BOKA Powell broadens hotel, resort design practice

Bowie House Sketch courtesy

BOKA Powell Architects has broadened its international hotel and resort design practice with the addition of a design studio headed by Michael Crosby, a South African native and acclaimed architect with more than 35 years of global experience. Crosby joins BOKA Powell as an Associate Principal in the firm’s Dallas office.

Crosby will lead a hospitality studio within BOKA Powell that includes former Wilson Associates colleague Connie Jackson, who joins BOKA Powell as a Senior Project Manager and Associate, along with Megan Linquest and Anica Arias who have also joined the firm as design professionals.

“Michael Crosby and his team bring an international perspective and a world-class architectural and interior design sensibility to BOKA Powell’s hospitality team,” says Don Powell, FAIA, partner and founding principal of BOKA Powell.

“Growing our hospitality design practice through Michael’s rare talent offers our clients a comprehensive architecture and interiors team tailor made to produce exceptional hotels and hospitality-inspired environments,” Powell says.

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Crosby was Design Director at Wilson Associates for 25 years, becoming a Principal in the practice 15 years ago in 1996 when he moved to the United States from his native Johannesburg, South Africa, where he had practiced architecture for more than a decade.

After obtaining his degree in architecture from the University of Cape Town, Michael’s experience has included award-winning hotels, casinos, private residences, and luxury resorts in all corners of the globe.

Among his most celebrated projects is the revival of The Blue Train, a historic locomotive service that traverses South Africa in exquisite classic style. Named for its distinctive azure livery, guests dine in formal attire for each evening’s meal, served in a luxe wood-paneled dining car as the South African veldt and wildlife stream past.

Crosby has worked on major resort projects for international brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Conrad, St. Regis, Hilton, Rosewood, Montage, and Mandarin Oriental. He has also designed aircraft interiors for his clients’ private jets. Crosby is a prolific writer and 3D hand sketch artist.

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“It is an honor to join the leadership of BOKA Powell at this pivotal time in my career,” Crosby says. “Leveraging BOKA Powell’s advanced design technology and diverse portfolio, we will augment the firm’s already strong hotel design practice with special focus on hospitality interiors, as well as resort and casino design,” says Crosby.

BOKA Powell and Crosby were already collaborating on the design of a new 120-key, four-story boutique hotel situated on Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth’s Museum District. Work on the project continues with the Crosby studio becoming part of BOKA Powell and continuing its role shaping the exterior and interior design. Developed by Dallas investor Jo Ellard and real estate developer Tom Stone, the hotel is scheduled to open Q4 2022.