Architectural History

Legendary architect Frank Welch's Dallas home goes on the market

A piece of architectural history is for sale. Legendary architect Frank D. Welch's Dallas home goes on the market September 25.

The 2,932-square-foot residence is at 3511 Cragmont Ave., in Northern Hills, just outside of Highland Park. Welch lived in the home until his death June 22 at age 90.

Built in 1997, it's a single-family, attached home with three bedrooms, three baths, an elevator and pool, and is surrounded by Ginkgo trees and red oaks. It offers private, gated access to the Katy Trail, two fireplaces, a two-car garage, and his-and-hers separate baths off the master.

Welch is credited with propelling the rise of "Texas Modernism" architecture. He designed homes, commercial buildings, churches, and schools. In Dallas, his body of work includes The Lamplighter School, First United Methodist Church of Richardson, and many private homes.

The residence features many of his trademarks: his signature use of St. Joe brick (from St. Joe Brick Works, Inc. in Pearl River, Louisiana), soaring ceilings, rift-cut oak cabinetry in the kitchen, and lots of glass, including skylights, which let in volumes of light.

"[Welch's] architecture can be characterized as modernism with a Texas accent, buildings that reflect the climate and native materials of the state. At the same time, they quietly bring into people's lives a certain cultural sophistication," says architect Max Levy in a release. "His townhouse on Cragmont Avenue in Dallas is a consummate case in point: an exterior easy on the eye in the glaring sun, and a shady interior of lofty, light-filled spaces, all of it subtly stitched together with refined details. There is something about this place that invites the inhabitation of books, artwork, music, and conviviality."

Welch received the 2017 Texas Medal of the Arts award, joining the ranks of Willie Nelson, Horton Foote, and writer John Graves as the state's most celebrated cultural luminaries.

"His buildings were like him," says architectural historian Stephen Fox in a release. "Low-key and tailored in appearance; energetic, insightful, exuberant, and inspiring in spirit."

The home is listed with Tricia Weiner, of Dallas-based Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, for $1,179,000.

It will be open Sunday, October 1, from 1-4 pm.

For more information, contact Weiner at 214-535-1405 or tricia@daveperrymiller.com.

One of Frank Welch's design hallmarks are rooms that flood with light.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Reed Photography

One of Frank Welch's design hallmarks are rooms that flood with light.

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House For Sale

Dallas house for sale from the '50s is still in original condition

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9203

There's a house for sale in East Dallas that's increasingly hard-to-find: a well-preserved home from the '50s for sale that's in nearly original condition.

The house is located at 9203 Lindaro Ln., just outside Loop 12 and walking distance to Bishop Lynch High School, in a stable neighborhood of homes build in the mid 1950s.

The listing by Bryant Nieves of Elite Real Estate Texas calls it a "beautifully preserved Mid-Century gem" with original hardwood floors in the downstairs bedrooms, a recently installed roof, a modern sprinkler system, and an upgraded AC unit.

There are multiple living spaces with a formal living & dining area, eat-in kitchen, and family room which includes an office nook with built-in desk. It has both a carport and attached 2-car garage, as well as a fully fenced yard.

Most of the homes in this neighborhood are 1,200 to 1,600 square feet, and priced from $250,000 to $350,000.

This house was built in 1957, but it differs in that it has a second-floor add-on over the garage — making it roomier at 2,202 square feet, with 5 bedrooms instead of the usual 3.

The two bathrooms are in original condition with '50s tile, both in good shape. The main bathroom has pale warm tan tile, almost flesh colored; the second bathroom, off one of the bedrooms, is a little prettier, with white tile and green-tile edging. Both are far superior to granite-look ceramic.

While both bathrooms merit admiration, this house is more about the wood. There are

original hardwood floors, all in great shape
wood doors including closet doors
wood paneling in the family room, with wood bookshelves and a build-in wood desk

There's also an odd wooden bookshelf that serves as a divider of sorts in the stacked formal living room.

The only room that looks unoriginal is the kitchen, which boasts white-washed '80s cabinets. It looks clean and functional, even if it does not match modern tastes.

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Facade of 9203 Lindaro is pleasing, thanks to the unpainted brick.

It sits on a 7,535 sqft lot and the asking price is $395,000 — a bit optimistic, even if they find the rare buyer who sees value in an untouched '50s home.

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