COMMON GROUND is a curated panel series of The Dallas Architecture Forum developed by Andrea Alvarez and Martin Medina, Assoc. AIA. The Panels in this series will bring together emerging designers, seasoned professionals, and the broader community to engage in meaningful conversations with locally recognized architects and designers. Through candid dialogue, storytelling, and shared experiences, this series offers an inside look into the journeys of established voices in the field—bridging generations between experience and curiosity, celebrating local talent while nurturing the next generation of designers. Join us as architect Max Levy and some of his colleagues (and former studio team members) discuss their work and how their lives intersect.

Max LEVY, FAIA

Max Levy, FAIA, grew up in Fort Worth, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, and in 1984 established his studio in Dallas. Over the years the animating principle of his work has been this: that architecture has a marvelous capacity to reframe our awareness of nature in ways that can bring a bit of relief to our hectic lives. Working in this manner his projects have been recognized by local, state, and national design awards, including The O’Neil Ford Medal, Texas’ highest commendation for design achievement. Through it all he has maintained faith in the power of drawing, writing, and model-making to deepen one’s work.

Moderator

Martin MEDINA, Assoc. AIA

Martín Medina is a Design Director at OMNIPLAN Architects. With more than a decade of experience, his work is defined by clarity, restraint, and a strong understanding of use and context, viewing architecture as a framework for everyday life. He is known for building meaningful relationships with clients and collaborators, listening carefully and translating complex ideas into intuitive, well-resolved design solutions. His approach balances design rigor with sensitivity to place, resulting in disciplined and cohesive work. Martín serves on the board of the Dallas Architecture Forum and actively contributes to the city’s ongoing dialogue on architecture, design, and the public realm.

Panelists

City Hall and its Future:
A Public Conversation – Video Now on YouTube

“City Hall and Its Future: A Public Conversation” was presented by The Dallas Architecture Forum and the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture at SMU on January 22, 2026. This important program began with introductory remarks by Eurico Francisco, AIA. Seemee Ali, PhD then examined the historic importance of city centers as places of gathering and civic identity. She also reviewed how Dallas civic visionaries led by then-mayor J. Erik Jonsson commissioned Pritzker prize-winning architect I M Pei to design our current Dallas City Hall to move forward from the shadow of the Kennedy assassination. Ali noted that Pei was personally selected by Jackie Kennedy to design JFK’s Presidential Library in Boston, and allowing our current Dallas City Hall to be destroyed would create yet again a gaping wound in the urban fabric of Dallas.

Economist Cullum Clark, PhD, faculty member at SMU, presented important economic data about what creates and sustains a vibrant city center, including informative data showing how Dallas compares with other major cities on key metrics related to this issue.  He also discussed the adverse impact that sports arenas, convention centers, and casinos located in city centers can have on the city’s residents. Some of those results may include public intoxication, drug use, and prostitution. Clark’s data also indicated that even well-managed convention centers are generally “vacant” about 60% of the time, with no positive street activation around them when not in use.

Bob Meckfessel, FAIA enumerated concerns he and other leading architects in Dallas have about the process certain developers and city leaders are pursuing to force a premature decision to abandon our current city hall.

The program concluded with a video by Quin Mathews highlighting key elements of the history, durability, and importance of the I M Pei-designed City Hall.

Dallas city staff members were invited by program organizers to participate in this discussion but declined to do so.

Watch the “City Hall and its Future: A Public Conversation” Video Below

“Save Dallas City Hall” 

Please visit the expanded Save Dallas City Hall website for more information on action steps you can take to help save Dallas City Hall.

The web address is www.savedallascityhall.com

• City Hall has been a place of public gathering – from celebrations to protests, center of Dallas’ history for almost half a century
• Appx 45 years of deferred maintenance cannot be resolved in a few weeks by “back of napkin” estimates – we have had de facto “demolition by neglect”
• The city must conduct a comprehensive and transparent analysis of needed repairs by recognized experts: Structural engineers, MEP engineers, architects, contractors, and preservation experts
• Commercial office buildings in Dallas may be in similar condition with aging infrastructure and smaller floor plates – City’s track record on this issue is not good – i.e. 7800 N. Stemmons
• Dallas must not destroy an internationally renowned public building for a real estate play for private entertainment
  

How You Can Help Save and Transform City Hall

• Contact your City Council representative
• Ask City Council to insist on a thorough, expert-led study of this crucial issue
• Urge City Council and Staff to analyze financial expense and civic detriment related to relegating the city’s municipal center to rented commercial space
• Insist that the council and city leaders engage innovative design professionals to reimagine the current City Hall plaza and building for the city and its citizens – maintaining this masterpiece while renovating it for future decades
• Talk to friends, neighbors, and colleagues – ask them to contact their City Council member
• Sign the petition at savedallascityhall.com
• Wear a “Save Dallas City Hall” button
• Attend and speak at City Council and other meetings to show support

Enjoy this E-Magazine about our 2024-2025 Season 

The Dallas Architecture Forum is pleased to present inspiring talks by past Forum speakers on our YouTube Channel!

View the great design thought leaders already on the channel (or soon to be posted) below.

Make sure to select the “Subscribe” button and the bell icon on our new channel to be notified of new Forum content while you’re on YouTube.

Experience inspired design — virtual and online!