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Fair Park Tour and Tram Ride
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Saturday, January 23rd
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Members: FREE
Non Members: $10
Sponsored by
Led by Preservation Architect Nancy McCoy, FAIA, join us for a tour
and tram ride highlighting the park's recent restoration projects
including the water show and Esplanade Fountain, the Tenor and Contralto
sculptures and the
Butterfly House at the Texas Discovery Gardens. Learn about the origins
of the Six Flags Over Texas and the meaning behind the Texas Woofus
sculpture.
*The tour beings at the Parry Avenue entrance gate/Fair Park DART
station at 10:00am sharp (arrive on the 9:48 DART train – Green
Line).
This tour has limited capacity - R.S.V.P is required;
a second tour will begin at 12:30pm if sufficient reservations are
received. Sign up today! 214-821-3290 or sljunkin@preservationdallas.org
Not taking DART? Enter the park at the Washington Ave.
gate and park at the Women's Museum. Walk to the Parry Avenue Gate entrance
to begin the tour.
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The Statler Hilton, considered
by many to be the most iconic building of mid-twentieth century design in
Dallas, opened in 1956 as the flagship for the new Statler Hilton chain.
It was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly three decades and
the largest convention facility in the South. Opening day included luminaries
from both coasts converging on Dallas for a four-day celebration. Over 50
years later, it remains at the forefront of newsworthy conversation.
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PRESERVATION FEATURE |
A Success Worth
Celebrating
Our bold stand and courageous effort has brought success in saving
the Baldwin House at 6015 Bryan Parkway from demolition. And yet, the
greater success is having the house fully renovated and, more importantly,
retaining the history and fabric that is the Swiss Avenue Historic District.
This Craftsman style, four-square house was built in 1915 by Mary Louise
and Thomas Benjamin Baldwin, an Assistant Farm News Editor for the Dallas
Morning News and Semi-Weekly Farm News. The Baldwins new house was designed
to fit a lifestyle of writing and gardening. Espousing the value of
gardening, its cost effectiveness, and its great “mental pleasures”
Baldwin wrote, “In these strenuous times of high cost of living,
anything that tends to solve the problem of making both ends meet is,
at least, worthy of investigation.” After the death of Mr. Baldwin,
the house was advertised for rent in the Dallas Morning News: “Ten
Rooms-All Splendid Condition.” Perhaps due to the tough economic
times of the Great Depression,
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the house sat vacant until 1932. That year, Dallas Fire Department
Master Mechanic, Loren M. Long and his wife Nellie, moved into the house
with their children.
By the late 1960’s, the Swiss Avenue neighborhood was in need
of revitalizing. In 1973, the Swiss Avenue Historic District was formed,
bound by Swiss, Fitzhugh, Sycamore, Live Oak and La Vista. This confirmed
this historic and architectural significance of the neighborhood and
gave the homeowners the confidence that the historic appearance of the
district would be maintained.
Since its designation, the neighborhood has been revitalized, becoming
the crown jewel of East Dallas. After sitting vacant for years, the
Baldwin House was purchased by speculative builders in 2004.
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It was slated for demolition but was saved from the bulldozers at the
last minute, thanks to the efforts of preservationists and neighborhood
residents working alongside Preservation Dallas.
Preservation Dallas eventually persuaded the owners to sell the house,
beginning a multi-year renovation. Saving the Baldwin House has not
been an easy or inexpensive fight but it was well worth it. As we approach
the end of this home’s exciting saga, there are innumerable companies,
volunteers and private donors to thank. It certainly took the vision,
perseverance, initiative, knowledge and creativity of both Preservation
Dallas and the Swiss Avenue Historic District’s committee members
to see this project all the way to its successful fruition.
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Wilson Block
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