O'Neil Ford first came to Dallas to work with David Williams, who was determined to establish a style that merged the modernism of Europe with the indigenous qualities of the early pioneer houses of Texas. O'Neil Ford quickly became the darling of Dallas spending his energies at night at balls with debutantes and his days working with the most original architects and artists in Dallas. O'Neil Ford became the grandfather of Texas Modernism spurring generations of future architects who reinterpret this architectural approach. O'Neil Ford designed his first project as a studio for Jerry Bywaters in 1929 and designed the Haggerty/Hanley home in Dallas before he left for San Antonio in 1957.

O'Neil Ford, in 1936, designed his first major modern home - the international architectural link between the Texas modern homes of his mentor David Williams and award-winning architects Lake Flato and Frank Welch today. You will find this home at 3514 Rock Creek on the finest lot in Turtle Creek Park. For the last 40 years the home has been kept in pristine condition by the most prominent engineer in Texas. Hidden, private and sublime this significant and historic home welcomes modern furniture and Texas grace - one of the true great homes. For more information on this Dallas modern home, see Featured Listings.

The Jerry Bywaters Studio faithfully conveyed the early Texas homes that David Williams and O'Neil Ford so faithfully sketched as an inspiration for the Texas modern architecture. This Texas landmark remained intact and unaltered for 75 years before it was town down to make room for a new home. Most architectural historians, preservationists and patrons of the arts did not consider this home to be in jeopardy as it was a secondary structure to the main building site and could be easily moved to another position on the existing site or reconstructed at Old City Park to give this museum park the best example of early regional architecture in the state. These photographs show the simple structure with a front porch. The inside had hand carved newel posts and a railing system used repeatedly by O'Neil Ford and David Williams on their staircases and exterior balconies. Scalloped beams and woodwork, along with exposed brick walls are also repeated in future homes of O'Neil Ford and David Williams.