Reston's Article in 'Slate' Calls Oswald House on N. Beckley "Ramshackle," And Lake Cliff "Fairly Rough"
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It seems as if people are coming out of the woodwork to offer their experiences and opinions on Dallas and how it relates to the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. What will prove frustrating to many Dallasites are the blatant generalizations made by these one-off columnists who’ve had only a glimpse of the city they are hot on critiquing.
Take, for instance, James Reston Jr.’s piece in Slate that serves as a journal of his tour through the city, following the footsteps of alleged JFK shooter Lee Harvey Oswald after the he fled the Texas School Book Depository in downtown’s West End and hopped a bus for Oak Cliff.
While Reston, an acclaimed journalist and author, offers no criticism of downtown, Jefferson Boulevard’s Texas Theatre, or the corner of 10th Street and Patton where Officer J.D. Tippit was gunned down by Oswald, he chooses to single out Lake Cliff, specifically the boarding house where Oswald lived at the time of the assassination.
Reston was recalling how he made his way through the city with retired Dallas Times-Herald journalist Darwin Payne, Sixth Floor Museum historian Sam Childers, and Dallas native and SMU historian Michael Hazel, and had this to say about 1026 N. Beckley Ave.:
The current owner, the granddaughter of the 1963 owner, is trying to sell the place, a low-slung ramshackle of a house in what is still a fairly rough neighborhood. Darwin and Sam thought the place might fetch about $200,000, but the owner is asking $400,000. She suggests that the house should become a public museum where you could see the closet of a room where Oswald slept or the downstairs dining room where he ate his meals. So far, no one is biting.
Now, the issue isn’t that Reston says that the home is “ramshackle” (even though it isn’t), or that he implicates that she might be asking too much for the property, but instead, the issue is that Reston categorizes the neighborhood surrounding this home as “fairly rough” without having actually perused the neighborhood. I think the residents of Lake Cliff, which has some gorgeous craftsman homes and surrounds the beautiful and placid Lake Cliff Park, wouldn’t agree with Reston.
What do you think? Should Dallas be poised for more criticism from outsiders as the anniversary draws near?
Dallas did not kill JFK, a lone nut did. This would be like blaming NYC for 9-11.
Dallas did not kill JFK, a lone nut did. This would be like blaming NYC for 9-11.
It's all subjective. Someone coming from Compton would see it as a great place, but if you live in an ivory tower, everything else looks pale in comparison.
It's all subjective. Someone coming from Compton would see it as a great place, but if you live in an ivory tower, everything else looks pale in comparison.
Here's the demographic information for this address.
Median household income: $32,537
Median house or condo value: $53,509
Median contract rent: $596
Unemployment: 5%
Residents below the poverty level: 61%
Median resident age: 27
Males: 55%
Females: 45%
Here's the demographic information for this address.
Median household income: $32,537
Median house or condo value: $53,509
Median contract rent: $596
Unemployment: 5%
Residents below the poverty level: 61%
Median resident age: 27
Males: 55%
Females: 45%
As a long time Oak Cliff resident ( lived in Winnetka Heeights from 1998-2002; and now in Ravinia Heights since 2002) I hear these kind of blanket statements all the time.
No, Lake Cliff isnt Highland Park, but it's a great oasis just minuets form downtown. We almost bought a house ( a gorgeous New England style Shingle-style form the 1920's right on the lake) but at the time ( 1998) it was a HUD foreclosure and there were to many hops to jump through. Ive since watched the house go from askign then of $100K to last selling at near $300K – not exactly ranshackled!
Whats funny to me, is in all my years of living norht of the river, Id had two cars stollen ( Oak Lawn and Lake Highlands), robbed at gun point ( Maple Ave near where The Crow Development is going up) and numerous other problems – and ive had not ONE problem liek these in Oak Cliff.
Those of us who choose to live over in Oak Cliff do so for many reasons, and there's certainly many great things happening over here.
So to all the mnay sayers, I say FINE (actually ID say something other choice, but I wont on Candy's blog,lol) – say what you will, but our home prices keep increasing, and all the cool people live over here (well, a lot, anyway) !
As a long time Oak Cliff resident ( lived in Winnetka Heeights from 1998-2002; and now in Ravinia Heights since 2002) I hear these kind of blanket statements all the time.
No, Lake Cliff isnt Highland Park, but it's a great oasis just minuets form downtown. We almost bought a house ( a gorgeous New England style Shingle-style form the 1920's right on the lake) but at the time ( 1998) it was a HUD foreclosure and there were to many hops to jump through. Ive since watched the house go from askign then of $100K to last selling at near $300K – not exactly ranshackled!
Whats funny to me, is in all my years of living norht of the river, Id had two cars stollen ( Oak Lawn and Lake Highlands), robbed at gun point ( Maple Ave near where The Crow Development is going up) and numerous other problems – and ive had not ONE problem liek these in Oak Cliff.
Those of us who choose to live over in Oak Cliff do so for many reasons, and there's certainly many great things happening over here.
So to all the mnay sayers, I say FINE (actually ID say something other choice, but I wont on Candy's blog,lol) – say what you will, but our home prices keep increasing, and all the cool people live over here (well, a lot, anyway) !
Candy – I'd still love to show you Ravinia Heights.
Also – there's so many other great neighborhoods furthur south. Beautiful mid 20c homes, huge lots, and very clean and safe.
It's time Dallas knew about the more hidden jewels of the OC
Just drive down S Ravinia from Kiest Blvd. – I think it's the 3000 or so blocks – incredible.
Stephan Pyles had a huge 2+ acre home there back in the 90's.
Candy – I'd still love to show you Ravinia Heights.
Also – there's so many other great neighborhoods furthur south. Beautiful mid 20c homes, huge lots, and very clean and safe.
It's time Dallas knew about the more hidden jewels of the OC
Just drive down S Ravinia from Kiest Blvd. – I think it's the 3000 or so blocks – incredible.
Stephan Pyles had a huge 2+ acre home there back in the 90's.
My uncle said that he used to buy heroin, meth and crack from this place all through the 70s and 80s. There are lots of other terrible boarding houses and halfway houses all around Lake Cliff. Still a great place to buy drugs.
Wow.
My uncle said that he used to buy heroin, meth and crack from this place all through the 70s and 80s. There are lots of other terrible boarding houses and halfway houses all around Lake Cliff. Still a great place to buy drugs.
Wow.