With a Little Luck, This Historic Prairie Foursquare on Swiss Avenue Could Be Yours

As the adage goes, love finds you when you’re not looking for it. It was a whirlwind weekend in 2018 that had Kara Murphy and her husband, Carl Hunermund, looking for a house on a deadline. So it was pure luck that they found the home of their dreams, which turned out to be a historic Prairie Foursquare on the renowned — and coveted — Swiss Avenue.

“We just got lucky,” Kara said. “We were not specifically looking for a historic house, but when we saw the neighborhood, we were sold on it. We loved the beautiful median, the huge trees, and the consistency of homes built around the same period but with individual style and personality.”

The couple was moving from Jersey City where there are a lot of century-old brownstones. They both love architecture and had built a new brownstone to look just like the historic ones in the area.

“We happened upon an open house on Swiss Avenue that weekend,” Kara said. “It was beautiful but needed more work than we were prepared to take on.”

It was indeed their lucky day because the Realtor had another home going on the market the following weekend and could get them in to see it. They made an offer that day, and it was accepted.

They bought not only their dream home but also a part of Dallas history. This Swiss Avenue Prairie Foursquare was built in 1916 by Benjamin Seay as his residence. Swiss Avenue Historic District offers the following information on Mr. Seay:

Benjamin T. Seay arrived in Dallas from Tennessee in 1886 and established himself as a successful real-estate dealer and developer. He was among the early builders on Swiss, where he constructed several homes, including his own personal residence at 5647 Swiss. He founded the Seay-Cranfill Company, which was one of the oldest and largest real estate firms in Dallas, with offices in Galveston, El Paso, and Waco. As was common practice at the time, Mr. Seay shared his large Prairie-Style home with his adult children, his young granddaughter, a family cook, and a housekeeper.

Prairie Foursquare homes were favored in this era because the design allowed for maximum airflow through the house. Many had sleeping porches, and with windows on three sides, the hot Texas summers were easier to bear. It was not unusual to see multiple beds on sleeping porches back in the day.

One of the more spectacular features of this Swiss Avenue Prairie Foursquare is the Gothic Revival windows. They are the original single panes cut in a diamond shape with beveled glass used on the facade. Kara and Carl took down all the heavy drapes and shutters and installed shades that fit just inside the window frames to better showcase them.

The house has been beautifully maintained over the years, with each owner adding special touches. Kara and Carl continued that trend by making the home function better for families.

“The laundry was originally downstairs, and there was a powder bath,” Carl said. “We moved the laundry upstairs and created a full bath and closet in that space. We’ve repaired the sunroom on the ground floor and replaced a concrete floor with period-appropriate tile. We also took a living room fireplace that had been remodeled over the years back to a style more appropriate to the early 1900s.”

The principal bedroom was initially a private sleeping porch at the back of the house. Kara and Carl enlarged it by moving a wall, and it’s now Kara’s favorite place in the house.” It’s a peaceful place, and there is a lock on the door,” she said. “When you have three children, that’s a bonus!”

Carl’s happy place is the sleeping porch upstairs that is used as a music room. “I can sit in a chair up there and just take in the view,” he said.” It’s like being in a treehouse.”

The kids also have a favorite spot, the back staircase that leads directly to their rooms from the kitchen. “They call it the secret staircase,” Kara said.

One of the benefits of homes of this era and size, as well as being the home of a builder, is that no detail or consideration of space was overlooked. Attics were always large, and although rare in Texas, this home has a basement. A previous owner redid the third-floor attic space, and it now serves as a second family area.

“We got a lot of use out of it during the pandemic, first as a home office, then for the kids,” Kara said.

“We have loved this house,” Kara said.” It has such a warm, inviting feel.”

Compass Realtor Kyle Baugh of the BBR Group listed this beautiful Prairie Foursquare at 5647 Swiss Avenue yesterday for $2.395 million. It will be showcased on the Swiss Avenue Historic District Mother’s Day Home Tour.