These are fraught times for Dallas. A demon virus has spread across the land, forcing a beleaguered citizenry indoors and behind masks. There is anger and there is frustration, understandably. There are no, or few, professional sports. Let’s face it: The city could use all the help it can get. But here’s some good news: Five homegrown superheroes have come to the rescue, and they’re ready to bring healing to the city. There’s just one problem: They need a place to call home, a headquarters where they can plot their acts of derring-do.
Scene I: A phone conversation at Emmy Hardaway Real Estate Agency.
Emmy: “I’m sorry. Your name is...Pegasus?”
Peg: “Right.”
Emmy: “Like the horse with wings?"
Peg: “Yes. But you can just call me Peg. ”
Emmy. “OK. And how can we help you, Peg?”
Peg: “You’re real estate brokers. I need something in downtown Dallas. Something big. Something secure.”
Emmy: “OK. And what is this for, exactly?”
Peg: “Part headquarters. Part lair. For a team of superheroes.”
Emmy: “Excuse me?”
Peg: “Superheroes. You know. Capes. Special powers. Masks. That kind of thing. There are five of us. Me, Big Tex, Trinity, Erykah and Dirk.”
Emmy: “You know what? I might have just the thing for you.”
Scene II: Three hours later, on the corner of Moody and Harwood streets.
Peg: “Looks pretty cool. What is this thing?”
Emmy: “The Rolex tower. It’s their North American repair and sales center. It opened last year, before the virus shut everything down. It’s a proprietary design. Definitely not your typical office building.”
Peg: “It is distinctive, unlike so many of the boring buildings around here. Tough but not brutish. I like the way it corkscrews up as it rises. A building that shape-shifts seems right for a band of superheroes. And it’s not too flashy or garish, not covered in LEDs — what is it with this town? We don’t want a lot of attention.”
Emmy: “That’s the Rolex brand. A little butch, but also classy. I would say it’s the most interesting new commercial building the city has seen since, well, for a long time. The best tower since Fountain Place, and that was in 1986. The architect is Japanese. Kengo Kuma. Not a household name, but he should be. He actually designed the stadium for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, but I guess that’s not happening, now. It would have made quite a splash, though. It’s largely made of wood — larch and cedar — and modeled on an ancient Japanese temple.”
Peg: “Interesting. But let’s get back to Dallas. What’s with the stone wall at the base? Must have cost a bundle.”
Emmy: “Yes it did. It is, quite literally, a castle wall, built using traditional Japanese methods by a 15th-generation stonemason named Suminori Awata. We’re talking Shogun-era craftsmanship. The different sized stones represent the diversity of life. Kuma believes quite strongly in using traditional materials and techniques. ‘Architecture should go back to fabrication, to using real materials, to using the hand,’ he has said.”
Peg: “I like that it has a fortress quality. That will be good for us.”
Emmy: “That’s why I brought you here. The stone wall gives you extra protection at the rear of the building where it faces Harry Hines. You don’t want anyone sneaking up on you.”
Peg: “Yes, that is good. What are those white bands that wrap around it?”
Emmy: “Thin metal louvers. Sun shades — three rows on each floor. They keep the heat load down, and they give it a nice flair, so it’s not just another black box. They’ll give you a little privacy, too. I’m sure you ‘superheroes’ don’t want villains seeing what you’re up to all day.”
Peg: “No, we don’t.”
Emmy: “You’ll also notice that as the building torques around, it creates these little garden ledges. In Japanese, they’re called engawa, in-between spaces. Kuma had a Japanese landscape architect, Sadafumi Uchiyama, come and design them. The idea is to dissolve the distinction between inside and outside. You see this kind of element in his work elsewhere. I think the inspiration is the rice-growing terraces you see in rural Japan. ”
Peg: “Nice. But, there are only five of us. I’m not sure we need this much building.”
Emmy: “Actually, It looks tall but that’s deceptive; it’s really just seven stories. That’s one story each, and then some common space. I know superheroes need room for equipment development and training.”
Peg: “True. Can we get a look inside?”
Scene III: They cross Harwood and walk up the catwalk that leads to the glass door.
Emmy: “You can see there’s a nice entry sequence, with a path across landscaping and fountains. Good for surveillance of anyone approaching. This is the front lobby. It’s quite spacious and cool, with black granite floors, blackened walls and horizontal blond wood slats running from the ceiling down along the walls, animating the space and referencing the louvers on the exterior. It’s got a broad security desk, where you can put one of your minions.”
Peg: “That works. It is nice. Corporate, but not too impersonal or cold. That’s rare."
Emmy: “Right. Walking back behind it you have a little sitting area. Rolex uses this as a waiting space for repair returns — you can see it has a small counter for a clerk. Maybe this could be a room where you screen requests for assistance?”
Peg: “Yes. What about upstairs?”
Scene IV: They move to the elevators, ride to the top level.
Emmy: “So this is the executive boardroom. You can see we once again have the horizontal wood elements that create a seamless flow between wall and ceiling.”
Peg: “This will be an excellent place for us to plan operations.”
Emmy: “And come this way…. Here is one of the most exciting features: The entertainment deck here is enclosed by a two-story screen of louvers. If you get up close you can see how sharp they are: aluminum, with a leafy pattern printed on the bottoms, to give them a natural feel and help diffuse light. So when you’re out here, you’re both outside and inside. You can look out, but it’s hard to see in. It’s perfect for superheroes, like yourselves. It’s meant as an event space and for employee dining, but you can train out here and, of course, for those of you who can fly, you can just take right off, and nobody will see.”
Peg: "Wow. Perfect.”
Emmy: “As for the rest of the place, it’s ideal for your secret laboratory and fabrication needs. The floors have a sophisticated ventilation system that sucks out any particulate matter — key for when they’re doing watch repair.”
Peg: “Excellent.”
Emmy: “And of course there’s a vault where you can store any secret plans, manifestos, genealogies — whatever. I know superheroes maintain a lot of proprietary information.”
Peg: “Yes. That’s all great. But this is Dallas, so you know I have to ask: What about parking?”
Emmy: “No problem. The garage here is actually below grade, which is nice generally — if this city was smart it would mandate that for all new construction — and of course it means you can keep your super-mobiles hidden. There are also a couple of short-term spaces on the street, for deliveries. Which is handy.”
Peg: “And this is all available?”
Emmy: “Well...for the moment. During the shutdown, anyway.”
Peg: “I think we’ll take it.”
Emmy: "You know what? You guys could call yourselves The Watch Men. Get it?”
Peg: “Stick to real estate.”
The “Watch Men”
Pegasus (aka Peg)
Uniform: Red neon wings
Power: Can transform into a flying horse
Trinity
Uniform: Covered in patchy grass
Power: Sprays jets of toxic water
Big Tex
Uniform: Hokey cowboy
Power: Transforms into giant
Erykah
Uniform: Head wrap
Power: Voice renders enemies helpless
Dirk
Uniform: Mavs warmups, weird haircut
Power: So likable villains just surrender
