For Mother’s Day, I went to a tour of homes in the historic district where I live. All ALONE. I lost my best fag buddy a few years back and need a new sidekick who appreciates the same things that I do.
My city has a fascinating past, but Dallas has always been a prosperous place that grew sprawling after the buck, never to look back. With our slick glass and steel skyline, the city of Dallas does have big, big style, but we very little sense of history and few conservation efforts. I had to do some searching online to read about the early boom years in Dallas.
The jewels that have survived time are the historic district where I live, and Fair Park, the largest collection of Art Deco period buildings in the US which were constructed for the Texas Centennial Exposition. Those crumbling architectural gems were going to be razed in the 70’s, but they are all museums now. I read on the internet about how one determined lady got her friends and neighbors together to save Swiss Avenue and Fair Park both. I thought that was amazing. 
So… on Mother’s Day, I was standing on this gray-haired lady’s biggo Craftsman porch as she addressed the folks who were about to tour her beautiful home. She spoke about how Swiss Avenue — the oldest, finest street in all of Dallas — was once derelict and how she and some of the neighbors banded together to make changes in the late 60’s. As the crowd starting moving inside, I approached her and said, “Yanno, I read about this lady who lead the effort to save both this historic district and Fair Park. Did you know her?” She said with a smile, “Why yes, actually that was me.”
She was tickled. I was tickled. I thanked her for what she had managed to accomplish, and we rattled on architecture until we were both a little embarrassed that we liked one another so much.
Anyways, small world, huh?
Why do I love old buildings so much? History grounds me. Who would dare take a wrecking ball to a staircase that took a talented man a year to carve from an extraordinary tree that gave its life? I think of the craftsmen and artisans, and how much pride they must have taken. There are few craftsmen anymore, only contractors and laborers who rarely have the chance to create such beauty, only appreciate what has survived of the bygone. Beauty is not about money because I believe you can never really own something that was meant survive you.
Here are beautiful homes I toured. Hard to believe when the old area of Dallas fell from favor, most of these grand dames became boarding houses with toilets in every closet, and many were condemned, abandoned, and slated to be demolished.
And here is the old Fair Park Livestock Coliseum which now houses The Women’s Museum, a real treasure for all. The art deco female figure is original to the building. Every building in Fair Park is a National Historic Landmark, as it should be.
I am glad I got to thank you for saving these, lady. And it was a pleasure to meetcha.
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