This Midcentury Ju-Nel Is Ready For a Makeover

Finding a Midcentury Modern Ju-Nel fixer-upper is rare, but John Angell of Paragon Realtors has one for you. I’d buy it for the staircase alone.

So what makes a Ju-Nel home so special? Let’s take a little dive into history for our newcomers to Dallas.

Ju-Nel Homes, Inc. was formed by Lyle Rowley and Jack Wilson in 1959, three years after the two first started building together. The company was named for their wives, Julie Rowley and Nelda Wilson.

Inspired by the Midcentury Modern movement in California, the young architects were environmentally conscious family men, so they put their twist on the style, ensuring homes they built were both Earth-friendly and family-friendly. They loved a challenging lot and would avoid cutting down trees even if it meant building around them.

Because these homes were cutting edge for the time, they attracted cool customers like modeling maven Kim Dawson and ad agency mogul Stan Richards. They also attracted a fair share of architects and artists.

The homes are so livable that people seldom leave. You will find families staying in place for 20 or 30 years, so it’s even more exciting when one hits the market, which does not happen often.

Finding an original, unpainted adobe brick fireplace by Ju-Nel is a treat. When it is accompanied by unpainted walnut paneling, doors, beams, stairs, screening, and cabinetry, it is a rare find.

Mark Weeks — Founder, author, and publisher of Ju-Nel.com

This two-story, 2,225-square-foot Lochwood Meadows Ju-Nel was built for Robert and Norma Shopland in 1966 for $19,434. Norma was an avid member of the Crestview Garden Club, so one can only imagine what the garden looked like back then.

In 1972, the home was purchased by Norman and Marca Lee Bircher. Our Woodrow Wilson High School fans will remember Marca with great fondness, as she produced and directed musicals at the campus for years. She was an amazing woman, and you should take the time to read a terrific story about her in The Dallas Morning News I’ve linked here.

Her sons Lance and Preston inherited her talents and performed in shows on cruise lines for some time.

“This house is a magical property,” Preston Bircher said. “We fell in love with the staircase and would run up and down, jump to the bottom pole, and launch ourselves into the den, and we’d jump between the stairs and pretend it was an elevator. We had a blast trying to climb up the laundry chute, and the galley kitchen pass-through was always fun because not many people had those.”

“The neighborhood is really amazing. We loved every minute of living here. When we were growing up, the neighborhood was full of kids, and we were all out all the time exploring the Dixon Branch waterway at the bottom of the street and Lochwood Park at the top of the hill,” he said. “When you are a little kid, you feel like you are out in the jungle. Mom always said how much she loved living in the neighborhood. Everyone is friendly and looks out for one another.”

Knowing a bit about the people who lived in a house and how long they lived in it tells a lot about that home. It offers insight into the extraordinary livability of Ju-Nel builds and why they so seldom appear for sale.

When a home has been well lived in and truly loved, it, of course, needs proper updating. This is an excellent opportunity to take this Midcentury Modern Ju-Nel back to its glory days.

All the important elements are here, like that fantastic wrap-around staircase. The split-level dining and den area is divided by a floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace with a cantilevered hearth. There is even one of those fabulous Midcentury Modern wood partitions next to the fireplace.

You have to understand these homes and what’s important to keep intact (like this kitchen), or frankly, you shouldn’t buy one.

This is a quintessential Ju-Nel kitchen with walnut cabinets and original countertops. Who said Formica isn’t cool? I would love to have my parents’ boomerang Formica countertops! And try to source those walnut cabinets today much less pay for them. There is also vintage sheet vinyl under the carpet, and one of the bathrooms is turquoise, if you want to get truly retro!

Angell has 10936 Scotsmeadow Dr. available for $650,000.

OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, March 16, 1-3 p.m.