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.