Swiss Avenue Mother's Day Home Tour 2014 Part 1

I love, love, love this event!!  If you're not familiar with Swiss Avenue in Dallas let me give you some information!

Swiss Avenue Historic District Website

The following is from the website:

"At the turn of the last century, Robert S. Munger, a successful cotton-gin manufacturer and forward-thinking real-estate developer from an influential Dallas family, had a pioneering vision.  And a unique plan.  In a city where zoning had yet to be practiced, on any scale, Munger conceived the idea of building a planned, upscale residential community, just east of downtown.  His development, Munger Place, was the first deed-restricted neighborhood in Texas.  And at its heart, he would build an exclusive enclave of grand and stately homes along Swiss Avenue, stretching from Fitzhugh Avenue at the east, to La Vista Drive at the west.  

Swiss Avenue became the first paved street in the entire city of Dallas.  The surfacing material selected was bois d’arc block (horseapple tree wood), known for its extreme density and durability.  A trolley line was installed to provide residents with convenient transportation to the downtown business and shopping districts, and a railway spur track was laid in what is now the alleyway between Swiss and Gaston, allowing residents who were well-heeled enough to own private rail cars to simply board at the rear of their homes and travel to anyplace the rails could transport them.  

Munger’s building restrictions stipulated that the homes on Swiss Avenue had to be at least two stories in height, the exteriors constructed of brick or masonry, they were not permitted to face a side street, and each residence had to cost at least $10,000 to build, a hefty sum at the time.  No home could be constructed ‘on spec’, all houses had to be built and occupied by their intended residents.  

Prominent Dallas families embraced the concept, they hired nationally renowned architects to design and build their showplaces.  These included Bertram Hill, Lang & Witchell, Charles Bulger, Hal Thomson, Marion Fooshee, C.P. Sites, Marshall Barnett, and W.H. Reeves, among others.  

In 1973, Swiss Avenue was designated as Dallas’ first historic district.  On March 28, 1974, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is an official Dallas Landmark District.

Today, Swiss Avenue stands as the finest example of an early 20th Century neighborhood in the entire Southwest.  Its eclectic mix of homes, spanning its 2 ½ mile stretch, represent virtually every popular residential design style of the day, including Mediterranean, Spanish, Spanish Revival, Georgian, Mission, Prairie, Carftsman, Neoclassical, Italian Renaissance, Tudor and Colonial Revival.  It has evolved from one man’s unique experiment in planned urban development to become a living testament to America’s architectural diversity."

So off we went on the tour!

House number one!

This prairie school design was built in 1914 for 16,000.  It was built for Texas rancher, Thomas W. Newsome by architect C.P, Sites.  Four years later it was sold to Mentor B. Terrill founder of the nationally known Terrill School for Boys, which later became St. Mark's School Of Texas.  Through the years the home served as a halfway house for recovering alcoholics and as a boarding school for blind boys.  Today it is a single family residence.

My favorite part of the house has to be the beveled glass transom windows on the first and second stories.  When you walk in through double doors there are two rooms.  On the left is the winter parlor with it's original rock wood fireplace.  On the right is a summer parlor.

In the rooms are detailed mouldings which is not true to the prairie style nor are the Grecian columns that were added in the 40's. Unfortunately we were unable to go upstairs. We were bummed.

Along the way there were classic cars on display.

This gorgeous house turned 100 this year!

It wasn't on tour but they did offer a photo op spot!  Here's my sister and I sweaty and gross.  Ha!

We also passed by the infamous 4949 Swiss.

Designed by noted architect, W.R. Reeves, the mansion was built in 1918 for $25,000 by “saddle baron” John R Tenison. Later it was owned by the William W. Caruth family,  a name still  prominent in Dallas land development and real estate.

The impressive 7,000 sq. ft. Prairie-style home – which has a third-floor ballroom where Maddie Caruth had her debutante ball – achieved most of its fame and notoriety when it was owned by the John Logan family from 1949 to 2004. The home was purchased by the Logans for $17,500, a discounted price because it already needed repairs. 

"Back in her day, Logan daughter Mary Ellen was a blond beauty and fashion model who was named by Life Magazine as “The Most Beautiful Woman in America” and posed for an elegant art-deco statue on Fair Park’s Esplanade. Mary Ellen Logan Bendtsen – the daughter of a Sanger-Harris men’s clothing salesman – also was an accomplished  pianist and held court in the music room at 4949 Swiss. Her husband was said to be a Danish Baron, also a pianist, and some remember “dueling pianos” between husband and wife on occasion. Mary Ellen also entertained at the Adolphus Hotel – President Harry Truman was in her audience one evening – as well as other Dallas supper clubs and country clubs. As you might guess, invitations to the beautiful mansion on Swiss were prized."

(For more of this article visit http://hometowndfw.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/texas-castles-behind-the-scenes-at-historic-notorious-4949-swiss-ave-mansion-on-2012-homes-tour/)

Sadly in Mary Ellen's elderly years she "befriended" by two swindlers who (on her death bed) had her make them her sole beneficiaries 

Thus ensued a battle between her daughter and these two con men.

Battle for 4949 Swiss

In the end the daughter won and the house sat empty and was then sold. 

The whole house needed restoration.  I hope eventually it will be put back on tour!