Dallas Modern Living

6027 Vanderbilt JUST REDUCED!!!!

2010-08-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

6027 Vanderbilt Avenue was just reduced to: $445,000 and now also available for rent $2,400/month.

Beautifully updated 1930's home with 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths situated on a lot and a half. Kitchen was updated with 1930's style cabinetry, stainless steel upgraded appliances, granite style counter tops, apron sink. The home boast hardwoods through out, upstairs and down, 2 bathrooms and all 3 bedrooms are upstairs. Great home! Call for a privates showing today!

Erin Balen 214-282-6747

Good things come to those who wait!

2010-05-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today the Dallas Morning News publishes an article about the March 2nd fire that plagues Greenville Avenue. As I interpret the article we are looking for a much longer build out time on the 4 restaurants and bars on lower Greenville.

As a neighbor and a person highly interested in home values of East Dallas, I understand the concern of a burned down building, temporary fencing and all the trash that comes along with it. BUT, we all need to realize that this will take some time, it always does when there is a lawsuit involved.

Yes, for the time being it's not great but with the changes, ideas and upgrades that are being planned for the development it will greatly improve our neighborhood and community!

To read the article for yourself please click here!

My house is worth what?!?!

2010-05-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Many articles have stated that Dallas Central Appraisal District is inflating home values this year to above their actual worth. Many of you will need to protest your homes value. Now is the time to submit your request. In doing so you will need a comparative market analysis, a.k.a. CMA. I am happy to provide you a CMA at no cost, just go to my website and fill out your information!

Click to get my FREE CMA!

If you have any questions about this process feel free to call or email me:

214-282-6747 cell

ErinSellsDallas@gmail.com

Dallas home prices RISE 2.6%!!!

2010-04-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Prices were up 2.6 percent in the lates Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller Home price index. Also prices nationwide rose by 0.6 percent in February from a year earlier! Another great fact that proves our housing market in the Dallas Area is kicking butt and taking names is that February was the fourth consecutive month that Dallas-are home prices increased!

What does this mean for your adverage buyer? Well it means the time to buy is now. Our rates our still really low and home values are close to rock bottom pricing as they have been in years.

To check out what kind of housing is out available in your price point sign on to www.erinbalen.com or feel free to give me a call: 214.282.6747 cell! Now is the time to act!

"We Pray that You Will"

2010-04-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

As an East Dallas dweller, on and off for the past 14 years, and most other East Dallasites we are all hoping that Terilli's, Mick's Bar, Greenville Bar and Grill and Hurricane's can "RISE FROM THE ASHES!" I drive by this nearly everyday in hopes to see progress, and from the hardly legible hand writing in the middle on the top of this banner I'm not the only one!

They have supported the front brick wall, contractors have been named, and the community is behind them. There is even a Facebook page in support of the employees that have lost their jobs do to this tragic event: "Help Lower Greenville": http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=32496073#!/HelpLowerGreenville?ref=ts This group is also having a concert at the Balcony Club in Lakewood on May 23rd from 1:00pm-7:30 in support. Please go to this page for more information: http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=32496073#!/event.php?eid=103850742984254&ref=mf

As I get more news I will post more information on this blog and also on the new facebook group "Vickery Place Neighborhood." Please become a fan of Vickery Place Neighborhood for more community events, changes and happenings!

Another East Dallas Listing by Erin Balen!

2010-04-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Another great home for sale in East Dallas just in time for National Open House Weekend!!!!! This home is located near Casa Linda: 1717 Crowberry Drive Dallas, Texas 75228. Perfect starter home with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car detached garage, 2 living rooms, 2 dining rooms AND an in ground pool and spa. This home boasts pride of ownership with great maintenance from the current owners. I will be sitting this house open on Sunday, 4/11/2010, from 1:00-3:00. Stop by and see me, I'll have bottled water and door prizes for everyone!

This home is listed for $179,000, call me for a private showing if you can not make the open house 214.282.6747 cell

The DFW Area holds 3 of the top 30 Fastest Growing Counties in the last decade!

2010-03-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Dallas-Fort Worth area added more new residents last year than any other metropolitan area in the country, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday! With DFW welcoming a whopping 147,000 people during a 12 month period starting in July 2008 topping all other major cities in Texas, including Houston.

Most of our fellow Dallasites are making their way to Rockwall County, which ranked as the third-fastest-growing county in the country during the last decade. Their populating has nearly doubled since 2000. Good jobs and better-than-elsewhere economy are drawing people to Texas, experts say. "We have had a very vibrant economy with a diverse set of industries," Murdock said. "When you have the kind of population growth we've had, you don't have it without having economic growth."

Along with Rockwall County, Collin, Denton and Kaufman County are also in the DFW area and have all ranked in the top 40 Nation wide county's for growth in the last decade.

$6,500 Tax Credit... Don't let the time run out!

2010-03-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

The $6,500 tax credit for home owners who are "trading up" is getting close to the expiration date. The latest version of the plan allows folks who already own a primary residence the option of utilizing a $6,500 tax credit - as opposed to the $8,000 credit that is only for first-time buyers - toward the purchase of another home. This $6,500 tax credit for home owners is a great incentive to change your primary residence, if you were already considering it.

But are you eligible to receive the $6,500 tax credit for home buyers? Check your status against these criteria amassed by The Washington Post:

1. You've owned and resided in your current home for a consecutive five out of the past eight years, and your adjusted household income doesn't exceed $125,000 if you file taxes singly, $225,000 if you are married filing jointly.

2. Whatever you intend to purchase, the home cannot cost more than $800,000.

3. The replacement home must become your main residence. There is no requirement in the legislation that you sell your current home.

4. Like the first-time-buyer credit, the $6,500 verson permits a broad range of dwelling types for your purchase. These included newly constructed or existing single-family homes, condominiums, manufactured or mobile homes, and boats that function as your principal residence.

5. Home buyers who go to closing between Nov. 6 and Dec 31 can claim the $6,500 credit on their 2009 federal tax returns or amend their 2008 returns.

If you were planning to change your primary residence anyway, and can close by the June 30, 2010 expiration date, why not take the free $6,500? The financial benefits of this federal housing tax credit are legion, as you can save money by downgrading to a cheaper home, and/or use your original property to generate rental income.

It's time to File... you Homestead Exemption!!!!

2010-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

If you purchased a home in the state of Texas in 2009 don't forget to file your homestead exemption form before April 15th, 2010! Here's a little information about how the homestead exemption was established and how it is applied!

The History of Texas Homestead:

The state of Texas is unique in its application of homestead protection. Although this protection is very substantial, it presents serious limits on the ability of a homeowner to mortgage his/her homestead.

The urban residential homestead consists of a lot or lots of 10 acres or less that is located within a city or town. There is no limit on the value of the land and its improvements entitled to homestead protection. Rather, what is defined as homestead is based solely on the size or acreage of the land involved.

The Texas homestead exemption began as protection for the wives and children of the early settlers in the event the man of the house was lured into a not-so-honest game of chance or decided he needed a few dollars more to continue a night out on the town. More seriously though, the wives and children of a deceased breadwinner were secure in their home(stead) and could not be removed because of some improper or manufactured claim of debt.

As a state constitutional protection, it has withstood the test of time and remained virtually unchanged as we have moved from the 19th century through most of the 20th century.

The practical protections of the homestead laws prevent any creditor (except for the mortgage holder, a taxing authority, or the holder of a note created for a home improvement loan) from forcing the sale of the homestead to satisfy nonpayment of a debt. It is difficult to "abandon" the homestead protection to borrow against its equity. An owner who wants to maintain property ownership and be able to borrow against its equity would have to move out of the property and demonstrate it is now being used as rental/income- producing real estate and that he or she has established a new homestead elsewhere.

It is interesting to note that home equity loans were not available in Texas until the constitution was amended, effective January 1998. Home equity loans in Texas involve numerous restrictions and requirements that may not exist for such loans made in other states. The amount of a home equity loan plus the balance of the first mortgage may not exceed 80% of the value of the property, thus leaving a 20% equity cushion at the time of the second lien.

Links to Homestead Exemption Forms:

Dallas County: www.dallascad.org

Collin County: www.collincad.org

Denton County: www.dentoncad.org

Tarrant County: www.tad.org

Please feel free to call or email with any questions.

Erin Koskovich-Balen

214.282.6747 cell

erin.balen@yahoo.com

East Dallas Envy: Complete Contemporary Remodel Open Sunday!

2009-08-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Open Sunday August 23rd Noon-2:00pm

528 Edgelake Drive Dallas Texas 75218

Beautiful Contemporary Remodel located across the street from White Rock Lake. The home boast, hardwood floors, slate in the kitchen and dining, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, over sized lot, painted inside and out, new 5 panel interior doors and hardware, 2 inch wood blinds and master bath doubled in size. The kitchen has custom birch 42 inch upper cabinetry with concrete counter tops, stainless steel appliances and subway tile back splash. Master bath boasts 5x5 foot walk in shower with river rock floor, double vanity with vessel sinks and faucets and a separate commode area. Perfect home for the price: Just Listed at 329,900. Come to the open house on Sunday from noon to 2:00pm or schedule a private showing today 214.282.6747 cell Erin Koskovich-Balen.

East Dallas Envy: Open House Sunday 2-4pm

2009-08-18T09:17:00.001-07:00

Open House: Sunday 2-4pm August 23, 2009 8019 Forest Trail Dallas Texas 75238

Best Buy in 75238 zip code. Fully Remodeled home on large lot with pool, perfect for these HOT Dallas Summers! The home boasts hard wood floors, ceramic tile, 2 living areas, 2 dining areas and a wet bar with gorgeous wood counter tops an entertainers dream home. The kitchen has been updated with granite counter tops, tumbled travertine back splash, pantry and separate utility room. The master bath has double vanities, seperate garden tub and shower, tumbled travertine shower and walk in closet. The over sized lot has two patios one located off of the eat-in kitchen which is an excellent location for the BBQ! Beautiful pool and large grass area. At the price of 299,000 it's a great deal! Call for a private showing today 214.282.6747 or stop by the open house on Sunday!

East Dallas Envy!

2009-08-18T08:53:00.001-07:00

Three Great Listing in East Dallas, something for everyone. This home is located at 9445 Hobart Street in the Peninsula Neighborhood located on the North East side of White Rock Lake. Steps away from the bath house this neighborhood could not be more desirable. The cottage style home is 2 bedrooms and 1 bath with plenty of room to add another bathroom. It has been well maintained and perfect for the first time home buyer that is looking for that perfect location. Hardwoods through out the home, new kitchen flooring, wood burning fireplace and floor to ceiling windows over looking the 32 feet of front porch.

Open House Sunday, August 9th from 2-4pm

2009-08-06T06:58:00.001-07:00

This completely remodeled home with a pool located steps from Flag Pole Hill is gorgeous and ready for a new owner! Nice neutral tones to go with every one's style, wood and tile floors, custom interior paint, 2 living areas, 2 dining areas and wet bar with wood and tumbled tile counter tops makes it perfect for entertaining. The kitchen has slab granite counter tops, tumbled travertine back splash, over sized pantry and separate utility room. Master suite has a large walk-in closet, double vanities, separate shower and garden tub. Over sized lot with plenty of grass, covered and non-covered patios and a tanning deck that makes it perfect for these hot Texas summers!

Come see me from 2-4pm Sunday August the 9th at 8019 Forest Trail, Dallas 75238. Follow the signs from Lanshire and Audelia in to this pocket neighborhood just North of Flag Pole Hill! A definite MUST see!

Click Here to See the full MLS sheet.

Mid Century Modern home of the week!

2009-07-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

True Mid-Century modern home located in East Dallas with RISD schools! This home needs a little TLC but would be a great floor plan for any family in need of a home office. The garage has been converted to a separate area, with a separate entrance that has what use to be two kids rooms and a play area but would be a great place for 2 home offices and a conference room! As you walk into the home you are instantly welcomed by an open living room with a brick wall that leads you into a dining room and a over sized kitchen (much larger than most homes in this era). Their are 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths and another great feature is two walk-in closets in the master bedroom.

This home is currently listed for $159,000 and would be about $1400/month with a qualifying credit score and down payment. Call me today for a private showing or information about other properties in this area:

Erin – 214-282-6474

This home is actively marketed for sale, but may not be listed by Hodge Realty. All information herein is deemed reliable but should be verified by buyer.

Cha Cha Cha Changes!

2009-05-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

David Bowie couldn't have said it any better! After hearing that first time home buyers were going to get an $8,000 tax credit for purchasing a home the market started to pick up. Now FHA is allowing banks to let borrowers use this money at the closing table for their down payment. What reason do you have not to buy a house?

HUD Secretary Announces Monetization of Tax Credit at NAR Real Estate Summit
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2009
Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that theFederal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow homeowners to use the $8,000 tax credit as a downpayment.
Donovan’s remarks came in an address to several thousand Realtors® gathered this morning at The Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy, a special daylong session at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.
Secretary Donovan said that important changes, which the National Association of Realtors® has been calling for, will help consumers purchase a home. “We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a downpayment,” Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA’s approved lenders will be permitted to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table.
Donovan said the Obama administration plans to further stabilize the housing market. “I do think we have some early signs hat the market overall is stabilizing,” said Donovan. “Since January we’ve seen both home sales moving up and down around a relatively stable number and we are seeing the first signs that the rapid decline in home prices is starting to abate.”
NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth, said, “As the leading advocate for housing issues and homeownership, NAR continues to take a leadership role in promoting ideas for improving our economy by stabilizing the housing and real estate markets. Today we have the best of the best to begin a dialogue, develop solutions and initiate action toward real estate and economic recovery.”
The morning session included a panel discussion that was moderated by CNBC’s Ron Insana. The 13 panelists and Realtors® in attendance examined cutting-edge solutions necessary to promote and preserve homeownership and real estate development, stimulate the economy, and protect the nation’s taxpayers. They also shared their ideas on what the role and responsibility of the federal government is in the revitalization effort.
The list of distinguished panelists include Dr. Martin Feldstein, professor of Economics from Harvard University; Dr. Barry Bluestone, professor of Political Economy from Northeastern University; John Taylor, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition; Maria Kong, president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers; and Sarah Rosen Wartell, executive vice president for the Center for American Progress.
“Right now the Federal Reserve is the market,” said Jay Brinkman, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association. “What will be the effect when the Fed stops buying?” Brinkman explained that an exit strategy must be planned for the long-term; the federal government cannot continue to support the mortgage markets indefinitely.
“We must make sure FHA and the GSEs are supported,” added the Wharton School’s Susan Wachter.
“We are thrilled that so many high-caliber individuals were able to join us today at this important meeting to promote stability in the housing market and the U.S. economy,” McMillan said. “We look forward to an ongoing dialogue and action toward this goal, during our midyear meetings this week and beyond.”

Architect of the Week: Philip Johnson

2009-04-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Johnson's early influence as a practicing architect was his use of glass; his masterpiece was the Glass House (1949) he designed as his own residence in New Canaan, Connecticut, a profoundly influential work. The concept of a Glass House set in a landscape with views as its real “walls” had been developed by many authors in the German Glasarchitektur drawings of the 1920s, and already sketched in initial form by Johnson's mentor Mies. The building is an essay in minimal structure, geometry, proportion, and the effects of transparency and reflection.
The house sits at the edge of a crest on Johnson’s estate overlooking a pond. The building's sides are glass and charcoal-painted steel; the floor, of brick, is not flush with the ground but sits 10 inches above. The interior is an open space divided by low walnut cabinets; a brick cylinder contains the bathroom and is the only object to reach floor to ceiling.
Johnson continued to build structures on his estate as architectural essays. Offset obliquely fifty feet from the Glass House is a guest house, echoing the proportions of the Glass House and completely enclosed in brick (except for small round windows at the rear). It contains a bathroom, library, and single bedroom with a gilt vaulted ceiling and shag carpet. It was built at the same time as the Glass House and can be seen as its formal counterpart. Johnson stated that he deliberately designed it to be less than perfectly comfortable, as "guests are like fish, they should only last three days at most".
Later, Johnson added a painting gallery with an innovative viewing mechanism of rotating walls to hold paintings (influenced by the Hogarth displays at Sir John Soane's house), followed by a sky-lit sculpture gallery. The last structures Johnson built on the estate were a library and a reception building, the latter, red and black in color and of curving walls. Johnson viewed the ensemble of one-room buildings as a total work of art, claiming that it was his best and only "landscape project."
The Philip Johnson Glass House is a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and now open to the public for tours.

Architect of the Week: Charles Eames

2009-03-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

One of my personal favorite architects is Charles Eames, most famous for his 1950's furniture design work with Herman Miller. Everyone recognizes this chair but most people do not understand a) it's a work of art b) the first piece of furniture with moulded plywood and c) it was designed by an architect.

Wikipedia's history of Charles Eames:

Charles Ormond Eames, Jr (June 17, 1907 - August 21, 1978) was born in 1907 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Charles was born the nephew of St. Louis architect William S. Eames. By the time he was 14 years old, while attending high school, Charles worked at the Laclede Steel Company as a part-time laborer, where he learned about engineering, drawing, and architecture (and also first entertained the idea of one day becoming an architect).
Charles briefly studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis on an architectural scholarship. After two years of study, he left the university. Many sources claim, with little evidence, that he was dismissed for his advocacy of Frank Lloyd Wright and his interest in modern architects. Several websites claim that "In the report describing why he was dismissed from the university, a professor wrote the comment 'His views were too modern.'" This alleged comment has yet to be attributed to any specific member of the architectural faculty. Other sources, less frequently cited, note that while a student, Charles Eames also was employed as an architect at the firm of Trueblood and Graf.[1] The demands on his time from this employment and from his classes, led to sleep-deprivation and diminished performance at the university. It needs to be explored and researched further to determine the actual cause of his departure from the university, rather than repeating the old, unverified story of his being a victim of backward-looking faculty who supposedly threw him out simply for his points of view.
While at Washington University, he met his first wife, Catherine Woermann, whom he married in 1929. A year later, they had a daughter, Lucia.
In 1930, Charles began his own architectural practice in St. Louis with partner Charles Gray. They were later joined by a third partner, Walter Pauley.
Charles Eames was greatly influenced by the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen (whose son Eero, also an architect, would become a partner and friend). At the elder Saarinen's invitation, Charles moved in 1938 with his wife Catherine and daughter Lucia to Michigan, to further study architecture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he would become a teacher and head of the industrial design department. In order to apply for the Architecture and Urban Planning Program, Eames defined an area of focus - the St. Louis waterfront. Together with Eero Saarinen he designed prize-winning furniture for New York's Museum of Modern Art "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" competition.[2] Their work displayed the new technique of wood moulding (originally developed by Alvar Aalto), that Eames would further develop in many moulded plywood products, including, beside chairs and other furniture, splints and stretchers for the U.S. Navy during World War II.[3]
In 1941, Charles and Catherine divorced, and he married his Cranbrook colleague Ray Kaiser, who was born in Sacramento, California. He then moved with her to Los Angeles, California, where they would work and live for the rest of their lives. In the late 1940s, as part of the Arts & Architecture magazine's "Case Study" program, Ray and Charles designed and built the groundbreaking Eames House, Case Study House #8, as their home. Located upon a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and hand-constructed within a matter of days entirely of pre-fabricated steel parts intended for industrial construction, it remains a milestone of modern architecture.

Architect of the Week: Ju-Nel

2009-03-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

Ju-Nel Homes Inc. started as a partnership between the builder/architect duo of Lyle Rowley and Jack Wilson. Inspired by Howard Meyer and Frank Lloyd Wright, Wilson and Rowley wanted to break the cookie-cutter mold of the traditional ranch homes being built during the mid-century period. Instead of the usual ranch house, they designed and built contemporary homes with open floor plans, using unusual ideas and innovative products. They named the company for their wives, Julie Rowley and Nelda Wilson. Wilson and Rowley worked first with Dallas architect Howard Meyer on Temple Emanu-El and 3525 Turtle Creek. In 1958 they struck out on their own and became mavericks on the Dallas architecture scene.

At the time Rowley and Wilson started building, not everyone appreciated their modern designs. The banks thought that only traditional ranch homes would sell, so at first Ju-Nel built what they called "hybrid" houses. These were more traditional homes with some contemporary aspects. Luckily, Ju-Nel persisted and quickly developed their own unique organic modern style, leaving today’s Ju-Nel enthusiasts with a treasure trove of awesome architecture. In all, Ju-nel built around 100 unique residential homes. Of those that have been identified, many are located in Eastwood Estates, Casa Linda, Lake Highlands, Old Lake Highlands, Lochwood, Lochwood Meadows, White Rock North and Lake Park Estates. Most of these homes were built during the early to mid 1960s. By 1963 Rowley had his fill of 8 day weeks and left the partnership to work for the Corp Of Engineers.

Any residential homes after 1963 were the product of Wilson under the Ju-Nel name. During the 1970s Jack designed and built mostly commercial properties as Ju-Nel General Contractors.

Midcentury-modern buildings in Dallas attract preservationists

2009-03-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

Susan Risinger fell in love with her midcentury-modern house five years ago, well before it was discovered by SpongeBob SquarePants.

CHERYL DIAZ MEYER/DMN Susan Risinger, with son William, 6, was drawn to the midcentury-modern architecture of the Midway Hills neighborhood in northwest Dallas.

When Ms. Risinger and her family moved to Dallas from New York, she knew she wanted something very much like the 1950s-era house in the Midway Hills neighborhood of northwest Dallas.
"I don't really care for the more classical look," she said. "I like the clean lines, the architecture, the windows of midcentury houses."
Not only did Ms. Risinger find the house she coveted, she now lives in an outstanding example of an architectural design that is the new front line in the battle for historic preservation.
In the past few years, the midcentury-modern style has begun attracting preservationists' efforts nationwide. For a variety of reasons – including the city's affinity for teardowns – one of the movement's epicenters is Dallas.
While Preservation Dallas, the city's leading organization dedicated to the conservation of historic structures, is linked in the public mind with protecting Victorian homes and ornate skyscrapers, its most recent battles have centered on buildings from the 1950s and '60s.
In just the past few weeks, for example, the group:
•Obtained national historic status for the 3525 Turtle Creek condominiums, built in 1956.
•Persuaded the City Plan Commission to deny a rezoning request that would have doomed a 1959 insurance office building near Oak Lawn.
•Honored developers who converted the old Fidelity Union Life Towers, built in 1952 and 1959, into condos.
The organization's officers, meanwhile, have declared saving the downtown Statler Hilton Hotel building, constructed in 1958, its highest priority.
The sudden interest may come as a surprise to baby boomers who grew up in the 1950s and '60s. For them, a structure from that era may seem less like an architectural treasure and more like the building where they went to the dentist.
"It's always part of the job of preservation organizations to sell the public on buildings from a time period that is coming of age," said Katherine Seale, executive director of Preservation Dallas.
"When people first began to work to save Victorian homes, a lot of people thought they were pretty ugly."
The interest is, in one sense, inevitable, given the simple passage of time. Some postwar architecture is now half a century old – an age that typically transforms a building from "outdated" to "historic."
"There's no rhyme or reason for 50 years to be the benchmark, but the feeling is that after five decades, we begin to have a clearer view of an era," Ms. Seale said.
"We're coming out of the fog and we can look at it with more distance."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is widely credited with nurturing the reawakening, although its earliest pronouncements a few years ago were almost defensive. The group noted then that some of the buildings were not even 50 years old and thus were not a part of history, but of the "recent past."
Dallas author Virginia McAlester is updating her book, A Field Guide to American Houses, to include midcentury architecture.
"You're starting to see people on the cutting edge of the arts, the tastemakers, who are into preserving midcentury architecture," she said.
"It just hasn't caught up to the rest of us yet. When you talk about preserving a typical ranch house, people say, 'Oh, well, I grew up in a house like that.' "
But another generation sees it differently.
"I think the clean modern lines are still very popular, and it's got a retro look that's attractive to younger people," Ms. Seale said. "It's got a bit of an edge, a bit of fun to it."
Ms. Risinger's house on Pinocchio Drive, for example, had exactly the feel sought by the makers of a commercial for a SpongeBob SquarePants board game.
"They filmed it here because they said they liked the 1950s look," she said. "Whenever we see it on television, we can really see it's our place. My kids love it."
Dallas is a natural center for midcentury architecture, which thrived during the 1950s and '60s. Subdivisions and commercial buildings were built by the thousands throughout the country during that period, but particularly in booming Sun Belt cities like Dallas.
And, in many cases, they were better than the work of previous generations. The earliest structures in Western cities like Dallas were usually designed by local architects, or by builders with no formal architectural training at all.
But the city's postwar wealth changed that.
"After the war, they were able to hire architects that were nationally and even internationally known," Ms. Seale said.
The very abundance of midcentury-modern buildings creates its own challenges for preservationists. To many people, efforts to protect ranch houses in North Texas sound like an attempt to declare ants an endangered species.
Furthermore, the purposely unadorned look makes midcentury houses and buildings more difficult to love.
"Because they're not eclectic like classical or Tudor or French, it's hard to contemplate midcentury as a distinctive style, but it is," said Willis Winters, a Dallas parks department assistant director who has written several books on local architecture.
"A lot of people see them as throwaways and the first targets for teardowns."
Over the past few years, Mr. Winters cataloged 400 houses for a new book that he co-wrote, Great American Suburbs: Houses of the Park Cities, Texas. Although it is still months before the book's publication date, he said, 20 percent of the houses have since been torn down.
The destruction of midcentury houses and buildings follows a pattern familiar to preservationists – a common and unappreciated architectural style is threatened by new construction. But the threat creates an opportunity.
For one thing, tearing down a building triggers a new appreciation for what is lost. Absence, as they say, makes the heart grow fonder. And it can spur political action.
"Nothing starts up a neighborhood movement like a teardown," Ms. Seale said.
The attrition also allows preservationists to be pickier about what they seek to save.
"Something doesn't qualify as historic just because it's old," Ms. Seale said. "There are a lot of criteria we look at."
In the case of midcentury houses, the appearance of the entire neighborhood is taken into account, as well as the quality of the planning and construction.
Two postwar neighborhoods are considered standouts by local preservationists – Midway Hills in northwest Dallas and Wynnewood North in Oak Cliff, Ms. Seale said.
Both have well-constructed, interesting examples of midcentury-modern styles, and both have been relatively untroubled by teardowns. Still, there are conservation efforts afoot in both places.
The so-called Disney Streets area, where Ms. Risinger lives, is a particular favorite of local preservationists. It was the site of the Dallas Parade of Homes in 1954 and 1955, in which builders showcased the latest in residential styles and technology.
The local home show was among the largest and most popular in the country, attracting up to 100,000 visitors.
In Midway Hills, Jacqueline Ziff is living in a showcased house her late husband bought in 1962, when it was still considered cutting edge. She was surprised when a real estate agency told her recently that it was coming back into style.
"She cautioned me not to do a lot with it," she said. "It has a pink-tile bathroom that I was considering updating. But I guess I won't now."

Remodeled Home with Views of White Rock Lake Open House: Sunday, March 15th, 2009 from 1:00pm-5:00pm

2009-03-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

This highly sought after Old Lake Highlands home with seasonal views of White Rock Lake has been completely remodeled with a contemporary/industrial flair!

Refinished hardwood floors through out the home excluding the kitchen, dining and entry which boasts multi colored slate. The home has fresh paint inside and out, two wood burning (gas starters) fireplaces with roman brick, exposed "I" beams, both bathrooms updated, kitchen completely remodeled, a large covered patio sitting on close to a 1/4 of an acre lot.

The bright and open kitchen includes custom cabinets with 42 inch uppers, concrete counter tops, stainless steel appliances, gas cooking, breakfast bar and a walk-in pantry.

Large master bedroom with 5 windows located in the back of the home has over 10 feet of closet space and a spa like bathroom. The bathroom boasts a double vanity with vessel sinks, 24x12 inch subway tile, walk-in shower, river rock shower floor and a separate commode area.

A Definite MUST SEE! Call me today for an appointment: Erin 214.282.6747 cell.