With a sleek modern sensibility and an awareness of the power of open, cleanly articulated vistas, Frank Welch designed sophisticated homes for a sophisticated clientele. Known affectionately as "The Dean," Welch's 90 years on earth spanned the creation of numerous spacious, elegant structures in a state primed for the appreciation of wide open spaces. 

Some of his most famous works include "The Birthday," and The Walter Davis House. Recently, a house he designed known as the Texas Modern on North Janmar went on the market for $3.75 million. The 6,600 square foot home features his trademark "stick ceilings" and resplendent natural vistas. 

As PaperCity Magazine noted, "Welch was recognized with more than 50 awards for design excellence, and in 2006, the Texas Society of Architects presented him with its highest honor, the TSA Medal for Lifetime Achievement. In later years, as his eyesight dimmed from macular degeneration, he increasingly relied on other members of his architecture firm to carry out his designs. Despite his health challenges, his enthusiasm for parties and cultural events never waned, and he continued to go to movies, opera, and plays, escorted by a driver or a friend. A dapper dresser, Welch had wit, charm, and a weakness for chocolate chip cookies and martinis.

In his memoir, he writes of his melancholy whenever one of his labors of love is torn down. While many of his buildings and residences have escaped the wrecking ball, his most iconic achievement, The Birthday, was destroyed decades after it was built, when the land’s new owners built a house around it. He mused, “That’s when I began to realize that nothing does endure.”

We disagree — Frank Welch’s structures may be subject to whim, but his extraordinary legacy lives on."