Allen Pierce

John "Allen" Pierce passed away at his home surrounded by his family on February 14, 2016. Allen was born December 13, 1931 in Dallas, Texas to the late Hallie (Crutchfield) and George Foster Pierce, loving parents and prominent business and civic leaders in Dallas.

Allen took great pride in his family heritage, being a native Texan and 4th generation in Dallas County. His maternal great-great-grandparents, Thomas and Frances Crutchfield, were early pioneers of Dallas, arriving in 1846, just one year after Texas became a state. They built and operated Dallas' first hotel, the Crutchfield House, located in what is now Dealey Plaza. Allen’s paternal grandmother, Llora Cullum Pierce, arrived in Dallas with her father, Rev. Marcus Hiram Cullum, in 1872. Rev. Cullum was the founding pastor of Oak Lawn Methodist Church in 1874. Allen was fond of describing himself as “coming from a long line of Methodist ministers,” many of whom were "circuit rider preachers," so called because they rode from church to church on horseback to preach the gospel and minister to their congregations. In addition to Rev. Cullum, some other of his ancestors that dedicated their lives to the faith include his grandfather Rev. John Foster Pierce (who pastored Allen’s current church, First United Methodist Church Gainesville - then named Denton Street Methodist Church, as well as other churches in Texas in the early 1900’s); his great-grandfather Rev. James Lovick Pierce and great-great-grandfather Rev. Lovick Pierce, Jr. who were prominent ministers in the 1800’s.

Allen was the youngest of three children and adored his older brother George Jr. and sister Liz. He grew up in Highland Park where he made lifelong friends, graduated from Highland Park High School in 1949 where he was a cheerleader and Colonel/Regimental Commander in the ROTC. Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Rice University in 1953, where he was a cheerleader, and a member of the Rally Club and Architects Club. While at Rice, Allen met Donna Conley Pierce; they subsequently married and had four children. Allen served active duty in the Korean Theater as an officer in the U. S. Navy and Navigator of the U.S.S. DeHaven (DD-727, 1954-1957). After serving in the Navy, Allen was accepted for graduate study as the Emil Bruhler Fellow in Architecture at Princeton University and was awarded a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Architecture and Urban Design in 1959. Allen married Nancy Frankel Pierce in 1994, with whom he has shared a love for flying, time with family and friends, and enjoying good wine and beautiful sunsets at their ranch in Whitesboro, Texas.

Allen’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to found the architectural firm Pierce, Lacey & Associates which later became The Pierce, Lacey Partnership, Inc. and then The Pierce Partnership, Inc. He later merged his firm with his brother George’s firm under the name Pierce Goodwin Alexander, which grew to be the second largest architectural firm in Texas. Allen and his partners specialized in architectural design, project management, real estate development, interior design and space planning, with a wide variety of projects in Aviation (e.g. DFW and IAH airports, Southwest Airlines); Commercial/IT Facilities (e.g. Exxon, Shell Oil, Coca Cola Company, NASA, General Electric); Educational (e.g. Rice University, SMU, various independent school districts); Federal/Military (e.g. Master Planning for Carswell Air Force Base, U.S. Naval Air Station in Dallas); Financial (e.g. Compass Bank, Texas Commerce Bank, Brookhollow National Bank); Healthcare (e.g. Cooper Aerobics Research Center and Health Club Dallas, M.D. Anderson, Texas Medical Center Houston); Industrial/Manufacturing; Religious (e.g. Highland Park United Methodist Church, West Plano Presbyterian Church); Legal (e.g. in Dallas: Haynes and Boone; Strasburger & Price; Wynne, Jaffe & Tinsley; and in Houston: Fulbright & Jaworski; Kronzer, Abraham & Watkins); Transportation (e.g. C & H Transportation, Doran Chevrolet); and various Private Residences.

Allen was a member of The Texas Society of Architects and the Dallas Chapter AIA where he was a past officer and chairman of the Ethical Principles Committee. In 1988, Allen was elected Fellow, American Institute of Architects, the Institute's highest award, by his fellow professionals. His firms have received over 100 awards for Design Excellence, including the Braniff International Airlines Hostess College and Jetrail Terminal, Terminal Buildings at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport, SMU’s Umphrey Lee Student Center, and the historic restoration of the Kirby Building in Dallas, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places after the restoration.

Allen was active in civic affairs in Dallas and was a Life Member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. He served as a member of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce Aviation Committee, D/FW Airport expansion subcommittee. He also served as a member of the Board of Stewards and Advisory Trustee of Highland Park United Methodist Church and was Chairman of the Building Committee during the 2011 Sanctuary Restoration of First United Methodist Church, Gainesville. Always active, Allen had many other hobbies that he loved and which were the source of many family memories and close friendships, including aviation (including building a Pitts Special aerobatic plane at his home and becoming a member of the Quiet Birdmen club), hunting, fishing (Allen loved to spend time at the 100 year old Ferndale Club near Pittsburg, Texas, where he followed his father as a member), Boy Scouts, ham radio (Allen was a member of the Grayson County Amateur Radio Club), model airplanes, sailing, photography, classical music, painting, reading (especially military history) and recently ranching in Whitesboro, Texas with his wife Nancy.

Although he loved architecture and his hobbies, the most important treasures in his life were his faith in Jesus Christ as his savior, his loving family, his dear friends, and his country.

Allen is survived by his loving wife Nancy Frankel Pierce; children Susan Pierce Sullivan and her husband Rick, John Allen Pierce, Jr. (J.) and his wife Jill, Sarah Pierce Cowen and her partner Viola Garza, Randy Crutchfield Pierce and his wife Stephanie, and Foreign Exchange Student Ingrid Höllinger, Allen’s “Austrian daughter”; beloved grandchildren Justin Pierce, Pierce Widham, Hallie Dimmitt and her husband Dillman, Carly Cowen, Ross Widham, Jacob Cowen, Elle Sullivan and Alexis Pierce; six step-grand children Ryann Kittner, John Sullivan, K.C. (Katherine) Douglas, Alexandra Goodfellow, Catherine Garza, and Andie Garza; eight step great grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, his brother, George F. Pierce, Jr. of Houston, and his sister Elizabeth Pierce Grayson of Dallas.

Nancy and the family would like to give special thanks to Senior Care of North Texas and Home Hospice of Grayson, Cooke, and Fannin Counties, and Janice Lawson for their support and care during Allen’s final days.

Allen’s life will be celebrated in a memorial service officiated by his close friend, Monsignor Milam Joseph at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, February 20, at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, 3014 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX. As a proud veteran, Allen will be interred at the VA’s Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 18 at Geo. J. Carroll & Son Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Salesmanship Club of Dallas.