By Donovan Westover
Our next tour home preview takes us back to the year 1920 as we head over to the Sunset Hill neighborhood, which is behind Sunset High School. The approximately 1,000-household neighborhood was originally part of a 1,000-acre farm which was gradually divided for development in the 1890s. The first homes in the neighborhood were built in 1911, with major construction taking place from 1917 through 1925.
Our tour program text writer for Montreal Avenue, architect Fred Pena, says:
Montreal Avenue is a home that captures the story of Oak Cliff. Per the 1921 Sanborn map, this house started as a one-story bungalow, more than likely Craftsman in style. As is necessary for all living things, yes a house can be considered a living thing, this house has evolved and adapted to continue on living.
Most likely built as a modest two-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow, our 103-year-old tour house has witnessed a lot of change — and experienced it as well. The house has grown through enclosures and additions on the first floor as well as roof space being enveloped to create a second floor.
Alongside the physical growth is the evolution of the floorplan, whose configuration can comfortably house a family while meeting modern-day living standards.
Throughout its many iterations, Montreal Avenue has maintained a natural flow that is replete with heavily windowed spaces, as originally intended in 1920. This makes a modest home on the exterior seem bigger than life on the interior.
The volume of hardwood floors collects and thoughtfully reflects sunlight to illuminate each room with a unique glow. Given the owner’s minimalistic and airy decorating, each room is unpretentious and very friendly. Danish furniture peppers the interiors and adds a level of cosmopolitanism while keeping the atmosphere fresh.
Although Montreal Avenue is not the oldest home on this year’s tour, it is historic. And it has a tale to tell, as all historic buildings do in our built environment.
Historic preservation does not dictate that structures need to look the same way as when built. Preservation is graded on a curve city by city, and by our standards, Montreal Avenue is a great example of the timeline of a home within a neighborhood within a community. There is a lot to see in this house, both historic and modern, and it is a beautiful combination.
Hospitable is an appropriate description of this tour home, and that has been maintained throughout the generations and continues today. So much so that the home has a grand Airbnb suite that feels like the adult equivalent of a treehouse due to the multitudes of mature, massive pecan, oak, and live oak trees. You might find me taking a nap there on one of the tour days, Saturday and Sunday, October 28 and 29. Information and tickets are available here.
See more about our additional 2023 tour homes in Winnetka Heights , Beckley Club Estates , and Ravinia Heights. More tour home stories are coming — you should stay tuned!
Our Montreal Avenue tour home is sponsored by:
Jeremy Moore of Hewitt + Saucedo Realty Group
