O’Neil Ford - “Designing Denton and Beyond”
Many a couple has been married in the intimate confines of the Little Chapel-in-the-Woods at Texas Woman’s University, most of them probably unaware that it was designed by Texas’ most famous architect of the 20th Century: O’Neil Ford. He grew up in post-Depression Denton, got his architecture degree by correspondence, yet went on to lecture at universities such as Harvard and Cambridge. He is the only individual ever recognized as a “National Historic Landmark”—not his buildings, the man himself.
Ford’s “Texas vernacular” style of architecture is similar in concept to that of his renown peer Frank Lloyd Wright in that both are artists who possessed the fascinating ability to design a structure not just “in” its natural setting but “into” it. A prime example is the Little Chapel, perhaps his most famous architectural feat. Though Ford died on July 20, 1982, his work is still winning new fans. In early 2009, the Little Chapel came in at number 6 on “The 10 Best Buildings in Texas” list, Texas Monthly’s rendition of a Texas Architectural Tour.
Ford considered Denton his hometown. He graduated from Denton High School and then attended North Texas State Teachers College (now the University of North Texas) for two years. Financial problems dictated a change in academics and he finished his collegiate career through a correspondence course in architecture after which he quickly found his feet in the architectural world through an apprenticeship with Dallas architect David R. Williams. Williams believed Ford had natural talent for design. Several beautiful homes around North Texas attest to the creative genius inspired by their teamwork, every one incorporating native materials unique to its environment.
A partnership forged in 1937 with Dallas architect Arch Swank resulted in the most famous testament to Ford’s art-plus-architecture philosophy. The Little Chapel truly is art from the foundation to the roof, built by students who invested their own talents through intricate woodwork, storytelling stained glass, and mesmerizing mosaic adorning its inside. True to Ford’s style, the artistic design extends even to the beauty of the Chapel’s natural setting on a knoll amidst native Texas grasses, trees, and flowering plants – one of the region’s popular picks for photographers shooting bride-to-be portraits.
The Little Chapel project launched Ford to prominence in the worlds of both architecture and art. Unlike hundreds of couples who pledge forever love to one another before the Little Chapel’s alter every year, Ford’s fame extinguished the partnership with Swank within a couple of years when he left Denton to build his dream designs in other destinations, eventually establishing his own architectural firm in San Antonio.
Ford’s legacy lives on in the long list of his famous works from City Hall in downtown Denton to Trinity University and the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio. He realized international attention when Texas Instruments built his designs in Dallas, Italy, France, and England.
This article could list myriad works by O’Neil Ford, but since this is Denton Live, this self-guided tour assists the architecturally passionate and the casually curious in seeing the 15 Ford structures still standing across Denton.
Thank you to Denton author, researcher, and historian Mike Cochran for granting his permission for use of his published research and photography on O’Neil Ford. Photos and research are excerpted from O’Neil Ford in Denton, by Mike Cochran.
By Kim Phillips