One of the most enjoyable parts of the Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Tour of Homes in Old East Dallas has always been hearing the stories of the houses – who built them, what happened to them over the years, how they were saved and what had to be done to restore them. This year’s 25th Anniversary Swiss Avenue Tour will include 14 homes and 14 tales, including that of the ghost facade of 4918 Swiss.
Bill and Mary Woodard fell in love with the distinguished profile of the old mansion at 4918 Swiss and bought it five years ago. The interior was mainly original and in wonderful shape. But the longer they lived in the house, the stronger was their sense that there was something amiss with the exterior.
“If you got out on the street and looked at the house, it looked plain,” Bill Woodard said.
The 1916 house had long clean lines and graceful proportions, but the face of it did have a certain plucked look, like an actress without her makeup. A simple porch over the front door was supported by two spindly pillars. Some oddly isolated ornamental balusters projected from the the top of a sun-porch on one end of the house, like thick arms holding up thin air.
But the Woodards noticed something else as well: like the silhouette of a ghost, they found white caulk lines on the bricks behind the front porch. Standing back and squinting their eyes, they could see the outline of much more massive pillars that must have supported it originally.
“We just followed the caulk lines,” Mary Woodard said. “We knew something had been there.”
Suddenly the Woodards understood their nagging sense that the house was missing something, almost as if the old house had been embarrassed about it and wanted let them know: its plain appearance was not what it had been intended to look like originally.
The ghost marks on the brickwork showed the faint design of a much more ornate treatment, including massive doubled columns at the front of the porch and an ornate balustrade across the porch and sun porch. The spindly columns holding up the porch turned out to be modern aluminum substitutes.
With the help of an architect, the Woodards set off on an architectural sleuthing adventure. Neighbors helped by digging out old photos from their attics showing bits and pieces of the Woodard house, seen from different angles.
Eventually the Woodards were able to restore the house to a look they believe is very close to what its appearance must have been in 1916, just after it was built. Now the house looks like it has its makeup on (and is happy about it).
The story of the Woodard House renovation is only one of the intriguing tales that will told by guides in all 14 of the houses on tour this year. The houses will include a wide variety of architectural styles on all the several streets of the city’s first historic district and in surrounding neighborhoods.
The 25th Anniversary Swiss Avenue Tour of Homes will take place from 6-9 p.m. May 8, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 9 and noon to 6 p.m. May 10. Ticket prices will be $10 at the door of any tour house, or $8 in advance at any Dillards store or at the Lakewood Minyard store. For information call 214-220-9630.
Jim Schutze is a neighborhood resident and author.
