Home tour season is upon us, and we couldn’t be happier. We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s sneak peek from the Dallas Modern Mile Home Tour. Today, we’re bringing you a second one.
“The Y House” at 10209 Rosser Rd. in Northwest Dallas has an unusual shape—thus its nickname. Designed and built by architect Gordon Nichols in 1954, the house is marvelously midcentury, with a low-slung roof, vaulted ceilings with light coves that repeat in a specific 5/5 module, and an inner courtyard and back garden. Visitors on Saturday’s Dallas Modern Mile Home Tour will appreciate the pops of retro color, and organic expansion, which brought the home to 2,435 square feet, but retained the integrity of the original design and overall style.
We sat down with owner Brandon Emanuel to talk about the home’s distinguishing characteristics, renovations, design schemes, and his family’s plans for the home’s future.
daltxrealestate.com: What made you buy this house?
Brandon Emanuel: We bought the home in 2006. We had friends living a few streets away who were always trying to get us to move into the neighborhood. I told them: “If that house ever goes on the market, we’ll move.”A few months later he called me while I was away on business and let me know it was going to be listed the next day. Jennifer contacted our Realtor and toured it the first morning of the listing. We bought it! It’s a 1954 Gordon Nichols known as the “Y” house for its sideways Y layout. The previous owners had done a great job renovating the home. We loved it as it was.
CD: What renovations have you completed?
BE: We’ve redone portions of the largest bathroom, and have extended the western most portion of the “Y,” adding bedrooms and a Jack-and-Jill bath. Michael and Jane Turner of Turner2 Renovations and Classic Urban Homes as well as Alberto Jaimes of Construtionologists absolutely respected our wishes to have this small addition appear original to the home. They thoughtfully crafted a custom window wall to match the original design, reused the original bricks, did an amazing interior design and finish out and even went well above the call by sourcing the redwood siding—finally finding it somewhere in south Dallas—that matched the original exactly. They were amazing to work with in every way.
CD: What makes this house special to you?
BE: When we first moved in I spent a few weekends at the downtown Dallas Public Library poring over microfiche articles heralding Gordon Nichols design-build prowess in mid 1950s Dallas. The “Y” layout is especially unique and the design can most closely be called California Modern. There are no less than ten windows per room, some have as many as fifteen. Even in the dead of winter, it is flooded with natural light. There is a massive live oak tree in the front with a 110-foot canopy, and a very large cedar elm in the “V” portion of the “Y”. I had researched the the original owner: a Braniff pilot who went by “Fritz” and his wife “Mary.” We named the live oak “Fritz” and the cedar elm “Mary.” They “hold hands” (branches) over the roof of the home. Because of the “Y” shape, we have three distinct yards, each receiving different light throughout the seasons and during each day.
CD: What do you hope visitors Saturday will gain from touring your house as part of the Modern Mile Home Tour?
BE: I hope that visitors will see that not everyone in Dallas is choosing to “scrap” 62-year-old homes in favor of new builds. Many of the homes built in Dallas of all styles are worthy of preservation and can be appreciated in a modern light. While smaller than many of the homes around us, our family of four lives effortlessly in the footprint, and this leaves greater expanses of yard to enjoy. The custom craftsmanship used when these homes were originally built is amazing. California redwood remains strong and true. It is an extremely well thought-out plan. I also hope that those only tacitly familiar with the midcentury modern style will see how applicable it remains in 2016. While our home is vintage, it feels futuristic and fresh to us. Modern pieces can mix effortlessly with stalwart designs from the 1950s.
CD: What plans do you have for the house?
BE: Hardscape touches and thoughtful landscaping are next on our list. Eventually we’d like to redo ceilings and flooring throughout. We’re saving those types of projects for post-toddler days!
CD: What distinguishes “the Y House” as something special?
BE: I’ve had a career in aviation, so I feel connected to the original owner. Researching Gordon Nichols that first year we lived here really gave us an appreciation for his mastery. He often partnered with local architects on projects but he also developed his own hallmark style—his wife Frances was his design partner as well. Reading the articles from 1954-1956 showed what a tour de force the Nichols’ were in our area. We feel very fortunate to be enjoying their thoughtfulness and handiwork today with our own family.
Learn more about the Modern Mile Home Tour by visiting modernmiledallas.com. The tour is this Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Buy tickets here. Be sure to visit their Facebook page for lots of pictures, updates, and information about the properties.
