It may be common in Los Angeles to find a home like this Modernist mansion by Philip Johnson, but it’s not common in Dallas. That’s why this is such a spectacular find and worthy of a revisit!
The Philip Johnson Modernist mansion on Strait Lane is one of the most significant homes in Dallas with fantastic provenance among the Big D elite. It’s the only residence the lauded architect designed in Dallas and for the first time in history, you can lease it.
This iconic Preston Hollow home was built in 1964 for construction magnate Henry C. Beck Jr. and his then-wife Patty. After taking over the already-thriving Henry C. Beck Company from his father after his passing, Beck Jr. grew the family business to new heights with the construction of Northpark Center, Reunion Tower, the Hyatt Regency, and the Hotel Crescent Court. So, it’s not at all surprising he wanted to have a magnificent statement home.
Dallas Morning News architecture critic Mark Lamster noted in 2014, “When that house is filled with people, it’s fantastic.” Indeed it is. I was lucky enough to be invited to a party here shortly after the Beck family sold it to Naomi Aberly and Larry Lebowitz.
They hired Mil Bodron of Bodron + Fruit to update, modernize, and restore the 60s-built home. Bodron also designed the pavilion for a new swimming pool. Reed Hildebrand redid the massive 6.45-acre landscape.
It must have been 2003 before the renovation work began in earnest when the Lebowitz family graciously allowed their Philip Johnson Modernist to be used for a lavish party for Forty-Five-Ten. If you are new to Dallas, Forty-Five-Ten was opened in 2000 on McKinney Avenue by Brian Bolke and Shelly Mussleman. It was and continues to be the place to shop for discerning fashionistas. (Even Oprah loves it.)
I had to reach out to one of Dallas’s best journalists, art directors, and all-around Renaissance men, David Feld, to jog my memory of that wild evening. He actually used to play here with the Beck kids when he was a lad.
“There was a Narcisco Rodriguez fashion show that night,” David said. “I think Todd Events catered, and there were Cape Coders (basically vodka and cranberry juice) to drink. It was a FABULOUS party.”
That’s probably why my memory is dim! Anyway, you can just imagine the models gliding down those double staircases! It was something to behold.
Lamster commented on the staircases in a Dallas Morning News article on the home.
The dueling staircases is something Johnson had used in museums,” says Lamster. “It is so formal, you’d hardly expect to use it in a private residence. It’s something from another century. In some ways, it’s tongue-in-cheek and intentionally fun.
Over the years, the Lebowitz’s hosted the stylish and the famous, including former President Obama, twice. I cannot even imagine the conversations that have taken place in this home.
Now, for the first time, you can lease this Philip Johnson Modernist masterpiece.
I mean, damn, that’s great news! It’s perfect for those that will only be in Dallas for a year or need a local landing pad for entertaining because we are all about to start throwing the most decadent parties imaginable again, and hopefully as wild as that Forty-Five-Ten party!
Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s listing agent Faisal Halum has this iconic 11,387-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven-bathroom Philip Johnson Modernist masterpiece, at 10210 Strait Lane, available for lease at $75,000 per month. If you rent it and cannot bear to leave, you can always put in a healthy offer to the present owner because in this market, you just never know!
