"Mark Lamster is a brave writer . His affection for his subject is so complete--and completely convincing ." --The Los Angeles Times "No one writes with as much passion about Dallas architecture as Mark Lamster. Who will ever forget his great tirade during the fight over City Hall's future? Or what about his lovely ode to the little-known Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias? Lamster is a true treasure whose writing has defined Dallas, for better or worse." --Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly "Brash, inventive, optimistic--Mark Lamster's adjectives for threatened Dallas City Hall could easily serve as the tagline for this book. Lamster uses his characteristic wit and ear for a yarn to make the characters, conflicts, and beauties of a diverse, still-expanding metropolis come alive, offering a complex look at a city too often dismissed as all shine, no substance." --Alexandra Lange, Pulitzer-Prize winning critic and author of Meet Me by the Fountain.