Park Towers Redo Offers Treetop Views For Turtle Creek Home Tour

For the past few years, the Turtle Creek Home Tour has pulled out all the stops for tour-goers, making this one of the most sought-after events during the spring home tour season. The cool afterparty doesn’t hurt, either. This year, the Turtle Creek Association is putting out another great event on April 9, which will include a beautiful condo inside the Park Towers owned by Mike Wilkins. Other stops includes single-family homes on Rock Creek Drive and Turtle Creek Drive, the 11th floor of 3525 Turtle Creek, and the 16th floor of The Claridge.

We caught up with Wilkins as he prepares for the home tour. We are absolutely smitten with his gorgeous Park Towers unit, and you will be, too! Want to see it in person? Tickets to the Turtle Creek Home Tour are $50 for Turtle Creek Association members and $60 for non-members. The tour will run from 1 to 5 p.m. April 9 with the afterparty reception — first-come-first-served tickets are $125 each — running from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Want to see these properties for free? Stay tuned to CandysDirt.com for a ticket giveaway before the tour!

What room or design element of your home will stand out to home tour goers?

Mike Wilkins: The dropped drywall ceiling, pulled in slightly from the perimeter, which allows the use of recessed LED ceiling fixtures with minimal housing depths, and also created a deep slot for the draperies along the windows. The pocket also appears as a slot for a sliding panel in the den and a deep reveal over the bed.

Is there any feature or finish in your home that tour goers shouldn’t miss?

Wilkins: There is an ’animal’ theme that connects the rooms: seven taxidermy moths; three carved-wood woodpeckers; two mallards; a lighted crystal raven; three collage fish; an articulated rattlesnake; and a carved wood cheetah.

If you had to choose one spot — inside or outside — on your property where you could spend all day, where would it be and why?

Wilkins: I’m happiest sitting in the middle of my living space in my vintage ’52 Arflex Fiorenza chair. I love finding new things to see in Carolyn Brown’s magnificent photo-art as well as taking in the sights on the Katy Trail and the ever-shifting quality of light as the day progresses. The serenity of the pool terrace on a warm summer day is hard to beat, too.

 

What are you doing to prepare for the home tour?

Wilkins: It’s a fairly compact space so I’m creating a logical pathway that has several scenic overlooks along its progression and also serves as a mini-barrier to some of the art.

What construction or renovation have you completed since you moved in? In what ways have you put your fingerprint on your home? Additionally, were there any challenges you had to overcome to complete your renovation project?

Wilkins: I stripped it down to its bare concrete shell before rebuilding so it was close to the ‘vision’ by the time I moved in. And I’ve commissioned a seasonal change-out of flora and fauna tableaux from Grange Hall for the key visual moments in the apartment. The concrete slabs – ceilings and floors – were out-of-plumb by several degrees so all cabinetry and fixture work were bespoke, so to speak.

Is there any history behind your home? Your neighborhood? Care to share?

Wilkins: The building dates from 1964, and over 53 years a lot has transpired: murders; suicides; visits by the high: Helen Hayes – to the low: Joan Crawford. It has – at various times – had amenities that are not found in your run-of-the-mill high-rise condominiums, including a beauty shop, a restaurant, and a women’s craft shop.

Why did you fall in love with your home? Your neighborhood?

Wilkins: I fell in love with the building when it was under construction and that love has not only endured but also deepened with the years, even though I’ve only been a resident for a year. I’m living in a park in the middle of town, surrounded by friends, family, and nature.