The Lorax Speaks for the Playhouses at NorthPark’s Annual Dallas CASA Event

In Dr. Seuss’ book “The Lorax,” a curious boy hears the tale of how a flourishing land filled with Truffula Trees was stripped bare by the greedy Once-ler, despite the Lorax’s pleas to stop. He speaks for the trees.

The story’s underlying message is if we don’t respect nature, we risk losing it. There’s also a call to individual activism with a lesson to learn. The moral? Even one person can make a difference by caring enough to protect what matters.

It’s a serious message wrapped in bright colors, sure to entertain children. And that is what inspired The Lorax playhouse, a part of the Dallas CASA 30th Annual Parade of Playhouses on display at NorthPark Center. This playhouse, a collaboration between OMNIPLAN and Austin Commercial, is just like the book. It’s bright, it’s fun, and it’s for children.

A NorthPark Tradition Turns 30: Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses Opens Today

“These books that have a deeper meaning to them I think are powerful for our kids to understand so that they can absorb them, retain them and shape how they view the world,” said Amanda Buckley, chief marketing officer for OMNIPLAN. As the mother of three children, Buckley pitched the idea to the team of architects at OMNIPLAN and Austin Commercial’s team of professional builders who created a fun, imaginative playhouse.

Partnership for Non-Profit

The OMNIPLAN and Austin Commercial team is one of 10 partnerships whose imaginative creations will remain on display through Sunday at NorthPark Center. The Parade of Playhouses is celebrating 30 years of fun and supporting Dallas CASA, a non-profit organization that supports children in foster care. Supporters can buy raffle tickets in hopes of being the lucky winner of one of the 10 houses.

Ideas from “The Lorax” story went into several aspects of the structure, under the direction of team captain Tim Astor, an architect with OMNIPLAN. A seed-planting station, a perch with a pail to drop down to friends, a nook for reading a favorite Dr. Seuss story are all part of the house. Among the unique features are also the Truffala Trees that Buckley sewed with her grandmother, Antonia Domke.

“Dr. Seuss is all about your imagination,” Buckley said. “He is one of the most creative authors we’ve ever seen. His creativity lends itself to a playhouse, and I think the Lorax fits perfectly into it.”

Building Together

Although creativity is important, so is the construction process of the house. Austin Commercial ensured the playhouse was built safely, considering such aspects as safety features and weatherproof materials, while encouraging children’s creative play.

OMNIPLAN and Austin Commercial don’t just dabble in playhouse construction. The two companies have partnered for years on large undertakings in Dallas. Two of the companies’ most recent projects have been The Quad, a revitalized version of a 1966 mixed-use development, and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.

“We have a long history of working together on projects that impact the city in a meaningful,” Buckley said. Those projects include office buildings, a museum and even a few playhouses.