Sharon Quist Has All The Dirt on This Swiss Avenue Italian Renaissance Mansion 

If anyone knows this beautiful Swiss Avenue Italian Renaissance mansion inside out, it’s Dave Perry Miller’s Sharon Quist. She has listed the home four times since the 1990s. 

No street in Dallas holds more significance than Swiss Avenue. Thanks to the diligent work of a few dedicated preservationists, it became the first City of Dallas Landmark Historic District in 1973, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and received a State Historic Marker in 1977. It has always been home to those with discriminating tastes who value history and architecture, and it’s one of the best examples of a 20th-century neighborhood in America. 

From its inception, Swiss Avenue drew prominent Dallas families like Carrie Marcus Neiman and her husband, A.L. Neiman, who hired renowned architects to build statement homes that would last forever. There are only 200 houses located in the Swiss Avenue Historic District. As you can imagine, these homes don’t often come up for sale, but when they do, it’s a real treat.

“There have only been two sales on Swiss Avenue in the last two years,” Quist said. The big ones don’t come up very often, and this is one of the largest homes on one of the largest lots on Swiss Avenue. “Patrick Butterworth, The English Gardner, originally did the gardens and landscaping.”

I might know this house almost as well as Quist. It was the site of countless catalog and advertising shoots in the 1990s when I was a photography stylist. I remember turning the dramatic living room into a bedroom for Neiman Marcus. I also remember when Butterworth was working on the gardens. He was a dear friend of mine and rightfully proud of his design for this home, inviting me by often to see the progress His original client gave him free rein to create a true English garden with cutting, vegetable, and herb gardens, as well as a children’s play area, all centered around a beautiful swimming pool. When the gardens are in bloom, they are nothing short of magical.  

Fortunately, the next owner was a master gardener and lived in the home for 18 years, so the gardens had the best steward. The home has also had excellent stewards and has been beautifully maintained and updated over the years. 

The Italian Renaissance mansion was designed in 1922 by architects C.W. Bulger & Son, who were known for their designs of churches in Mexia, Terrell, Sherman, Arlington, and Mineral Wells. It has original hardwoods and moldings throughout. The formal living room features an original cast stone fireplace and the family room has an original Rookwood fireplace. When the light shines through those arched floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s heavenly. 

The kitchen has been updated with new marble and appliances. There are two dishwashers, two warming drawers, three ovens, and a large butler’s pantry. Anyone who loves cooking will be right at home here.

“One of the smart things that was done on this home was the split driveway,” Quist said. “This makes it easy to get to the garage and full quarters above if someone is parked in the porte cochere. I’ve only seen this done on one other house on Swiss.”

“Swiss Avenue is really the only place left where you can really get a big historic mansion,” Quist said. “It also has the tightest-knit community. Everyone knows everyone.If there is a car in front of your home that neighbors have not seen before, you will get a call because everyone looks out for one another.”

Let’s remember that neighborliness extends to social events and the annual Swiss Avenue Historic District Mother’s Day Home Tour. Don’t be surprised if someone comes knocking on your door after you purchase this historic Italian Renaissance mansion to lure you onto the home tour or plead with you to use the house for a photo shoot.

Quist has this historic Italian Renaissance mansion at 5105 Swiss Ave. available for $2.995 million.