Larry Good, Stan Haas, and Duncan Fulton break away from Parkey & Partners Architects to establish a new practice: Good Haas & Fulton (GH&F). They initially work out of their own private residences. They show up unannounced at P&PA coworker Karen Quick’s door to ask her to join the firm as its receptionist. She agrees under the condition that she doesn’t handle the accounting.
GH&F occupies its first office space at 311 Market Street in the West End district of Downtown Dallas starting out with seven employees. The exposed steel and heavy timber framing of the floor above the mezzanine level leaves the firm’s tallest employees with multiple headaches. Only classical music is allowed from the stereo system.
Retail strip shopping centers provide the firm with its first opportunities for “place making.” Many of these designs have survived decades of shifting design paradigms and can still be found in their original form throughout the Metroplex.
Duncan Fulton hires an intern to manage the print shop and the night before his first day, the intern calls and informs Duncan he can’t come in to work because he doesn’t own any slacks.
Joe Patti joins the firm and instantly claims the title of “most experienced Architect.” Joe refines the standards for contract documents and introduces specifications.
D Magazine identifies GH&F in article titled “These are the best Architects in Dallas.” Larry Good, Stan Haas, and Duncan Fulton stand alongside the likes of Bill Booziotis, Bud Oglesby and James Pratt in an iconic photo.
GH&F moves into its second office space — 300 LTV Center (now Trammell Crow Center)—in an attempt to look like the clients that the firm wanted to work for. It is the most expensive office space in town, which doesn’t work out well since a recession was just around the corner.
Larry Good becomes the president of AIA Dallas. During his tenure he collaborates with the Greater Dallas Planning Council to produce “Visions for Dallas” and loses the famous AIA Stetson signed by several dead Presidents.
Tammy Chambless wins the firm’s holiday design competition with a series of representations of the mythical town Ampersand, a project which celebrates the symbol appearing in the firm’s abbreviation GH&F.
Oil prices collapse, banks fail, the real estate market goes to pot and over the course of three years, the firm shrinks to 14 employees rattling around in 7,500SF in Trammell Crow Center.
Stan Haas resigns from GH&F, an event that Larry Good would later describe as the “worst day of his professional career.” David Farrell is elevated to Design Director and the firm is re-branded as Good Fulton & Farrell (GFF).
A chance encounter at breakfast introduces Larry Good to a new client — upstart electronics retailer Circuit City. GFF follows through with more than 400 project engagements over 17 years for the brand. The arrangement sustains the firm through two economic downturns and pays for all the computers. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
GFF moves its office to the Centrum. This location becomes beloved by firm employees and is known for its iconic glazed garage doors on each principal’s office. The problem is that whenever a garage door is lowered, everyone knows that somebody is in trouble!
The FBI visits GFF after an intern (and relative of a client) is apprehended making false IDs at a local photo printing shop. The young man goes on to become an important client for the firm.
The Centennial Master Plan for Southern Methodist University (SMU) kicks off a $300 Million capital campaign and a 30-year relationship with GFF.
GFF is hired to design the Crate & Barrel (C&B) Home Store at McKinney and Knox, the first of many C&B projects and a relationship that continues today. Crate eventually lures John Moebes away from GFF to be their Director of Construction.
The infamous firm-wide retreat at Lakeway Resort. One employee is too embarrassed to return to work afterwards.
Needing temporary help at the reception desk, GFF hires Allison Johnson. Allison Hubbard goes on to become a Principal and Chief Operating Officer of GFF.
Eighty-three MPH winds rip the entire roof structure from GFF’s “Heritage Commons” project, the brand new headquarters for Ross Perot Jr’s Alliance (later Hillwood) Development Company.
GFF is hired to design the Container Stores in Clarendon Virginia, Walnut Creek California and Columbus Ohio. Today, GFF continues to work on Container Store projects across the United States.
GFF moves to 2808 Fairmount Street in Uptown Dallas and settles in for the next 23 years.
When stressed over too much work, interior designer Jim Looney connects GFF with one of his most important clients — upstart luxury auto dealer Ken Schnitzer of Park Place Motors. GFF designs the Lemmon Avenue Mercedes/Porsche Dealership and Park Place goes on to become one of the largest clients in the history of the firm.
Despite her distaste for accounting, Karen Quick becomes CFO and the firm’s seventh Principal.
Larry Good meets a brash young Architect who he thinks might have a future here and offers Evan Beattie a position in GFF Planning. Evan later informs Larry that he wants his job. Evan eventually succeeds.
Bryce Weigand presents the first session of GFF University. GFFU becomes a regular part of ongoing staff training opportunities, with more than a dozen sessions each year.
GFF is engaged to be the lead Architect for Cypress Equities’ ambitious W7th project spanning five city blocks in downtown Fort Worth and across the street from Tadao Ando’s new Modern.
GFF institutes a monthly State of the Firm meeting, sharing updates on marketing, design, financials and recognitions with the entire staff. The word “kudos” is banned by 2008.
Cypress Equities hatches a plan to develop retail districts for AAFES on army bases around the country and invites GFF to be on the team. Cypress drops the project because they feel there are bigger, more profitable opportunities on the horizon. The 2008 recession proves that theory wrong.
The firm introduces the “Six Pack” – six new principals: Tammy Chambless, Lawrence Cosby, Brian Kuper, Rick Myers, Jon Rollins, and Scott Sower.
The economy collapses in the Great Recession. Over the next six months, GFF parts way with 30% of its staff.
GFF begins collaborating with Morphosis on the Perot Museum of Nature & Science. The museum later wins an AIA Merit Award.
GFF wins the commission for the Master Plan and first buildings at the new Texas A&M University–Central Texas campus in Killeen, Texas.
2010 GFF connects AAFES to another developer and executes projects on six different bases. AAFES turns out to be one of the largest and most profitable clients during the recession.
GFF collaborates with Foster & Partners on the underground parking garage at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
The rehabilitation of Old Parkland for Crow Holdings is GFF’s 30th AIA/TxA Design Award.
In preparation for the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, GFF completes a two-phase renovation of Dealey Plaza, returning the space to its 1963 appearance. The project wins the Gail Thoma Patterson Award from Preservation Dallas. Conspiracy theorists remain, however.
Principals Lawrence Cosby and Traci Webster marry. Neither one takes any time off. Both retire shortly thereafter, Lawrence in 2018 and Traci in 2020.
Allison Hubbard becomes a principal, building on years of leadership and operational impact across the firm.
DBJ lists GFF as a Best Place to Work in 2014, adding a culture win to the firm’s growing track record.
GFF opens its Fort Worth office, pushing the firm’s footprint west and closer to new opportunities.
GFF is one of six firms invited to submit a design for a new Dallas Holocaust Museum. Though GFF’s design is not selected, the submission wins two unbuilt design awards from AIA Dallas. The selected scheme wins only one.
Karen Quick retires after decades of shaping the firm from the inside out, from reception to CFO and principal.
GFF begins collaborating with Robert A. M. Stern Architects on the Cox School of Business at SMU. The Cox project will serve as the flagship project for another $300 Million capital campaign for SMU.
GFF Austin opens in downtown Austin with Jim West at the helm, expanding the firm’s presence in Central Texas.
Larry Good retires to Santa Fe. Evan Beattie is named President of GFF. Larry spends his time in New Mexico writing books about architecture, hiking in the mountains, and hosting the friends that he made being an Architect over the course of 46 years in the profession.
Duncan Fulton retires and Evan Beattie is named President/CEO, marking a major leadership transition for the firm.
The COVID-19 Pandemic hits Texas and the rest of the world. GFF Employees all regret not investing in Zoom, but find that working from home has its advantages.
Despite the pandemic, GFF launches the Summer Fellows program to provide remote learning opportunities for interns and new graduate hires.
The firm receives a D Magazine Non-Profit and Corporate Citizenship Award, recognizing the firm’s community involvement and impact.
Allison Hubbard is recognized with a Dallas Business Journal Women in Business Award, celebrating her leadership and impact.
GFF is recognized by the Dallas Business Journal for its Most Inspiring Leaders Award. Evan Beattie is interviewed by DBJ.
Rick Meyers leaves GFF, and his iconic blue State of the Firm sport coat is memorialized in firm history.
Stephen Pickard earns an “F”, elevated to Fellowship in the AIA, one of the profession’s highest honors.
After 23 years, GFF’s Dallas Office relocates from Fairmount Street to the Plaza at Victory Park. The design makes the firm proud as it celebrates enhanced collaboration and a hospitality mindset geared towards the experience of its guests.
