| The recent notice that John's Café
on Lower Greenville Avenue was slated for demolition made me aware of
this commercial strip adjacent to some important older neighborhoods.
I have speculated for some time about whether the increasing number of
residential teardowns would spill over to the demand for larger, grander
commercial services along our historic corridors. This may not be the
case here but, regardless, I paused to think more broadly about the loss
of another cultural property.
Many may not remember that Velma Davis Dozier and Esther Webb Houseman
operated the Dallas School of Creative Arts from about 1933 through 1940
at 2714 Greenville Avenue. Ellen Niewyk of SMU presented a paper at the
Dallas History Conference in 2003 that enlightened many of us about these
women. These noted artists operated a school and gallery that served as
a center for the Dallas art community in the mid 20th century. The artists
taught metalworking, jewelry making, leather crafts, textile and fabric
design, sculpture, painting, etching, and wood engraving. A 1934 Dallas
Times Herald newspaper article also noted that their products were sold
in the gallery including copper trays and utensils, pewter tea and coffee
sets, and silver jewelry.
The School of Creative Arts hosted local art exhibitions that included
the well–known Dallas Nine, as well as other top artists. Though
profitable for Esther and Velma, who had married Otis Dozier in the school,
the two moved the school upstairs within a few years because of cheaper
rent. In 1940, the women created a catalogue offering vases, ashtrays,
bowls, and a small copper miniatures line signing each piece in a distinctive
signature. This woman-led enterprise is important for women's history
as well as the art community.
Historic properties significant in our cultural history, in this case
the arts, are often not architectural landmarks. Despite that, the buildings
are legacies to a rich history and important era in our city. Dallas led
the state in the arts in the middle 20th century establishing a national
reputation for modern art and regionalism. Within the last few years,
Dallas lost Jerry Bywater’s house and studio in Bluffview. We will
face more of this in the future. Let's respect our cultural history as
much as our architecture.
W. Dwayne Jones
Executive Director
September 14, 2005
|
Photos courtesy of The Otis and Velma Davis Dozier
Collection, Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern
Methodist University.
|
