Oak Lawn Place
Oak Lawn Place is North Texas’ first affordable housing development designed to be inclusive and welcoming to LGBTQIA+ seniors. Developed by Matthews Southwest, Volunteers of America and Resource Center—one of the largest LGBTQIA+ community centers in the country and a key North Texas HIV/AIDS service organization—and designed by our Dallas studio, the project offers a new and 100% affordable home to those 55 and older.
More than a roof over one’s head, Oak Lawn Place is a space for belonging, designed to nurture community.
Cece Cox, Resource Center CEO
Seniors in North Texas lack sufficient affordable housing options, and Dallas’ aging LGBTQIA+ population faces compounded hurdles: under Texas state law, there is no protection against housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and cumulative discrimination over decades puts LGBTQIA+ seniors at higher risk for poverty and social isolation.
Oak Lawn Places transforms a multi-use industrial boat salvage yard, bisected by a creek, into a community asset. By geotechnial report recommendation, only half the land was viable for development, so our first step was maximizing allowable building volume. Next, with resident well-being in mind, we adjusted the form. The angular C-shaped plan optimizes each unit’s exposure to natural light and forms a protective wing around an outdoor deck largely hidden from public view.
Finally, we turned the corner most visible to approaching traffic into a statement of identity. The distinct façade, cheerful with multi-colored panels and floating above a glass lobby, gives a warm and inclusive welcome with a gesture to the modern rainbow flag.
Oak Lawn Place is located in Dallas’ Oak Lawn neighborhood, the heart of the North Texas LGBTQIA+ community since the 1970s. The 84-unit development offers residents a home conveniently within walking distance of public transit, Resource Center’s Community Center, and its Clinic.
Inside Oak Lawn Place, designers’ focus was tranquility. Creative solutions—from the elegant, diffused illumination of cove lighting to strategically placed ceiling cuts directing residents to rooms through shadow and light—enhance the ambiance within budget.
Luxury finishes, a vibrant and uplifting color palette, and ample natural light create an inviting backdrop for curated art and digital displays animating the interior, along with a custom mural on every level by local artist Karen Chen of Sunshine Studios.
