Answer a Trivia Question And Win Free Tickets to 2023 Swiss Ave. Mother’s Day Home Tour
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It’s not too late to get tickets to one of the most anticipated Dallas home tours of the season. The Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home Tour is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 13, and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 14, with a Mother’s Day brunch at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Guests will be treated to an art fair, vintage auto display, children’s play area, live entertainment at Dorothy and Wallace Savage Park, and horse-drawn carriage rides.
And, of course, tour-goers will get a peek inside six of the city’s most fabulous historic homes.
Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home Tour
Homes on this year’s tour include:
6017 Swiss Ave. — The 1923 home at 6017 Swiss Ave. is celebrating its centennial this year.
Owners Gary and Vanessa Hoffman are opening the doors to their prairie-style home designed by E. Ross Chandler. The Hoffmans were living just one street over on Bryan Parkway when the Swiss Avenue home went on the market in 1985. The Hoffmans — newlyweds at the time — knew they’d found their forever home.
The original owner, E.H. Reeder, was a contractor who built the home.
The Hoffmans have lived in the home for 37 years. They’ve spent decades filling the home with 1920s light fixtures and antique furniture.
“We’ve tried to rejuvenate the house as opposed to redoing the house,” Vanessa Hoffman told CandysDirt.com. “It has such beautiful lines and woodwork. We wanted to maintain the integrity and the style of the house.”
6243 LaVista Drive — Architect Otto Herald designed the 1925 home in the Jacobethan style known for flattened, cusped Tudor arches, carved brick detailing, steep roof gables, balustrades, pillars, and high chimneys.
The entire home has been restored. The third-floor attic was recently finished, and the kitchen is completely remodeled.
Known as the “crown jewel of Swiss Avenue,” the LaVista palace was home to Las Vegas showgirl Willetta Stellmacher, who once dated Frank Sinatra.
There’s a light fixture under the staircase from the Baker Hotel and rare Chinese reverse paintings on glass-etched windows.
5314 Swiss Ave. — The Mediterranean villa with Georgian elements at 5314 Swiss Ave. was designed by Thompson and Fooshee in 1916.
The home is owned by Greg De Prisco and Michelle Nichols. It was built in 1916 and was originally owned by E.R. Brown, founder of Magnolia Oil Company and President of Standard Oil Company.
Fun fact: there’s a chicken coop replica of the home in the backyard.
5421 Swiss Ave.— The 1916 Italian Renaissance home at 5421 is owned by James and Louise Finley.
Thompson, Fooshee, and Cheek designed the home, originally owned by J.D. Padgitt Jr.
Major renovations include the kitchen, exterior living area, and a garage apartment.
The home was a wedding present for Jesse Durell Padgitt and his wife, Mai Blanche. The Padgitt family built three homes on Swiss Avenue.
The Padgitts were instrumental in organizing the State Fair of Texas and were once the largest wholesale saddle manufacturer in America.
6015 Bryan Parkway — The 1915 Craftsman at 6015 Bryan Parkway is owned by Ben and Mackenzie Bamford.
Major renovations include the kitchen and exterior living room.
A group of Swiss Avenue Historic District residents linked arms in front of this home in the early 2000s, thwarting a demolition truck while Preservation Dallas obtained a temporary restraining order to halt an impending teardown.
Preservation Dallas owned the home and fully restored it from years of abuse that left it dilapidated, according to tour organizers.
6311 Bryan Parkway — The newest home on the tour is a 2004 structure built on an empty lot.
The home at 6311 Bryan Parkway is owned by Mike and Barbara Fennell. The builder was tasked with making the new construction fit in with the historic district.
It highlights modern living with a classic approach, according to home tour organizers.
How to Attend
Tickets are still available for the Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home Tour on May 13-14. Purchase tickets via the Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home Tour website for $30 per person in advance and $35 on the weekend of the tour.
Want to attend for free?
Respond with your answer to the trivia question below by emailing [email protected]. We’ll enter you and a guest in our exclusive ticket giveaway.
Where did Gary and Vanessa Hoffman live when their current Swiss Avenue home went on the market in 1985?
