A nonprofit wants to know what’s inside a safe that’s been locked for nearly 50 years
By Henry Tatum
When the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation was given the historic Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue in 1974, there is one thing the nonprofit never received — the combination to the wall safe in the master bedroom.
(Photo courtesy of Henry Tatum.)
Does the safe hold documents? Jewelry? Money? Nothing? Nearly 50 years later, the society has decided to find out.
Dallas Safecrackers, a subsidiary of Fortress Lock, Safe & Security that specializes in opening safes that no longer have a combination, has agreed to take on the Aldredge House safe at no charge.
“It could be that someone passes away and fails to tell their family how to open the safe,” said Jon Lorquet, head of Fortress Lock, Safe & Security. “Or they pull back a rug and discover a floor safe they didn’t know was there.”
Lorquet and his team said they hope to open the safe in the next few weeks.
The Aldredge House was built by Will Lewis for his bride, Willie, in 1917 and later sold to George and Rena Munger Aldredge, who gave the home to the medical society.
Today, the Aldredge House at 5500 Swiss Ave. operates as a historic museum home with educational events and living history presentations on the first Saturdays of each month.
