A special program presented by The Dallas Architecture Forum and The Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture at SMU.
FREE and open to the public. No reservations required.
Located in O’Hara Hall on the 7th Floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.
Join The Forum and The Dallas Institute for an important and extremely time-sensitive program about the importance of Dallas City Hall. Hear from civic leaders including Cullum Clark, Bob Meckfessel, and Seemee Ali about why we must save or transform both City Hall and the surrounding plaza.
About the Speakers:
Seemee Ali
Seemee Ali, Ph.D., proudly serves as Director of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture at SMU. For more than forty-five years, the Institute’s “What Makes a City” conferences have convened thoughtful people to consider questions about the soul of the city and its wellbeing. Dr. Ali has earned numerous accolades for her work in the humanities both within and outside academe. She has lived and led study tours in Rome, Italy, and has lectured and presented scholarly papers across the United States and abroad – on figures as varied as Toni Morrison, Mark Rothko, Salman Rushdie, W.E.B. DuBois, Aeschylus, and Homer.
Cullum Clark
Cullum Clark is Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative and Adjunct Economics Professor at SMU. Cullum’s work focuses on creating prosperous, high-opportunity cities as a path to improving economic mobility in America and advancing the Bush Institute principle of private markets humanized by compassionate government. He co-authored the book The Texas Triangle: An Emerging Power in the Global Economy. Cullum’s work has appeared in City Journal, Real Clear Policy, and numerous other publications, plus the Freakonomics Radio podcast. He recently published an extensive report on the role of universities and academic medical centers in local and regional economies and is currently working on a report on housing supply and affordability in U.S. cities.
Cullum worked in investments for 25 years, founding two firms. He serves on the Board of the Texas charter school network Uplift Education and on several foundation and endowment boards. He earned a B.A. in History from Yale, a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Economics from SMU.
Bob Meckfessel, FAIA
Robert Meckfessel brings over 40 years of experience in the planning and design of institutional, residential, and commercial projects in North America, Europe, and Asia. Many of these projects have been recognized for innovation and excellence in urban design, architecture, sustainability, and preservation from professional and industry organizations, including AIA Dallas, the Texas Society of Architects (TxA), Docomomo US, Preservation Dallas, and Preservation Texas. He has served as President of leading organizations involved with the quality of the built environment, including Docomomo US, The Dallas Architecture Forum, the Trinity Commons Foundation, AIA Dallas, and Preservation Dallas. He speaks often at professional conferences, political forums, and educational events.
He is Founding Principal of DSGN Associates, recipient of the TxA Architecture Firm Award in 2020, and AIA Dallas Firm of the Year in 1999 and 2018. In 2007 Meckfessel was elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects for his service to his profession and community.