Ford, O'Neil

Ford's lack of a degree became part of his mystique. The Handbook of Texas says that in 1924 he traveled with an uncle through German and Alsatian communities in Castroville, Brackettville and Fredericksburg, and the plain vernacular buildings shaped his later work. His brother Lynn carved doors, mantels and beams for early houses, and artists stenciled walls and made mosaics. In 1958 his firm's Semiconductor Building for Texas Instruments in Dallas used thin concrete shells called hyperbolic paraboloids. During World War II he was a flight instructor in the Army Air Force.

What the plaque says

Ford, O'Neil (December 3, 1905 – July 20, 1982) In the mid-20th century, a North Texas native became a leading architect of the American Southwest. O'Neil Ford was born in Pink Hill and went to school in Sherman (both Grayson Co.), where the arts and crafts curriculum inspired his entire family. Following the death of his father, the Fords moved to Denton. O'Neil learned drafting, woodworking, and architectural drawing at North Texas State Teachers College and earned an architectural certificate by mail from the International Correspondence School of Scranton (Pa.). At the College of Industrial Arts he read the school library's architectural journals, and on the construction site of Denton Presbyterian Church O'Neil met Dallas architect David Williams, who became his mentor. In partnership with others since 1932, Ford designed several significant projects, including Little Chapel in the Woods in Denton, restoration of La Villita in San Antonio, major portions of the campuses of Trinity University (San Antonio) and Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), and the Tower of the Americas for the Hemisfair in San Antonio. He integrated architectural designs with their settings by collaborating with craftsmen and artists, and was active in historic preservation and environmental causes. Ford designed municipal buildings, churches, libraries and homes during his career. He designed additions to Denton's Emily Fowler Library in 1969 and 1981, incorporating a courtyard and interior finishes handcrafted by his family. Ford was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1960 and appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to serve on the National Council for the Arts. His legacy lives on in the artistic blends of natural materials, clean lines, and open spaces in his designs. (2008)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square — 0.3 mi
  An 1896 courthouse by W. C. Dodson in Denton limestone, pink granite and two sandstones, restored in 2004, now a free county museum on a lawn holding the grave of John B. Denton.
• Wise County Courthouse — 26 mi
  J. Riely Gordon's granite Romanesque courthouse of 1895-96 in Decatur, built after fire destroyed the Second Empire courthouse and set off a fight over the county seat.

More markers nearby

• Quakertown — steps away
• Texas Normal College — 0.3 mi
• Denton County — 0.3 mi
• Edna Westbrook Trigg in Denton County — 0.3 mi