimate and inviting worship spaces. Our active team of architects maximizes space efficiency while preserving the spiritual essence of each congregation. Whether it's a quaint chapel or a cozy community gathering hall, our designs ensure that small churches, in their simplicity, exude profound meaning. Find more information here!

[deepchaoswitch]

Top Church Building Design in Mckinney, TX

If you're searching for the perfect church building design in McKinney, look no further. Our team of highly skilled and experienced architects can create beautiful and functional spaces. We take the time to get to know you, your vision, and your goals. We'll work with you every step of the way to ensure that your new church building is everything you've ever wanted and more. Click here for more information!

[brownbrown01]

BBA-A: Transformative Daily Experiences Through Meaningful & Sensible Design

Determine the transformative power of BBA-A, a leading Texas Designer, in creating beautiful, clean, and fair spaces. Experience inspiring, healthy living through our design solutions, tailored to meet your needs, wants, and dreams.

[arkitekcher]

Amano

McKinney+Windeatt Architects Location: Auckland, New Zealand Photographed by David Straight

[dankusner]

Dallas Navigator: a guide to the city, from cocktails to cowboy culture

Cowboy culture is currently captivating the world in a new way.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album has dominated the charts this year, rodeo fashion is back in vogue, and several Texan cities have witnessed an economic and population boom over the past decade.

And of the set, it’s Dallas that’s caught our attention.

Together with its sister city, Fort Worth, it forms the largest metroplex in Texas and the Southern US, and DFW International Airport is the third largest in the world.

With multiple cultural projects in the works, an exploding art market, and the most hotels currently under construction of any city in the US, there’s much more to the ‘Big D’ than the rodeo — although that’s still a huge draw, too.

So whether you’re in town for business, pleasure or an extended layover, here are our top spots to explore in Dallas.

What to see and do in Dallas

Where to stay

Hôtel Swexan

Hôtel Swexan (Swiss meets Texan) is Dallas’s most anticipated and unique new hotel of the past few years.

It may occupy a shiny new 22-storey glass tower by Kengo Kuma, but the interiors overseen by Harwood International founder Gabriel Barbier-Mueller have an old-world aesthetic – particularly in the many restaurants and lounges.

The hotel’s 134 guest rooms include eight individually designed suites, and the rooftop pool bar offers panoramic views across downtown.

Hôtel Swexan is located at 2575 McKinnon St, hotelswexan.com

Where to eat and drink

Bar Colette

Melon and Prosciutto aperitivo at Bar Colette

Melon and Prosciutto aperitivo at Bar Colette

Bar Colette offers a moody, contemporary vibe for stylish young professionals to enjoy a variety of original craft cocktails, like the tequila-based Rhu-Barbie, or one of the lighter Two Sip options.

Opened in 2023 to rave reviews, the space was founded and designed by brothers Brandon and Henry Cohanim, who looked to 1960s Italian for decor inspiration.

Along with the cocktails and an extensive spirits and wine list, the bar menu includes an indulgent Caviar Waffle.

Bar Colette is located at 3699 McKinney Ave #306, barcolette.com

Georgie Steakhouse

Designed by Brooklyn-based GRT Architects, the studio behind interiors of New York’s buzziest restaurants, Georgie is a reimagining of the traditional Texan steakhouse both in terms of style and menu.

Burnt orange velvet booths, rattan and tambour panelling and curved architectural elements set the scene for chef Curtis Stone’s award-winning cuisine.

Georgie Steakhouse is located at 4514 Travis St Suite 132, georgiedallas.com

What to do

Rodeo Bar

You can’t come to Texas without visiting a saloon, and Rodeo Bar in the downtown Adolphus Hotel offers the perfect balance of chic and kitsch.

The joint first opened in 1981, but four decades later has received a refresh by local studio Swoon that maintains the 1980s honky tonk vibe, but has upped the style stakes.

Neon artworks, leather armchairs and the jukebox all retain the original cowboy attitude, while the bar and grill are now accompanied by a basement entertainment space.

Whether this is your first rodeo or not, you’re guaranteed a fun time.

Rodeo Bar is located at 1321 Commerce St, adolphus.com

Winspear Opera House

Located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, this futuristic 2,200-seat performance venue was designed by Foster+Partners as a 21st-century reinterpretation of a traditional opera house.

From the exterior, the transparent core of the building glows red from within and pierces through an extensive square canopy of steel that surrounds and shades the building and its landscaped park.

Inside, a giant crystalline chandelier hangs above the stalls and balconies are wrapped in gold leaf.

Winspear Opera House is located at 2403 Flora St, attpac.org

Where to shop

Miron Crosby

Searching for a pair of authentic and stylish cowboy boots? Look no further than Miron Crosby, a luxury craft-forward brand with an equally chic store in Highland Park Village, designed by Gill Brown of Maplewood and Javier Burkle of Burkle Creative.

Created by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, who grew up on a West Texas cattle ranch, this Dallas-based operation carries men, women, kids and even bridal styles – all made with traditional production techniques and offering customisation too.

Miron Crosby is located at 25 Highland Park Village #201, mironcrosby.com

Nasher Sculpture Center Shop

The store located inside the Renzo Piano-designed Nasher Sculpture Center is an art lover’s paradise, stocking a wide variety of books on historic and contemporary sculptors – many of which accompany the museum’s fêted exhibition programme – and design-led objects that make perfect gifts and keepsakes.

The interiors by Charles Sparks + Company are intentionally minimalist, in keeping with Piano’s travertine and glass architecture, and the space acts as a connector between the public realm, and the museum’s galleries and garden.

Nasher Sculpture Center Shop is located at 2001 Flora St, nashersculpturecenter.org

[wadegriffith]

The new H-E-B in Frisco, Texas was built by EMJ Construction and designed by RSP Architects. The 118,000-square-foot store is filled with state-of-the-art amenities and innovations and has distinctive features such as a True Texas BBQ, full-service pharmacy with a drive-thru, car wash, fuel station, and Home by H-E-B décor department.

The opening of the first H-E-B in North Texas brought quite a bit of fanfare with over 1,500 people in line before the doors even opened and over 1,000 pounds of brisket sold by the end of the first day.

EMJ is serving as the general contractor on two additional H-E-B stores in Plano and McKinney, which are currently under construction.

© Wade Griffith Photography 2022

[adamzollerzcqb916]

Home Decor Decoracion Franklin Road House by Jack McKinney Architects and Katie Lockhart Studio Project Feature The Local Project

Home Decor Decoracion

Franklin Road House by Jack McKinney Architects and Katie Lockhart Studio Project Feature The Local Project

[shastamcdohboz001]

Home Decor Decoracion Franklin Road House by Jack McKinney Architects and Katie Lockhart Studio Project Feature The Local Project

Home Decor Decoracion

Franklin Road House by Jack McKinney Architects and Katie Lockhart Studio Project Feature The Local Project