East Dallas builder to combat McMansions with postmodern style

by Chad Jones

Windows, check. Flat roof, check. Right angles, check. Palm trees are extra.

One valiant East Dallas builder is helping combat the evil encroachment that is McMansion-ization. Our hero's name? Doug Hildinger.

Along with his partner Matt Holley, Hildinger works for the residential development company Case Study Homes Inc.—a group which aims, as the name suggests, to create a sense of individuality within their homes. Unheard of, right?

Having felt as if the Dallas community is losing its architectural identity, Hildinger is working to revive a post-modernist style rooted in the late 1940s which emphasizes floor-to-ceiling windows, stone, wood, flat roofs, and right angles.

His current project is a home which will be built in the Kessler Woods area of Oak Cliff, and he feels that East Dallas, near White Rock Lake, will provide the best environment for the reemergence of this new/old style.

Hildinger tells The Lakewood People that the original Case Study homes is “the most important modernist movement ever.”

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Minnie Payne says:

Chad,

Very interesting. I'm sure that the M Streets/Lakewood area would welcome Hildinger and Holley.

Minnie Payne

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2 years, 10 months ago
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Billusa99 says:

Well, there IS some architectural outrage about his "borrowing" of the hallowed 'Case Study' name. And, I can see why from their POV.

In another sense, would you call your building project "F.L. Wright Designs" and subsume his house-naming context too? Hmmmm...?

http://www.archinect.com/forum/thread...

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2 years, 10 months ago
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Teresa Gubbins says:

nice link, billusa

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2 years, 10 months ago
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jenn says:

Can't say I love post-modern architecture personally, but I'm all for anyone opting out of the depressing rock/brick Plano style home that is the bane of my existence. Now maybe some people will start to realize that we don't really NEED another Pei Wei...

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2 years, 10 months ago
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lakewooder says:

The original East Dallas McMansions of 5 years ago are now small and low-end. Suddenly the new ones are on steriods. There's a larger-than-Swiss Ave size mansion being built across from Lakewood Wells Fargo, even..

A house next door to me is three stories with an elevator - over a million bucks.

No, we really don't want to be the Park Cities East, thank you!

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2 years, 10 months ago
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AFriend says:

Congratulations and welcome. Let' hope Hildinger, et. al will expand its horizons into other areas of Dallas who could use their originality and design. Preston Hollow and Parts of North Dallas have incredible trees and lots as well who could benefit from this architectural integrity. Keep it up!

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2 years, 9 months ago
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ecg0792 says:

Postmodernism didn't arrive until the late 70s, early 80s, so whoever wrote this column needs to take and architectural history lesson. Postmodernism is in response to modernism, which these houses fall under, and is widely considered the worst period of architecture, due to it's clowning and mocking approach to design. Also, for this developer to devote their design strictly to the modernist style is quite bewildering, since high modernism was practiced from the 20s to the 40s, and late modern, or the exit of modernism was felt during the 60s. Ironic that the term "modernism" actually denote a design period 50 years ago. Good job Dallas, you're only half a century behind the curb, but at least you have a well thought out mass transit system.