Navigating the streets of our neighborhood, there are few who don’t slow down to admire the historic mansions and estates that line the Swiss Avenue Historic District. Each is an opulent reminder of the early 1900s, and its design and architecture tell a unique tale about our city’s past.
Here in the 21st century, Jeff and Dana Kremer call the Historic District home. They moved in about two years ago after spending close to a year remodeling. The previous owners had decorated in a modern rustic sort of theme, Jeff says, “and we wanted to make it closer to its original style before we moved in.”
The Kremers installed period tile in the living room and solarium, brought in a large collection of antique and reproduction Mission furniture, plus an art collection showcasing Santa Fe-style paintings from the 1920s and 1930s, and fashioned an impressive third-floor media room. They added a coach house out back as well as a pool.
Central to the kitchen, a fossil-inlaid island countertop reflects some of the couple’s personal passions. Jeff, a geologist, loves stones, gems, fossils and nature, Dana says, but she picked out the magnificent piece adorned in a matrix of ancient fossils.
“I really loved the countertop because it was so beautiful — and I also knew Jeff would like it,” Dana says.
The Kremers say they’re ready for the annual Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home and Garden Tour.
“We were finishing up [the renovation] just before last year’s tour, but then we were just too tired to participate,” Dana says.
Jeff says he’s happy to have his home on the circuit because the tour supports causes such as neighborhood beautification and crime watch.
“I also want to give back to all the people on our street who had to put up with nine or more months of construction going on at our house,” he jokes.
Home tour funds also benefit Booker T. Washington High School, Woodrow Wilson High School, Lipscomb Elementary, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Weed and Seed, says tour spokeswoman Megan Phillips.
Besides the Kremers’, nine other homes featured on the tour reflect some of the finest preserved examples of the city’s early architecture. If the homes could talk, they’d have quite a story to tell, and the area’s checkered past only makes their tales more intriguing.
In 1905, developer R.S. Munger realized his dream of building the city’s finest residential area. The wealthiest oilmen, doctors, lawyers, and city leaders moved in. But World War II and the Great Depression hit Swiss Avenue hard. Some of the homes were abandoned, turned into brothels, halfway houses — one even became a dog kennel.
But in the early 1970s, neighborhood residents — along with the Historic Preservation League and the design division of the city planning department — reclaimed the district and turned it into a Dallas landmark.
You can see the results Saturday and Sunday May 10-11.
Swiss Avenue Home Tour
when/ Saturday May 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (parade at noon); Sunday May 11, noon-6 p.m.
tickets/ $15 in advance and $20 on tour day; children 12 and under free
for more information/ 214.938.3359 or sahd.org
Homes on the tour:
6015 Bryan
5638 Gaston
4830 Swiss
5819 Swiss
6020 Swiss
5124 Swiss
4930 Swiss
6159 LaVista
6119 Bryan
6011 Swiss
