A Found Ju-Nel Is Available for the First Time in 61 Years!

I know you are scratching your heads thinking, “What the heck is a ‘Found Ju-Nel,’ Karen?” It’s a home that has been rediscovered. In other words, no one has publicly identified it in the last 20 years. How is that possible? Well, when you have a Ju-Nel, you tend to stay in it for quite some time because they live incredibly well.

The “Found Ju-Nel” expression can be attributed to Mark Weeks, who created the ultimate digital resource for anyone interested in the work of architects Lyle Rowley and Jack Wilson. To date, Weeks has documented 147 Ju-Nel homes through meticulous research, and that includes those on the “found” list.

Rowley and Wilson formed their architectural firm Ju-Nel in 1959, combining their wives’ first names to create the company name. These two men made a huge impact on Dallas residential architecture by introducing modernist principles.

This 1964 Found Ju-Nel in Merriman Park was just listed on Friday, and it’s a beauty with 2,196 square feet, three bedrooms, and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

Artist Julie Tuminello and her brothers, Joel and John, grew up here. Julie loved the house so much that she never left!

Their father was in the restaurant business, and she surmised that’s how he met Lyle Rowley and hired him to design the family home in Merriman Park.

As the home is dated 1964 and has only Rowley listed, we can assume it is one he designed without Wilson. However, according to Weeks’ research, Rowley left the company in 1963, but it’s evident from the date on this home that he continued filing construction permits until he moved with his family to Japan in 1967. Of course, there is no way to tell how involved Wilson was at this point, but the fact remains, it’s most definitely a Found Ju-Nel.

Some homeowners will reach out to Weeks when they stumble upon his website if they know their house is a Ju-Nel. “Unfortunately, a lot of history has been lost,” Weeks said. “Many people have no idea they are living in a historic Ju-Nel.”

Weeks is in the process of listing all of the Found Ju-Nels, which, as you can imagine, is quite a time-consuming undertaking.

The most dramatic part of the house is the siblings’ favorite: the grand fireplace that centers the vaulted and sunken living room.

Tuminello has taken great care of the house and grounds. “I’ve kept up everything and maintained the home,” she said. “When we redid the kitchen, we used numbered walnut. My brothers are contractors, so everything that has been done is custom.”

Tuminello has paid just as much attention to the exterior and the grounds as she has to the interior. “I have kept every tree that was here when the house was originally built.”

After 61 years in one family, this beautifully maintained and updated Found Ju-Nel is quite the find!

Allie Beth Allman & Associates Realtor Jackie Converse has 6947 Arboreal Dr. available for $925,000.