FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

            Fort Worth, TX – September 20, 2010 - Historic Fort Worth has awarded the Byrd Residence its 2010 Residential Award recognizing excellence in the rehabilitation of historic homes.  Fort Worth homebuilder and master-craftsman Brent Hull of The Brent Hull Companies collaborated with New York-based design firm Christine G. H. Franck, Inc. to restore this historic home to its original charm.

            Built in 1938 in Fort Worth’s Colonial Addition neighborhood, this once-graceful Colonial Revival style home was insensitively renovated in the 1990s. Modern additions of incorrectly proportioned columns, heavy-cast stone trim, and stripping of the original whitewashing and shutters all compromised the home’s original grace. 

            In 2009 an extensive renovation and addition returned the house to its former beauty and updated it for modern living. Sensitive façade renovations included replacing ungainly columns and cast stone trim, re-whitewashing brick, and replacing dark green shutters. An addition to the rear of the house expanded both indoor and outdoor living space without unduly increasing the size of the house visible from the street.

            The subtlest of changes greatly impacted the appearance of this home. In their work together on this renovation, Hull and Franck demonstrate how principles of classical architecture such as proportion and scale, so often misunderstood in today’s typical McMansions, should work together harmoniously.

            Brent Hull is a builder of fine residences, master-craftsman, author, and nationally recognized expert on historic millwork and molding design.  Christine G. H. Franck is a designer, professor of architecture, and author specializing in classical architecture and traditional American domestic architecture.

            This and other outstanding works in the field of historic preservation will be recognized at the Samuel Benton Cantey III Lecture and Annual Preservation Honor Awards, Thursday, September 23, 2010 at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center.  Contact Historic Fort Worth for reservations at (817) 336-2344.

Contact:

Brent Hull, President, The Brent Hull Companies

bhull@hullhistorical.com

(817) 332-1495

Christine G. H. Franck, President, Christine G. H. Franck, Inc.

christine@christinefranck.com

(212) 421-3465

(Above: View of Byrd Residence, AFTER renovations.) 

(Above: View of Byrd Residence, BEFORE renovations.)

 (Above: View of Byrd Residence entablature, AFTER renovations.)

(Above: View of Byrd Residence entablature, BEFORE renovations.)  

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Winterthur Style Sourcebook: Traditional American Rooms

a lecture by Christine G. H. Franck and Brent Hull

Thursday, April 22, 2010 

Gilliland Residence, 3720 Beverly Drive, Dallas, TX

5:30 Reception, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres

6:30 Dream Dallas Question and Answer Session

7:00–8:00pm Lecture

The lecture will explore the Winterthur Museum’s period rooms, the role of the Colonial Revival throughout America and the South, and their relevance for the best of design and craftsmanship today.

Set in the bucolic Brandywine Valley, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate is a treasure of historic American architecture and decorative arts. Created by avid collector and connoisseur Henry Francis du Pont, the vast collection includes period rooms from all thirteen original colonies. Central to the revival of taste for colonial America, today Winterthur is an unparalleled resource for architects, decorators, and patrons alike.

For the first time, with full color photography and original measured drawings, the architectural millwork of selected rooms is examined by master craftsman Brent Hull and designer Christine G. H. Franck in Winterthur Style Sourcebook: Traditional American Rooms.

Christine G. H. Franck is a designer and educator with a practice in New York City. She served as director of the academic programs of The ICA&CA from 1998 to 2005, and has held faculty appointments at the University of Notre Dame and Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture. Ms. Franck also serves on the Board of Directors of the ICA&CA and the Steering Committee of INTBAU. In 2002 Ms. Franck was honored by HRH The Prince of Wales with the first Public Service Award of the Prince’s Foundation for “her outstanding contribution to the study of architecture and design.”

Brent Hull is a leading expert on architectural design and historic construction. A master builder, Brent’s company, Hull Historical, works throughout the country consulting and manufacturing fine custom millwork for discerning clients. Brent speaks nationally and writes frequently for publications like Old House Journal, Period Homes, Fine Homebuilding, Remodeling and Tools of the Trade.

$50 ICA&CA members, $75 non-members, Free to paid Dream Dallas competition participants.