O’Neil Ford, Texas’ most prominent architect, called Denton his hometown. If you go to the Historic Landmark posted in the courtyard of Denton’s City Hall, a structure he designed, you will read this:
Late in his career, Ford would recall the influences of his days in Denton and credit his pursuit of the creative life with his fascination with the Denton County Courthouse. Ford would say, “I used to just stand there, wondering how they ever got it up …. I was in Denton just the other day … so I went over to look at the courthouse again and still don’t know how they ever did that blasted, blessed thing.”
Great things done in a city inspire other great things.
This week alone, I’ve observed Dentonites starting ambitious new businesses, entrepreneurs getting their tech startup acquired by Shutterstock, organizers celebrating 30 years of the best storytelling festival in the state, our creative class resurrecting an internationally-acclaimed downtown music festival, and small business owners and neighbors bringing new life (and green beer) to an old downtown alleyway.
If you want to consume culture, there are many great cities to do so. If you want to create culture, come to Denton, Texas.