Solidarity

Association of Art Museum Directors rallies around Nasher in ongoing dispute with Museum Tower

The Association of Art Museum Directors recently issued a statement “expressing concern” over the “impasse” between the Nasher Sculpture Center and Museum Tower. The AAMD comprises directors from more than 220 art museums in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Nasher contends that sunlight from the tower disrupts the museum’s carefully controlled environment, thereby jeopardizing the safety of its collections. The two entities have been unable to agree on a solution in 18 months. A portion of the statement reads:

An institution’s collections — whether located inside the museum or installed on an exterior site — are essential to the fulfillment of a museum’s civic and educational mission. The Association of Art Museum Directors considers the preservation and care of collections to be a paramount responsibility, and believes that museums have an obligation to conserve and protect the heritage they hold in trust for the public.

In establishing the Nasher Sculpture Center, Raymond Nasher gave the citizens of Texas an unparalleled museum in the heart of the Dallas Arts District and committed to making his extraordinary collection accessible to all. Designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, the Nasher is an invaluable educational, cultural and economic resource for the people of Dallas and visitors from around the world. ...

We understand that throughout this process, the Nasher has negotiated in good faith with the developers of Museum Tower and has provided valid suggestions to ameliorate the situation. We hope that for the benefit of the Dallas community and the great works of art held in trust for their benefit by the Nasher that all parties will work together for an acceptable solution.

In November 2012, Museum Tower rejected the Nasher’s proposed louver solution as unattractive, unpleasant and unacceptable to homebuyers. In January of this year, Omni developer Jack Matthews made a bid to buy the maligned residential project.

“The man is soft-spoken but thoughtful, practical but visionary, and he would surely do a better job of finding a solution with the Nasher than Museum Tower’s current owners,” said CultureMap columnist Eric Celeste.

Just recently, in advance of the current exhibition, “Ken Price: A Retrospective,” the Nasher installed mesh panels on the windows and glass roof to protect the artist’s delicate ceramic works. The museum also installed a mesh solution last year, for the Elliot Hundley show.

Nasher spokesperson Jill Magnuson stresses that these mesh panels are a temporary solution — and one that dampens the experience for Nasher patrons.

“Light is to the Nasher as sound is to the Meyerson,” Magnuson says via email. “Darker galleries in the Nasher would be like muffled sound in our great concert hall.

“I want to make very clear that these temporary mesh panels come nowhere close to eliminating the blinding light effects in our galleries. Patterned light is still visible in the galleries, impeding visitor experiences and compromising our core business as an educational and cultural resource.

“Additionally, there is no remedy that can be made at the Nasher that addresses the problems Museum Tower has created for our museum — inside and out — or throughout the Arts District.”

The Nasher contends that light from Museum Tower threatens to damage the works in the garden and inside the galleries.

Photo ©Timothy Hursley

The Nasher contends that light from Museum Tower threatens to damage the works in the garden and inside the galleries.

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Million-dollar homes

Multi-million-dollar gated home community The Preserve rises in Frisco

Preserve

A palace on the prairie of The Preserve in Frisco

Construction has begun on a multi-million-dollar custom home community in Frisco. Called The Preserve, it's situated among PGA Frisco’s championship golf courses and near the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, with multiple phases that will roll out over the next few years.

The Preserve is part of Fields, a 2,500-acre development in North Frisco off the Dallas North Tollway. Fields is co-developed and owned in partnership with The Karahan Companies, Hunt Realty Investments alongside investors Chief Partners and Cross Tie Capital.

The development will feature retail, dining, entertainment, hotels, corporate offices, native Texas plants, flowers, trees, and 250 acres of park space. It's designed by the same team responsible for Plano’s Legacy West, led by Fehmi Karahan.

Phase 1 of The Preserve will feature 233 homes crafted by 10 North Texas luxury homebuilders: Alford Homes, Coats Homes, and Starside Builders have all begun home construction. The other seven are The Preserve Bella Custom Homes, Endurance Homes, Faulkner Perrin Custom Homes, Hawkins-Welwood Homes, Shaddock Custom Builders & Developers, Sharif & Munir Custom Homes, and Ventura Custom Homes, for whom construction will start soon.

The Preserve Frisco The Preserve in Frisco, soon to be covered with homes.The Preserve

Lot sizes range from 6,800 square feet to more than an acre. Home design options will incorporate high ceilings, open floor plans, glass walls, and seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor such as patios, infinity pools, and landscaped exteriors.

The surrounding area will have more than 2,000 new trees plus views delivered via design elements such as floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive outdoor living areas.

Many of the homes will address sustainability, health, and wellness with green architecture, energy efficiency, water conservation, and recycled building materials.

It will combine the privacy of a gated community with resort-style living, featuring amenities such as the PGA golf courses, 20+ miles of hike and bike trails, and the exclusive Brookside Club with an expansive swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts and a playground.

Prices will start at $3,500,000.

Hunt Realty SVP Todd Watson calls it one of the most anticipated mixed-use projects in the area -- æa perfect location for discerning buyers seeking their forever home or a secondary residence" — although he's involved with the project so he's probably biased.

“As part of the Fields development, with prominent neighbors like PGA of America and the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, we know The Preserve will be one of the most sought-after addresses in North Texas," Watson says.

According to the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, Frisco’s population has increased by 500 percent in two decades and was recently recognized as the fastest growing city in Texas and third across the U.S.

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