The craftsmanship of stately homes, majesty of great buildings and true expression in beautiful art have always been in Dillon Kyle’s life, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that architecture would be his calling.
Kyle, 58 and a fifth-generation Houstonian, grew up visiting his great grandmother’s home in Courtlandt Place and his grandmother’s home in River Oaks, structures remodeled or designed by Birdsall P. Briscoe. His own family traveled extensively, and he jokes that his art historian mother insisted the family of five visit every Saxon church in England on a European vacation.
“Somehow there’s an innate sense of beauty when you are around things that are well proportioned and have a sense of composition – there’s an impact somehow,” Kyle said. “I was always exposed to great architecture. When I was in high school my parents were building a house at their farm, and I was very interested in it.”
After college, Kyle worked for firms in New York, then San Francisco. The day he got his architecture license, he quit his job and returned to his hometown to open his own firm.
“I always have loved Houston,” Kyle said. “Austin has an architectural style and Santa Fe has a style and the Hamptons has a style. What defines Houston is much more nuanced and ephemeral.”
While he’s best known for his residential work, he’s also done commercial jobs such as the Glenwood Cemetery Visitor’s Center, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s administrative office, the Koelsch Gallery, Meredith Long Gallery, and Canopy Restaurant.
“I always have loved Houston. Austin has an architectural style and Santa Fe has a style and the Hamptons has a style. What defines Houston is much more nuanced and ephemeral.” – Architect Dillon Kyle