Are you mad for Midcentury Modern? Do you have a preservationist’s heart? Then I’ve found the perfect project for you. It’s a Ju-Nel A-frame!
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of only two A-frames built by Lyle Rowley and Jack Wilson. The duo was known for seeking out challenging landscapes that embraced nature and choosing to build around rocks and trees rather than bulldozing them. Views were essential, and this is heavily treed creek lot was perhaps one of the most spectacular sites they built on.
Traditional Japanese Gassho-style farmhouse in Shirakawa-Go, Japan
A Classic, Global Style
A-frame construction has been around for a long time and is used worldwide, from Maori meeting houses to Swiss chalets. Traditional Japanese farmhouses have been built this way for over 400 years. The concept is called Grassho, which means praying hands.
In the 1930s, Austrian architect, R.M.Schindler was one of a handful of maverick talents defining modern architecture in California. In 1934 he designed the cutting-edge Bennati House, one of the first custom A-frames in Lake Arrowhead, California.
In 1952, John Campbell designed the Leisure House A-frame in Mill Valley, California, which ran in Interiors Magazine, further increasing visibility for the style. Andrew Geller created the Reese A-frame in 1957 on the West Coast, and it was published in the New York Times. The publicity generated between these two gentlemen along with affordability, practicality, and the completely cool design ensured the public fell in love with A-frames.
Eventually, you could get an A-frame kit from Sears to build your own.
In 1961, Texan Harmon Dobson, the founder of Whataburger, switched his restaurant’s architectural style to the now-familiar orange-and-white-striped A-frame. There was no end in sight, but we had to know there would be a tipping point when even Fisher-Price got on board with an A-frame dollhouse.
Everything Old is New Again
Any craze leads to a commonality and dilution, which kills significance. As we know, when it’s common, it’s no longer special until it’s no longer common again. And that’s what has happened.
The old saying, “Everything old is new again,” could not be more valid when it comes to A-frames. Everything comes back into style, and the A-frame has made a resurgence. New construction A-frames are popping up across the world and inspirational accounts on Instagram and in digital publications are devoted to them.
But there is only one original Ju-Nel A-frame available in Dallas!
With 3,773 square feet, five bedrooms, and three bathrooms on almost an acre, your imagination can run wild. The pièce de résistance is the A-frame living space that showcases the deck and creek. An enormous brick fireplace centers on one side of the living room, and an extraordinary loft overlooks it and opens onto a roof deck.
“It will be amazing.”
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to rehabilitate and revitalize an authentic Ju-Nel Midcentury Modern masterpiece,” Paragon Realtor John Angell said. “This is my favorite listing of all time. I was trying to figure out how I could buy it! I wanted to build a suspension bridge over the creek and have a pool over there. I’m genuinely excited to see what happens. It will be amazing.”
Angell has this Ju-Nel A-frame at 9023 Capri Drive listed for $600,000.
Open House: Sunday, Sept. 5, 2-5 p.m.
