Fans of Dallas architecture are in for a treat May 18 as the Dallas Architecture Forum hosts a free panel discussion featuring local legends Lucy Crow Billingsley and Deedie Rose.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Perkins&Will auditorium (2218 Bryan St., Dallas). It’s part of the Forum’s Panel Discussion Series, which provides public education about architecture, design, and the urban environment. Highly-honored arts and culture philanthropists Lucy Crow Billingsley and Rose will have a moderated conversation with GFF Architects Co-Founder Duncan Fulton on the topic “Medicis in Our Midst.”
“Medicis in Our Midst will be a conversation with two individuals that have enriched our region in many ways – Lucy Billingsley and Deedie Rose,” Fulton said. “Like the Medicis of old, they are visionary, enlightened civic and cultural leaders that have ranges of interest. They are patrons who have utilized the best and the brightest in their endeavors, and they are part of families that have had a multi-generational impact on our arts, institutions, and built environment. Our conversation will explore who they are, how they have achieved so much, and some of the things they are working on now about which they are excited.”
Fulton, who recently retired as chairman and CEO of GFF, has a diverse body of architectural work with an emphasis on cultural and corporate projects.
“Every age has its Medicis — those who advance art and architecture in their cities in enduring ways,” Fulton said. “Two of Dallas’ modern-day Medicis are Lucy Crow Billingsley and Deedie Potter Rose.”
Billingsley is known for developing and managing commercial projects through Billingsley Company, a venture with her husband since 1978. They specialize in developing office buildings, multi-family, retail, and industrial properties, and master-planned communities such as Cypress Waters, International Business Park, Austin Ranch, and the Arts Plaza campus in Dallas’ Arts District. Billingsley previously served as CEO of the Dallas Market Center and the Crow Design Centers.
Rose is a founding board member and current chairwoman of the board of the Trinity Park Conservancy. She serves on the Dallas Museum of Art Board of Trustees and is a founding board member of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Additionally, Rose has served as a member of the National Council of the National Endowment for the Arts and the board of the National Park Foundation. She is a past chair of the board of Public Radio International and numerous other boards.
“I’ve known Deedie and Lucy for many years, and they were selected because they are widely respected and admired as patrons and model clients,” Fulton said of the panelists. “The format will be more of a conversation among friends rather than a traditional panel program.”
