The 80’s started out hale and hearty for our firm. Our reputation in the hospitality design community was growing as was our project list. The year 1981 brought us commissions for the renovation of The Melrose Hotel in Dallas (remember the signature tartan plaid in the cozy Library Bar?). We were also commissioned to restore the Presidential Yacht, the Sequoia. Did you realize there was a presidential yacht?! I sure didn’t!
It was a 105-foot vessel that was sailed by eight presidents from Herbert Hoover to Gerald Ford. A group of Reagan supporters united to underwrite a renovation of the yacht which had been de-commissioned during the Carter administration as a cost-saving measure. We produced the design in less than 3 weeks in order to have it completed by Fourth of July for a fund-raising gala. I thought it would be great exposure for our firm, and that we would make some valuable contacts, so we donated our services and scrambled to meet the deadline. Scouting the archives was fascinating. There were photos of the entire Kennedy clan celebrating a birthday, snapshots of Nixon and Brezhnev on the deck, some rare shots of FDR, etc. We solicited vendors to contribute goods and services for the effort, organized the work to be done, the logistics and installation. Truthfully, I have no idea what happened to that vessel, but it was a rich and fascinating experience.
That same year we opened an office in New York to service the projects we were garnering in that region. Our Dallas staff had grown to four architects, 10 designers, a bookkeeper (my mother), an office manager and a secretary. Several of those first employees remained with me through the next 35 years, and grew to be highly respected professionals in our industry, as well as lifelong friends. There is an army of talented people who got their start at Wilson, and went on to form their own successful firms. I will devote a future blog to some of the talented individuals and careers that grew out of our firm.
Opening a New York office led to another interesting career turn during the early 80’s. Through my good friend, Gene Morris, I was hired to design the new Polo store in Atlanta. While in New York on a project, I made a cold call on Ralph Lauren in his office on West 55th. This seems bold even for me. I have always had a strong affinity for menswear. I love men’s suiting fabrics, and the Annie Hall look was popular. I remember shopping in the little boys’ department during that era. Anyway, after sitting in his office lobby for hours, I finally met with him and told him I wanted to introduce myself because I was designing the Atlanta store (this was before Ralph Lauren corporate owned the stores.) His popularity was exploding, and I figured many more stores were on the horizon. I don’t quite know what the point of my impromptu visit was, but I walked out with a deal to open a Polo store in Washington, DC. I met with some investors, offered my firm’s design expertise as part of my equity stake, and before long I was part of an investor group that owned four Polo stores on the east coast – Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., Rehobeth Beach, Delaware, Annapolis, Maryland, and finally, Georgetown in Washington, D.C. That was a good return on my investment of 4 hours spent sitting in his office waiting for an introduction. I admire Ralph immensely for his combined creativity and business acumen – a rare combination. He is a true American treasure.
