Dallas Pacesetters Gather to Hear Local Architect Richard Drummond Davis

From Staff Reports

On Thursday, Nov. 15, members of the Dallas Pacesetters – a select group of 30 Dallas-area Realtors from various brokerages – gathered over boxed lunches at 3504 Marquette Street in University Park to listen to nationally acclaimed local architect, Richard Drummond Davis. Davis, who trained at Princeton University under renowned post-modernist Michael Graves, spoke on “Trends and Residential Design.” Though he has a reputation for authentic period architecture, his early career focused on eclectic designs, blending classical forms with contemporary use of space.

Richard Drummond Davis

One such example of an eclectic Davis project was, not coincidentally, the meeting site on Marquette, which is also a current listing of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate agents and Pacesetters, Paige and Curt Elliott. Davis explained the thought process behind the 1984 home’s 5,184-square-foot “meandering” floor plan. Conversations can be had across multiple rooms, including from the lofted game room down to the main living/dining space.

“We consciously tried to make it flow from room to room,” said Davis. “The open plan was intended to be that way. Back then, everyone in Dallas was still doing discrete rooms in houses and pretty much doing only American Colonial architecture, classical Georgian and Greek Revival architecture.”

In that respect, the four-bedroom, five-bath home somewhat defied the norms of the time.

“You could tell Richard really enjoyed being back in the property he designed,” said Paige Elliott, “and recalling how forward-thinking it was with the open flow and natural light.”

“He also showed us several of his current designs,” said Curt Elliott, “that are traditional yet have very large open living spaces to appeal to today’s buyer. That is his signature, so to speak.”

Davis’ firm, RDDA, Inc., has gone on to design more than 400 residences in a broad range of styles and building types including: authentic English and French estates, award-winning expansion and remodel of historic buildings, sophisticated urban townhomes and luxe second homes.