Dallas was buzzing when news broke that the Philip Johnson-designed house on Strait Lane had hit the market for a cool $27.5 million. And now enthusiasts have a chance to see inside the home that the New York Times called the “the most strangely fascinating thing” the famed architect ever created.
On Saturday, October 25, Preservation Dallas is hosting the 2014 Fall Architecture Home Tour — Grounds for Preservation, featuring historic Dallas homes in Highland Park, Preston Hollow, Kessler Park and Lakewood. The $100 patron ticket ($85 for Preservation Dallas members) gets you access to the Johnson house and four more:
- The Rife House by Fooshee and Cheek at 4400 Belfort Ave., built in 1937
- The Bromberg House by O’Neil Ford at 3201 Wendover Rd., built in 1939
- The Ray House at 9784 Audubon Place, built in 1963
- The Hayes House by Harold Prinz at 718 Kessler Lake, built in 1955
The patron ticket also includes entrance to the patron party on October 23, 6-8 pm, at 10260 Strait Ln., which was designed by Hal Yoakum in 1937. There is also a $50 ticket option ($40 for members), which includes access to the above four homes but not the Philip Johnson house.
This home tour, however, isn’t only about snooping through historic homes; it also seeks to enlighten. It begins at the Angelika Theater at Mockingbird Station with a continental breakfast and architectural symposium. Panelists include architect Cole Smith Sr., landscape architect John Armstrong and historian/author Michael Hazel, who discuss multiple facets of historic estate design in Dallas.
Tickets for the tour can be purchased online; reservations are required and non-refundable. Check-in begins at 8:30 am for the breakfast and symposium, which begins at 9, and the tour starts immediately afterward. Attendees are required to check in at the Angelika.
You can also become a member of Preservation Dallas, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the city’s historic buildings, neighborhoods and places.
The Ray House, 1963.
