The Bourn Family’s Midcentury Ranch Has Won a Preservation Dallas Achievement Award

Home is where memories are made and milestones are marked. We are forever connected to the first home we remember. When architect Joe Forest Bourn built his family a lovely Midcentury Ranch at 4311 Skillman Street in 1952, he made sure it would serve them well and stand the test of time.

Joe knew what he was doing. While he may not have received the publicity his friend and fellow architect O’Neil Ford did, he was no less of an architectural talent. Joe was a pioneer of Midcentury architecture, designing residences and light commercial buildings. He was also an innovative national builder of apartment, residential, and resort developments, including Holly Lake Ranch in East Texas.

When he built this Midcentury Ranch family home, he used much of the commercial knowledge he’d gained serving in the military in the Corps of Engineers to ensure it was solidly constructed and sustainable.

“My father embraced sustainability before it was considered cool to do so,” his son, Steven Bourn, said.

Steve’s mother, Mary Katherine Bourn, was as talented and creative as his father and influenced the design of the home.

“She was a ceramicist and won awards for her Ikebana,” he said. “She embraced the Japanese concept of Shibui, the aesthetic of simple, subtle, and understated elegance, and her imprint is everywhere. The home blends International, Prairie, Classical, and Eastern design into a modern residence.”

A Midcentury Ranch on The Cutting-Edge of Sustainability

Growing up, Joe didn’t tell Steve much about the Midcentury Ranch he had designed, but it was clear he was proud of its efficiency and layout. He was truly on the cutting edge of repurposing materials.

“The bricks on the exterior were from the demolished 1904 Tennison Orphans Home and the Gulf Insurance Company,” Steve said. “The mahogany paneling inside the house is from the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, and the metal grills are actually return registers from the Magnolia Petroleum Building.”

Where salvaged materials were inappropriate, Joe turned to state-of-the-art resources. From the Vermont slate entry and quarter-sawn red oak hardwood floors with custom brass thresholds to the metal kitchen cabinets, these materials were cutting-edge for 1952.

The kitchen cabinets were engineered by the Miller Products Company, which also supplied materials for the space program.

“This home is really a record of some of the people who built Dallas,” Steve said. “For instance, Bob Frymire was Dad’s friend and personally installed the air conditioning system and ductwork. Frymire has been in business for over 70 years.”

This Midcentury Ranch stayed in the family, with Steve’s daughter living there for a while. After years as a rental property with some challenging occupants, it was clear the time had come for some major TLC.

Steve is also an architect with experience in construction. He was determined to restore the family home’s interior and exterior to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and blend classical with modern architectural and mechanical designs. It was a lofty goal and took over a decade to complete but the results are profound.

He stripped down the entire house and the garage and studio behind it, replacing, refurbishing, and updating everything, including the metal kitchen cabinets, Trade Wind vent hood, and Chambers oven. Steve found a ceramic tile that echoed the look of the original linoleum and lowered the subfloor to accommodate its depth.

When he submitted his preservation work for consideration this year, he was somewhat familiar with the process. Steve was the architect leading the DART team’s restoration of the Monroe Shops, the original Interurban repair shop in South Oak Cliff. The project won a Preservation Dallas Achievement Award in 2012.

This year’s Preservation Dallas win hits on another level.

Steve said, “I’m most proud of my ability to modernize the house while keeping the original character and materials and honoring my father’s work and spirit. It’s a tribute to both my mother and father.”

And — it is home.

Congratulations, Steve, for sharing your father’s work and his legacy. We know he would be proud.

If you are in the market, Steve is open to renting out his family home again to someone who truly appreciates the fact this is a unique residence and will maintain it properly. You can contact Michelle Walker with RJ Williams & Co. Real Estate for details.

The Preservation Dallas Awards will be presented at the Kalita Humphreys Theater on May 21. To showcase the home and promote the awards, the Bourn House will be open to the public on April 16th from 6-8 p.m.

Presentation Achievement Awards ticket information can be found here.