Hal Thomson
Swiss Avenue has accounted for a lot of firsts. The tony neighborhood was developed by cotton gin magnate Robert S. Munger, who created Munger Place, Texas’ first deed-restricted neighborhood. The centerpiece of the exclusive neighborhood was Swiss Avenue, a ribbon of grand homes stretching from Fitzhugh Ave. to La Vista Drive. Swiss Avenue became Dallas’…
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There are not many people better suited to comment on Highland Park architecture and history than Dallas architect Wilson Fuqua. If you take a glance at his website, you will see the source of inspiration for his own work are the early 20th-century homes of Highland Park, University Park, and Preston Hollow. He also had…
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You can tell from the curb that this is a significant home, however, you may not realize that it is one of the most extraordinary examples of Spanish Revival architecture in the state, and it comes with quite the history. Let’s start with the provenance from Virginia Savage McAlester, Willis Cecil Winters, and Prudence Mackintosh…
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Why is it that some architecturally and historically significant homes stand the test of time, as if they were ageless vessels of grace? A case study might well be 4209 Bordeaux — primo Highland Park dirt, a Tudor mansion that goes light on the steepness of the pitched gable roofs, got a bit playful (but…
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We all know restoring a historic property like this Italian Renaissance mansion takes deep pockets. Dallas has plenty of those. What it is lacking, however, is enough of those pockets that also have the dedication, education, and drive to preserve architecturally significant homes. Thankfully we do have what I like to call architectural angels. These…
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