Mid-Century Modern in the Denton Municipal Complex
This page features some Mid-Century modern that can be found in the Denton Municipal Complex and around Denton, Texas.
O’Neil Ford designed these buildings in the complex: Denton City Hall, the Civic Center (originally called the Community Building), the Emily Fowler Library, and the Municipal Swimming Pool.
In the late 1950s, the City of Denton and the Denton Chamber of Commerce began discussing how to revitalize Denton.
They came up with slogan such as:
“Golden Triangle” in which Denton was at the top, with Fort Worth and Dallas as the bottom corners.
And
“Dynamic Denton”
They chose O’Neil Ford to design the Municipal Complex, expand the public library, and add places for the public to go.
For more information:
The Architecture of O’Neil Ford: Celebrating Place by David Dillon, 1999.
Essays, by O’Neil Ford, 2019.
O’Neil Ford, Architect, by Mary Carolyn Hollers George.
A Symbiotic Relationship Between Mid-century Modern Masters: The Collaborative Works of Arthur and Marie Berger, Landscape Architects, and O’Neil Ford, Architect, by Dianne Susan Duffner Laurence. 2007.
O’Neil Ford, Architect: A Catalog of Works of O’Neil Ford in Denton, Texas. 1992.
Denton Public Library Records. Mixed Materials. Library Archives.
O’Neil Ford. Vertical File. Various years.
Lynn Ford: Texas Artisan and Craftsman, by Mary Lance. 1978.
Lynn Ford. Vertical File. Various.
O’Neil Ford Collection. The University of Texas at Austin.
Strength to Climb: A Collection of the Writings of Twelve Senior Citizens, Emery, Sarah. 1984. Includes a memoir by Authella Ford Hersh, sister of Lynn and O’Neil Ford.