Presented by Highland Park Village

The Preservation Park Cities Distinguished Speaker Luncheon presented by Highland Park Village featured Brent Hull, an award-winning builder and expert in historically accurate architectural millwork and moldings, as the keynote speaker on the topic “Texas Preservation.”
         
Chaired by Lauren Cooper and Porter Fuqua with Jan and Bruce Harbour as honorary chairs and Jason Morski as president, the reception began with guests enjoying passed hors d’oeuvres and wine, along with a VIP reception and book signing.

        
Jason began by welcoming everyone saying that Preservation Park Cities mission is to preserve and promote the history, architecture, aesthetics, and cultural traditions of the Park Cities.  He also shared insight into his own experience owning and carefully renovating an historic home, his was built in the 1800s, saying “Old is gold!” to a rousing round of applause. He gave insight into upcoming events, including the Historic Home Tour in May 2026 and the Park Cities Car Show in April 2026.
        
After the chairs thanked sponsors, including D Home as magazine sponsor, Brent presented a very interesting slideshow and spoke about how to build better and more beautifully. From the history of housing from post-war in 1946 when the focus was on supplies to the cookie-cutter homes of the 1950s, then through the housing crisis, modern houses and how construction has changed through the years. Focusing on historic buildings, he said that’s what ties the community together, the history of our homes, saying that when we save these buildings, we save who we are.
        
To learn more about Preservation Park Cities or to join, visit the website at www.preservationparkcities.org.   

Brent Hullis an award-winning master builder and expert in historically accurate architectural millwork and moldings. For over thirty years his craftsmanship has enhanced nationally registered properties and homes across the country. Hull honed his expertise at Boston’s North Bennet Street School where he trained in the art of traditional building and historic preservation prior to founding Hull Millwork & Hull Homes in Fort Worth, Texas. When Brent is not working with his teams, speaking or consulting about how to build better and more beautifully, he enjoys reading and writing about historic architecture. He has authored five books on historic millwork; his most recent book released this spring, Millwork: The Design and Manufacturing of Historic Millwork from 1740-1950.

Overview:

• The Historic Home Tour, Distinguished Speaker Luncheon and the Park Cities Car Show are the organization’s only fundraisers each year. The proceeds are allocated to help further our mission to celebrate and promote the preservation of Park Cities architecture, history, aesthetics, and cultural traditions.
• The purpose of the annual Historic Home Tour is to showcase architecturally and historically significant homes of the Park Cities and illustrate how these homes have been restored or remodeled to serve the lifestyle needs of families today.
• The organization landmarks architecturally and historically significant homes in the Park Cities, some of which are on the Historic Home Tour.
• Members of the organization enjoy historic and preservation oriented educational programs.

Preservation Park Cities Mission:
Preservation Park Cities mission is to preserve and promote the history, architecture, aesthetics, and cultural traditions of the Park Cities. Proceeds of the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon, Historic Home Tour and the Classic and Antique Car Show will be used to fund:

• Property Landmarking
• Stewardship of the PPC archives at the UP Library
• HPISD Architecture/History Student Scholarship Award
• The Distinguished Chair for History at HPHS
• The “Save the Top 100” campaign and the new book: The Houses of the Park Cities: An Architectural Guide to the Historic Houses of Highland Park and University Park Texas

Membership in PPC is open to the community. For more information visit www.preservationparkcities.org

Social Media: Facebook @preservationparkcities     Instagram @preservationparkcities/                                                            

Photos by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio