James Reece Pratt

PRATT, James Reece 1927 - 2018 James Pratt of Santa Fe, NM, died November 6th, 2018. James was born in Stamford, Texas on March 25, 1927 to James "Reece" and Margaret (Barret) Pratt. Upon the death of his father in 1935, he and Margaret settled in Dallas. From his mother, James developed a deep appreciation for research, history, culture and travel. His aunt, Ruth Barret DuBrul, was equally influential, inspiring persistence and perfectionism through sharing her passions of cooking and gardening. In his high school years James played the coronet in a band in local nightclubs he wasn't old enough to enter, substituting for musicians serving in WWII. Post service in the Navy, James earned a bachelor's degree at UT, Austin, 1950 and a Masters of Architecture at Harvard University, 1953. James' passion for Dallas led to his being one of the city's most visionary and influential architects of his time. His contributions to the urban landscape included notable public and private structures, city-wide urban planning, and historic preservation. His work was distinguished for connecting diverse communities and cultures while respecting and acknowledging the specific environment and topology. James and his firms, James Pratt, Architect (1957); Pratt and Box (1958-1969); Pratt, Box, Henderson and Partners (1970-1984); and James Pratt Architecture, Urban Design, Inc. (1984-2014) were recognized nationally and internationally. For more on James' professional career, see: AIA Dallas Springboard. James was a world traveler fascinated by history and all cultures, studying planning and architecture in international cities to broaden and deepen his work. His love of culture and craft was also evident in his pursuit of Japanese gardening and ceramics. Notable projects included glorious chrysanthemum displays and sculpting the faces of sixteen historical world figures. Tying together all of James's interests was his 40-year-long research into and study of La Reunion, the 1850s Fourierist Utopian community which briefly attempted to establish itself outside of Dallas. Sabotaged: Dreams of Utopia in Texas is to be published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2019. James' legacy to his children includes inspiring a love of travel, craft and craftsmanship, and a critical eye towards the built environment. James is survived by wife--and often project partner--Joanne Henderson Pratt, daughters Sabrina V. Pratt (David Carr), Alexandra B. Pratt (Aaron Craig) and Ilya C. Pratt (Lori Lewis), and grandsons Wesley Carr, Barret Carr, Zhenko Craig and Ansel Craig, brother-in-law Philip Henderson and nephews Peter Henderson (Joelle Ehre and son Milo) and Matthew Henderson (Miriam Langer). A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on March 3, 2019 at the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture, 100 S. Houston Street, Dallas. In lieu of flowers, contributions would be welcomed to a fund for architecture students to travel in Japan. Checks should be issued to the order of "The University of Texas," making reference to the "Pratt Memorial Gift" and sent to the attention of Mr. Luke Dunlap, UT School of Architecture, 310 Inner Campus Drive B7500, Austin, TX 78712-1009. Gifts can also be made online. Please note "Pratt Memorial" in the notes.