2011 December Oak Cliff

be good for goodness sake ’

a guide to gifts that keep giving

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editors

KERI MITCHELL

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EMILY TOMAN

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RACHEL STONE

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contributing editors: JEff SIEGEL, SALLY WAMRE

contributors: SEAN CHAffIN, BILL KEffER, GAYLA KOKEL, GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAff, MEGHAN RINEY

photo editor: CAN TüRKYILMAz

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photographers: MARK DAVIS, BENJAMIN HAGER

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Opening Remarks

Too much of a good T hing

Are we stretching the most wonderful time of the year beyond recognition?

A few years ago, we wound up about 20 driving hours from home the day after Thanksgiving.

Destined as we were for a lengthy car ride, I thought I would brighten the drive by locating holiday-song-only radio stations and flipping from one to another, making this an all-holiday-tunes exercise, something my family could look back on and fondly remember someday.

Well, I’m happy to report that we do look back on this trip, but the word “fondly” isn’t part of the story.

All I was doing was replicating my personal pattern between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, when I give my daily diet of Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen and Boston a six-week rest in favor of holiday tunes. It’s a plan that seems to keep both genres fresh year-round.

But there’s a difference between listening to holiday tunes for 20 minutes at a time and listening to them for 20 consecutive hours. As we wound through the hills of Missouri and Arkansas and across the relative flatness of East Texas, it dawned on me that there are only about 30 actual holiday “favorites,” and once those have been played, the radio stations start looping them again. And again. And again.

Given enough repetitions, even Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” begins to sound like fingernails on a chalkboard. If you don’t believe me, just ask my wife or sons, who spent a good portion of what should have been a restful drive for them (after all, I was behind the wheel throughout) complaining so loudly about this cruel and unusual punishment that I

finally gave in and switched the channel.

We survived, of course, although one son still barks irrationally when a holiday song dares flash its title on the radio screen. But that ill-conceived idea says something about the unintended consequences of the ever-expanding holiday season.

We all know that within minutes of clearing the shelves of Halloween candy, many merchants fill their stores with holiday stuff. It still seems odd to find Santa waving hello when Thanksgiving is nowhere in sight.

I’m not pointing a finger at stores that start the holidays early; they are entitled to do whatever is best for their bottom lines, particularly in these curious economic times.

But I do wonder about the cumulative “damage” we’re doing to ourselves by allowing the holidays to become an overexposed part of our lives.

Our pastor used the term “extravagant generosity” during a recent sermon, and his point seemed to be the importance of giving generously to others from both our pocketbooks and our time.

The holiday season, more than any other, is a time when most of us feel an emotional pull to dig a little deeper to help each other.

Yes, we should feel that way every day of every year. But sadly, most of us just can’t operate that way. We need a special time to give in a special way, and the holiday season offers that opportunity.

Or at least it did. Now, with the season stretching from Nov. 1 to Jan. 2, that’s a long time to keep the flame burning without scorching someone, most likely ourselves.

one copy per reader.

given enough repetitions, even Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” begins to sound like fingernails on a chalkboard.

as distinct

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SOCIAL

Throughout the month, all over the web, follow and play with us on these apps and sites:

Find where our editors are hanging out: Download Foursquare on your smartphone and search Oak Cliff Advocate You can also check us out at foursquare.com/ Advocate_OC on the web.

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We love interacting with our neighbors.

Neighborhood volunteers learn by teaching

The nonprofit relies on 170 volunteer teachers

Teri Walker of Oak Cliff started working at the Aberg Center for Literacy four years ago, and since then she has recruited dozens of our neighbors to be volunteers at the center. “The thing that really drives this program are the people who are willing to get involved,” Walker says. Hundreds of students come through the Aberg Center for Literacy at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Ross Avenue every year. Most of them are learning English or preparing for a GED exam. The classes are free and include childcare. The organization relies on two things to offer its services: individual donations and volunteers. One of those volunteers is Ron Durham of Oak Cliff. He started filling in for another teacher in 2009, and he was reluctant at first. “I had never really taught, so I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be qualified to teach,” he says. He taught a conversation class at Walker’s urging, and he found it was easy and fun. Teaching is a learning experience, Durham says. “My students come from several countries — Korea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico,” he says. “So I learn about their backgrounds and culture and about them as individuals.” Volunteer Genny Rowley says she enjoys learning about her students’ cultures as well. “It’s

a conversation class, and we just talk about things that are going on in their lives, or we look through the newspaper and talk about things going on in the world,” she says. Most volunteers at the center give similar testimony: It’s inspiring to be part of something so meaningful in other people’s lives. All of the students are there to make life better for themselves and their families. “These students are so consistent and really determined,” Rowley says. The center recently added childcare for students, and it’s not just babysitting. Childcare professionals come up with curriculum for the little ones. It costs about $1,200 per year, including childcare, to educate one student, Walker says. To help raise money, the center is adding a 10-week Spanish class taught by instructors from Richland College. The class costs $120 and will meet on Monday nights starting in January. “So we’ll have students who are learning English and students who are learning Spanish all in the same place,” Walker says.

—Rachel Stone

For inFormation on volunteering, or to enroll in Spanish classes, contact abergcenter.org or 214.826.6501.

Ron Durham was reluctant to volunteer at first, but now he loves teaching at the Aberg Center for Literacy.

Photo by Benjamin Hager

Out & About

December 2011

Dec. 1

Marc Ribot

The Kessler Theater presents a solo performance by guitarist Marc Ribot. Ribot’s talents can be heard on various film scores, including Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed.” Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $17.50

more local events or submit your own

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

DEC. 1-3

Jingle Bells on Bishop

The 15th-annual shopping event kicks off with a First Thursday wine walk from 6-9 p.m. The holiday cheer continues from 6-9 Friday and noon-9 p.m. Saturday. bishopartsdistrict.com

DEC. 2

An evening with Alex Cox

The Texas Theatre presents a double feature — a remastered print of “Highway Patrolman” followed by “Straight to Hell” starting at 7:45 p.m. Cox, the director of both films, will answer questions on stage after each film and sign memorabilia at the end of the evening. Signed posters and DVDs will be available for purchase.

231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, $7.75-$15

DEC. 3

Holiday Home Tour

Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association presents the Winnetka Heights Historic District 25th Annual Holiday Home Tour noon-6 p.m. Saturday. The neighborhood gained historic designation in 1981. Tickets can be purchased online or on tour day at Turner House, which is where the tour begins. Proceeds benefit the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association.

401 N. Rosemont, 214-946-1670, whhometour.org, $12-$15

DEC. 8

Turner House Salon Series

Opera and classical music are the topics of the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts December salon. Chris Baker of Winnetka Heights will give an overview of “familiar and unfamiliar music” to start off the holiday season. Proceeds from the 7:30-9 p.m. event benefit building improvements.

401 N. Rosemont, 214.946.1670, turnerhouse.org, $10-$15

Christmas trees are available the day after Thanksgiving. Fresh greens are in-store now.

Holiday Happy Hour December 2nd, 4pm –7pm

 Enjoy wine & hors d’oeuvres

 Shop our new gifts with a garden twist

 Order custom terrarium ornaments

 Create planted Woolley Pockets! Details at www.nhg.com.

Dec. 11-12

Elan International Music Festival

The Mexico-based Esperanza Azteca Youth Symphony and Chorus performs at Cliff Temple Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday.

125 Sunset Ave., clifftemple.org, free

Dec. 16

Philip Creamer

Eno’s Pizza Tavern presents Philip Creamer of the band Dovetail, 9-11 p.m. Friday. The local musician will be performing various holiday favorites at the Bishop Arts restaurant.

407 N. Bishop, 214.943.9200, enospizza.com, free

Dec. 13-18

Black Nativity

TeCo Theatrical Productions, Inc. presents “Black Nativity: A Reason to Celebrate”

Tuesday through Sunday. The program is Donnie F. Wilson’s adaptation of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity,” which explores the births of both Jesus Christ and Jazz. All shows, which take place at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center, start at 7:30 p.m. 215 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $10-$15

Dec. 23

Rare Exports

The Texas Theatre presents “Rare Exports: Back with a Vengeance!” The film, spanning the genres of action, comedy and fantasy, explores the guarded secret of Christmas. A parent or guardian must accompany attendees under the age of 17. Ticket prices and showtime soon will be available online.

231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com

Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve at the Kessler

The Kessler Theater presents Brave Combo and The Singapore Slingers to ring in the new year. Admission includes the midnight Champagne toast, desserts, open seating and the dance floor. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $25

Your Ultimate Urban Garden Center 7700 Northaven Rd, Dallas TX 75230 • 214-363-5316 www.nhg.com

“I Told You to Buy a REAL, American-Grown Christmas Tree!”

“Don’t you know that buying imported plastic trees hurts American jobs AND the environment?! Buying fresh trees & holiday greens supports the American economy and are a renewable, recyclable resource. It’s the greener option!”

Delicious

Breakfast anytime

Jonathon’s oak Cliff

1111 N. Beckley 214.946.2221 jonathonsoakcliff.com

AmbiAnce: cAsuAl cAfe

Price rAnge: $6-$13

Jonathon’s

Oak Cliff serves up hearty breakfast that won’t leave you feeling sluggish all day. Chef Jonathon Erdeljac’s lighter way of cooking captures the indulgent flavors of fatty ingredients such as butter and sausage, but without overloading the dish. “I let the food speak for itself,” he says. “People just like honest food. We don’t pull any punches.” He and his wife, Christine, opened their dream restaurant in May, recognizing the need to serve breakfast all day. Erdeljac puts his own twist on Southern comfort-food staples, including the fried chicken and waffle, chicken salad (on top of a salad), pancake-battered sausage links known as Danger Dogs and good ol’ chicken pot pie. —emily Toman

Hours: 8 A.m.-3 P.m. sun.; 7 A.m.-10 A.m. Tues.-fri.; 8 A.m.-10 P.m. sAT.; closed mon.

TiP: THe bloody mAry bAr oPens during bruncH 8 A.m.-3 P.m. sAT.-sun.

Jonathon and christine erdeljac opened Jonathon’s, their dream restaurant, in may. fried chicken and waffle is one of their signature dishes. Photos by mark davis

of bubbly

Viudas brut rosé, Spain wine has traditionally been something the business loved to hate. Save for expensive Chambubbly from the Champagne region of France, the only stuff allowed to be called Champagne on the sparklers are hard to sell except at this time of funny thing has happened since the recession in 2008. Lots of producers from some odd places making sparkling wine, and it seems to be selling. the massive subsidiary of the Gallo empire, bubbly. So does Yellow Tail, the Australian wine

Each has recognized that there is a market sparkling wine that is a little sweet and doesn’t cost lot of money.

Which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who regularly reads this part of the magazine. I’m not a fan of those wines, because I think you can better quality for more or less the same price. the Barefoots and Yellow Tails, which are solid wines, have opened the sparkling market people who never would have tried a $45 Champagne — which is a good thing.

So as you look for something to toast the holidays, keep in mind that bubbly doesn’t have to cost a fortune:

This cava (what the Spanish call sparkling wine) may be my favorite bubbly, even more than my beloved Cristalino.

It’s cheap, it’s got lots of tiny, wonderful bubbles, and it pairs with all sorts of food.

Unusual Australian bubbly made with sauvignon blanc, with sweet tropical fruit but not as much citrus as one would expect. Less tight and bubbly than cava, but not as soft as some Italian sparklers.

This is the real thing — Champagne at about as reasonable a price as you’re going to find. Look for yeast and crème caramel aromas and some apple flavor. It’s very straightforward, but not as simple as it seems. —Jeff

Siegel

with your wine

Acadiana pralines

If pralines aren’t the perfect holiday treat, what is? These are a little creamy, but not as much as those you’ll find in Texas kitchens or Tex-Mex restaurants. And if they aren’t easy to make, they’re worth the trouble — and they do pair nicely with bubbly.

GROCERY LIST

3 c light brown sugar, packed

1/8 tsp salt

1 c milk

2 Tbsp white corn syrup

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c pecan halves

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix sugar, salt, milk and corn syrup in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook to soft ball stage (about 235 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat and work quickly, since the caramel hardens quickly. Add butter and vanilla, and mix well. Finally, add pecans as the mixture hardens.

2. Drop the mixture by tablespoons onto wax paper or parchment paper. Cool until firm.

Makes about two dozen, takes about an hour

Ask the wine guy

I see the word “brut” on sparkling wine. What does that mean?

Brut signifies that the wine is dry. If the wine is sweet, it will say “extra dry.” No, this doesn’t make sense, but it’s one of the charms of Champagne and sparkling wine. —Jeff Siegel

ASK THE WINE GUY taste@advocatemag.com

Burguesa Burger

’TIS BETTERTO GIVE

Shopping with a positive impact

Sure, you love unwrapping gifts as much as the next person — we do, too. But watching a loved one open the perfect present, courtesy you, ranks among the top warm-fuzzy winter feelings.

Kick that charity-inspired cheer up a notch with these gifts that give — and give again.

Story by Rachel Stone

Photos by Benjamin Hager and Can Türkyilmaz

Save a billboard, give back to the community

Lisa Walter of Oak Cliff is a woman of many talents. She’s a painter. She’s a graphic designer. She has her own line of screen-printed T-shirts.

Her newest venture is a line of bags, Banner Theory, which strives to reduce waste, offer a lovely and affordable product, and give back to the community.

Walter launched Banner Theory last year after doing some freelance graphic design work for an outdoor advertising company. Before that, she had never felt the vinyl on which billboards are printed. She learned that vinyl is not recycled, and she figured some 250 million square feet of vinyl from billboards winds up in landfills every year.

She asked if she could have some of the vinyl, and she started playing around with it. She came up with grocery and messenger bags that are sturdy and chic.

Banner Theory’s tag line is “Turning unsustainable waste into sustainable good.”

The bags sell at IndieGenius and a few other local retailers. But so far, most Banner Theory clients have been “forward-thinking” conference organizers who request custom orders for conventioneers.

It would be cheaper to have the bags made in China, but Walter employs a team of sewers in Dallas instead.

“It shows that a small, local company can do things the right way and also give back to the community,” Walter says.

Banner Theory’s mission is to donate a percentage of its profits to small nonprofit organizations in Dallas. So far, the fledgling company has not yet turned a profit. But Walter says Banner Theory will make a small donation to Oak Cliffbased 2000 Roses at the end of the year anyway.

Another part of her mission is to raise awareness on reusing billboard vinyl. She buys the vinyl from outdoor advertising companies when there is a misprint or the billboard is retired. The companies stipulate that the advertisement cannot be recognizable on any of her products, so their designs are abstract. “Mostly red” and “mostly purple” are the Banner Theory product descriptions at soaphope.com, where a messenger bag sells for $59.99, and a grocery bag sells for $31.99.

Advertising companies also will sell the vinyl to anyone for use as tarps or whatever else.

“Anyone can save a billboard from a landfill,” Walter says. “All you have to do is ask.”

bannertheory.com

IndieGenius,

What other neighborhood businesses offer kindhearted gifts for the holidays? Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com, search gift guide and tell us in this story’s comment section.

Shop with the elves, benefit the North Texas Food bank

Most kids who walk into the Cozy Cottage boutique want to know what’s upstairs. The children’s clothing store is in a two-story converted house at the corner of Eighth and Bishop. The shop takes up the ground floor only, but a staircase leading to the second story captivates many children who come into the store.

“It’s such a mystery to them,” owner Cynthia Herndon says.

We don’t have to tell the little ones, but the second floor of the Cozy Cottage is not exactly thrilling. Herndon uses it for storage mostly.

But it gave her an idea. Every year for Jingle Bells on Bishop, Herndon and her employees transform the upstairs into “Santa’s Secret Workshop.” For a $1 donation, kids can climb those alluring stairs by themselves

and take a look around. Not only that, but they also get to visit Santa’s elves and pick out a gift for mom or dad. The gifts usually are little trinkets such as key chains that Herndon picks up in dollar stores. The gift is not what’s important, though.

“It makes them feel important and grown up to be able to buy a gift for their parents,” Herndon says.

She donates every dollar to the North Texas Food Bank, where $1 can provide four meals.

Now when kids ask her whether they can go upstairs, she has a good answer: “Not ’til the elves come.”

Jingle Bells on Bishop is Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 1-3.

The Cozy Cottage

336 W. Eighth, 214.941.1110

cozycottageboutique.com

Tidings of comfort and

Buy fashion, give women a hand up

The Rose Garden resale shop carries vintage batik, designer accessories and the occasional Chanel suit. But that’s not all. There also is an entire room dedicated to home décor: lamps, art, knickknacks, rugs, blankets, vases, handmade candles.

The Rose Garden is a locally owned boutique and a good place to find something special to wear or give.

It’s also a nonprofit that gives formerly incarcerated women a place to work and learn how to get back on their feet. The Rose Garden supports 2000 Roses Foundation, the nonprofit that Oak Cliff resident Kelly Wiley founded in 1999.

The nonprofit provides housing, food and other help to women coming out of prison.

Wiley herself was imprisoned for two years, and she gained empathy for incarcerated women, especially those with little or no family support.

“I saw so many women who were hurting,” Wiley says.

Even with a loving and supportive family, Wiley’s ordeal was difficult. So after she was freed, in the early ’90s, she knew she wanted to work toward making life better for women who had paid for their mistakes.

The women of 2000 Roses work in the store to learn business: retail, merchandising, marketing and customer service. And they work on handicrafts: handmade candles, soap and pillows, which are sold in the store.

“We create opportunities,” Wiley says. “We’re all entrepreneurs here. Instead of selling our bodies and selling drugs, we can sell jewelry that we’ve made with our hands, and we can sell candles and stuff that we make.”

photos by Bud Mallar and John Lehman

Rep your ’hood

Oak Cliff. That’s our ’hood.

But let’s get more specific. If you live in Winnetka Heights, there is a T-shirt for that. There’s one for the King’s Highway Conservation District. And there’s a bumper sticker too: “Oak Cliff. Keep it Real.”

All of these Oak Cliff-centric gifts give back to the community.

Oak Cliff-based Freelisa printed the King’s Highway Conservation District Tee, and neighborhood resident Amanda Pounds designed it. It costs $20, and $9 goes back to the neighborhood association.

Kings Highway neighbors have been working on creating more public green spaces in the neighborhood.

“So now we’ve got a water bill,” says neighborhood association president Paul Zubiate. “We’ve started to have some overhead as a neighborhood association.”

The Winnetka Heights Tee costs $20, and about $10 goes to the neighborhood association. Winnetka Heights also sells a Christ-

mas ornament for $10, and about $5 goes to the neighborhood.

The Oak Cliff Keep it Real bumper stickers cost $5. There’s also a T-shirt, which sells for $25. Both are sold at Bishop Street Market, and 100 percent of proceeds go to the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League.

Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association

Order ornaments and T-shirts online at winnetkaheights.org.

King’s Highway Conservation District

To order a T-shirt, email events coordinator Catherine Dodge at events@kingshwy.org.

Bishop Street Market

419 N. Bishop 214.941.0907

bishopstreetmarket.com

Fair trade, local owner

Wendy Medling walks most days to work at her shop,

From the Ends of the Earth

Her daily world is pretty small, but the items in her shop come from as far away as Cambodia and Bali.

“I spend a lot of time teaching people about different cultures and about what fair trade is,” she says.

Medling, who has lived in Oak Cliff since 1996, opened From the Ends of the Earth seven years ago. Most of what she sells is fair trade, that is, products imported from developing countries and purchased at a price that allows workers a living wage. So instead of working in a big-name sneaker factory for pennies a day, many fair-trade producers work at home or in small factories, earning enough to provide for their families.

Much of what Medling buys are artisanal and handicraft items.

There are handmade greeting cards from Africa. Leather journals from India ($25) are

made with “cruelty free leather.” These cows died of natural causes. The paper is made from recycled linen, scraps from a sewing shop floor.

Himalayan salt lamps ($15) give a lovely orange glow and release negative ions, which is good for the respiratory system and mood, Medling says.

There is home décor, clothing, jewelry and trinkets, all made by someone, somewhere, who is eking out a living.

“I really like the idea of taking something that’s discarded and making something new from it,” Medling says. “And I really like these handicrafts that are handed down through generations.”

From the Ends of the Earth also sells the work of local artists as well as some other items that “people just like,” such as incense. n

From the Ends of the Earth

835 W. Davis, 214.942.1030

fromtheendsoftheearth.com

More gifts that give back in Oak Cliff:

Repotted, the garden store on West Davis, carries several products that give back. Live rosemary plants formed into Christmas trees come from the teaching farm at Paul Quinn College. The trees cost $20$25, and proceeds go back to the farm. The shop also sells Susan G. Komen for the Cure branded garden gloves, shears and trowels that sell for $5-$8.

Repotted 700 W. Davis, 214.948.4770 repotted.co

Our neighborhood contains not one but two artisan chocolate shops that carry socially responsible chocolate (that is, not harvested by child slaves in West Africa). Drinking chocolate at Dude, Sweet is made from Valrohna cocoa powder and sold with huge hand-made marshmallows ($18). CocoAndré carries bars from Fortunato No. 4, a single-origin chocolate from Peru ($12).

Dude, Sweet Chocolate

408 W. Eighth, 214.943.5942

dudesweetchocolate.com

CocoAndré

831 W. Davis, 214.941.3030 cocoandre.com

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters offer socially responsible coffee. The neighborhood company sells five single-origin coffees ($15-$17 per pound). Read all about the farms where the beans are grown on the roaster’s website.

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters

214.929.6752 oakcliffcoffee.com

Mary Griffith’s two-story, white-framed home on 419 N. Windomere will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2012.

To protect and preserve Winnetka Heights

A historic district doesn’t just happen. The reason the stately homes in Winnetka Heights are still standing is the blood, sweat and tears of these and many other urban pioneers.

In summer 1974, a 28year old Mary Griffith mailed a letter to Alan Mason of the City of Dallas’ Department of Urban Planning. The core message was simple:

“I understand that you and a group of consultants are currently conducting a historic landmark survey program, which hopefully will result in a number of ‘landmarks’ being preserved under the provisions of the Historic Landmark Ordinance of the City of Dallas.

“It is with this in mind that I respectfully request your very serious consideration of the area in Oak Cliff known as the Winnetka Heights Addition for historic landmark preservation.”

To many, the neighborhood seemed headed toward dilapidation. Griffith, however, believed it might be saved. For Winnetka Heights history was rich, and although its buildings were in poor condition, its foundation was strong. In 1908, four prominent Dallas businessmen — Leslie Stemmons, R.S. Waldron, J.P. Blake and Thomas Scott

This 1977 photo of Butch Boss portrays his stance as an urban pioneer. Dallas Morning News Historical Archives

Story by Ali Lamb and Ashley Hudson | Photos by Benjamin Hager

goods

WACKYM’S KITCHEN

Wackym’s Kitchen bakes delicious cookies from original recipes using fresh, natural ingredients like real butter and cane sugar. Visit our website to order or find a retail location. wackymskitchen.com

PAINTING WITH A TWIST

Express your inner artist! Instructors lead attendees in creating featured art. Bring nothing more than your imagination, wine or beverage. Perfect for Private Parties as well. 5202 Lovers Lane 214.350.9911 paintingwithatwist.com

BEADS OF SPLENDOR

You choose ... chain, drop, charm & we’ll assemble – the perfect gift from $25.

1900 Abrams Pkwy @ LaVista (LW Shopping Center) 214.824.2777 beadsofsplendor.com

WINNETKA HEIGHTS HOLIDAY HOME TOUR

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the neighborhood’s historic designation granted in 1981.

WHEN Saturday, Dec. 3, noon-6 p.m.

WHERE Begin the tour at Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont

HOMES Six prairie-style four-squares and craftsman bungalows, including Winnetka Heights developer T.S. Miller’s home at Jefferson and Montclair

COST $12 in advance at Espumoso Caffe, Hunky’s and Shambala, all in the Bishop Arts District, or at whhometour.org; $15 on tour day

Miller Jr. — platted the 50-plus square block area. Three years later, an advertisement ran in the Dallas Morning News describing Winnetka Heights as “Dallas’ Ideal Suburb.” Among other selling points were the absence of saloons and “cool breezes, fresh from the country; uncontaminated by smoke and dust of the city.”

It must have worked, too, because in the wave of construction that followed, wealthy Dallasites built sprawling Prairie-style homes in the burgeoning development with “every convenience obtainable.”

But during World War II, the lavish homes, born in optimism, began decaying in neglect. Husbands went off to war, and wives took on boarders as a means of income, dividing impressive homes into apartments or multi-family residences. By the late ’60s, roughly 80 percent of the neighborhood’s homes had been carved up. The historical integrity was melting away from Winnetka Heights, one absentee landlord and deteriorating home at a time.

Then the urban pioneers showed up, Griffith among them. Perhaps she did not realize that her letter to Mason had dislodged a formidable snowball, sending it down a steep mountain of ordinances and laws. Friends of the feisty woman might believe it more plausible, however, that she knowingly fired the first shot in a citywide snowball war.

After all, they know the whole story. They were there.

Urban pioneer Diane Sherman says her mother cried from disappointment when she first saw Sherman’s home at 107 N. Clinton: “I always hoped you’d have a nice, new house someday.”

MARY GRIFFITH, an Oak Cliff native, had lived in her Winnetka Heights home with her husband, Charlie, for less than a year when Swiss Avenue in Old East Dallas received historic designation, prompting her to begin the preservation process in her own neighborhood. Griffith went on to co-found the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League, which secured the planned development zoning, or PD, that prevented historic homes from being further divided. She also sat on the first Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association board during the successful petition for historic district designation. Her home was built in 1912 and is approaching its 100th birthday.

Griffith: We were aware of what was happening on Swiss Avenue. We thought, “What if we did something like that here? What if we got people interested here?” My husband and I, we realized it was a special neighborhood.

CARLA BOSS and her husband, Butch, live down the street from the Griffiths in a two-story white home built in 1914. The home had been vacant for eight years and was under a demolition order when the Bosses purchased it more than 60 years later. At that time, the PD had already frozen the residential density in Winnetka Heights — single-family homes had to remain single-family homes — and the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League was a highly active neighborhood organization. The league stepped in to help the young couple keep their home, and the Bosses have spent the last 35 years returning the favor.

Boss: We didn’t know what a PD was. We had no idea that this was a PD district. We just fell in love with the house. It was my dream to have a big old house to renovate. My dream, his nightmare.

DIANE SHERMAN’S husband, Daniel “Corky” Sherman, grew up in Oak Cliff as Griffith had. Although his parents eventually moved to the Lake Highlands area, he always knew he would return. In the early 1970s, his conviction was strong enough to inform his wife that she had a choice: She could take him with Oak Cliff or not take him at all. Diane Sherman appeased her husband. They bought a home built in 1913, and she discovered an unexpected passion for her new neighborhood.

Sherman: We saw this announcement in the paper. It was a seminar being sponsored by the OOCCL. It was to attract people like us, urban pioneers. It was called “New Adventures in Oak Cliff: How to Renovate an Old House.” They led you through the process of what to expect, and we’ve been hooked ever since. It’s just like, “We’ve finally arrived. We’ve stumbled on our future.”

“My mother cried when she saw my house.”

In her letter to Mason, Griffith had specified a house that she believed embodied the neighborhood’s crisis, saying:

“Unfortunately, one of the more significant and stately homes in the area appears doomed to demolition (503 N. Windomere, built around 1912). This property, recently zoned ‘office,’ is a particularly good example of a more subtle but potentially more damaging deterioration that results when owner apathy and neglect combine with zoning incompatible with residential use.”

Griffith also had used 503 N. Windomere as the poster-house for deterioration on a flier advertising the OOCCL’s second meeting, with the headline: “Do you want to stop deterioration like this?” The meeting, held at St. Cecilia’s Church in August 1974, called for Winnetka Heights neighbors to assemble for the purpose of maintaining and improving the neighborhood.

What Griffith could not have known is that a young couple would soon buy the house on Windomere and restore it. To this day, Carla Boss loves to mention that her home was once Griffith’s epitome of deterioration. Though the flier is now a joke between friends, in 1974 it embodied a serious problem that, Griffith feared, would topple the neighborhood.

Griffith: At this time, when people bought, they were real urban pioneers. That term isn’t even used anymore. It wouldn’t be appropriate because most people want a home that’s fixed-up, and they almost like moving into a new house. They have all the

latest things. There’s not a thing wrong with that. Some people don’t want to do that kind of work and — now that I think about it — why would they? We didn’t have to do a whole lot to our house. We were lucky.

Boss: We walked through the door, and you would have had to see it. There were holes in the walls. There was graffiti. The fixtures were gone. There was one bare bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling, but the beams, the box beams, the floors … Sherman: My mother cried when she saw my house. At the time, there were 16 houses on my block, and only seven were owner-occupied. We felt certain that it would turn around. We were going to turn it around. My mother sat down on the front step and took a big drag off her cigarette, and she said — as tears are rolling down her face — she said, “I always hoped you’d have a nice, new house someday.” Just like that. And I said, “You don’t understand. I can’t live in Richardson. I can’t live in Fox & Jacobs. I can’t live, you know, in a cookiecutter place. I have to live somewhere like this.”

“I guess they just weren’t thinking in terms of this type of neighborhood …”

Around this time, Griffith had sent the

fateful request for historic designation to the Department of Urban Planning and had already knocked on many doors in Winnetka Heights, gathering supporters and launching the OOCCL. Mason’s response had been kind, but he was clearly hesitant to suggest the pursuit of a historic designation.

Griffith: The plan department looked at us, and I guess they just weren’t thinking in terms of this type of neighborhood being a historic district. All they had was Swiss Avenue to go to, and it’s quite spectacular. They suggested we do this planned development zoning.

Sherman: The PD froze the status of the district so that if you had an older home, you couldn’t divide it anymore. If you had a subdivided house, you could take it down from a quadruplex to a triplex to a duplex or all the way back down to single family. You just couldn’t subdivide it further.

Griffith: We were just trying to get them to do something to help us keep the neighborhood intact. They had never used a PD on an old neighborhood before. They decided to use it on us. In those days, in a neighborhood like this, banks didn’t like

Carla Boss has lived in her home on 503 N. Windomere for 35 years.

Winnetka Heights residents such as Carla and Butch Boss dressed in period clothing to celebrate the historic designation. Contributed photo

before & after

Sherman: And we were cautioned by the state. We were told by the state historic representatives that it was a very, big ambitious task to take on an area this large. They also told us that designation alone was not going to be an overnight fantasy. It wasn’t going to fix all of our problems. It was going to take decades, and we were going to have to maintain constant vigilance, constant monitoring.

Boss: I walked up and down sidewalks visiting with people, explaining the process and getting their signatures on petitions. I would say it would have to be 4050 neighbors that were really involved in the trenches, so to speak, and then there were several that were responsible for submitting all of the data and documentation and everything. It was a big, big job.

loaning because, if you were living in your single-family house, but next door to you was zoned for apartments, there’s no predictability that’ll stay that way. The owner might turn that into slum property, which often happened with those broken-up houses. Banks want predictability. The zoning built in some predictability. But the zoning took signatures. That was quite an undertaking.

“We were there to help stabilize things.”

Roughly 600 structures fill the 164acre neighborhood. The OOCCL had to convince a majority of the property owners to agree to new zoning that would freeze — and ultimately lower — the density in Winnetka Heights. In 1975 the neighborhood became the first in the city to be rezoned. Previously, PDs had been used only on new developments.

Griffith: Of course, explaining this to people wasn’t always easy because they tended to think, “Well, I’m going to get a lot of money for this property sometime. My house is going for townhouses.” That never happened; thank goodness. We had people out working their streets a lot like we did for the historic zoning later on.

Sherman: It was an interesting mix back then. You had some original residents still left, so you had some people in their 80s that welcomed people like us with open arms and were so glad we were there to help stabilize things.

Griffith: Things continued to perk along. We were on some house tours. We treated ourselves kind of like we were a historic district, even though we didn’t technically have that zoning. But then, of course, Munger Place in Old East Dallas got the designation in there somewhere. The plan department had started looking at their neighborhoods in the city. I guess they thought, “If we’re going to hold everything up to Swiss Avenue, that’ll be the only historic district.”

“There was a different mood by that time.”

Five years after Winnetka Heights was granted the PD, neighbors saw a shift in the city’s assessment of what constituted a historic designation. Change had also taken place in Oak Cliff. Preservationists from other neighborhoods joined the OOCCL, allowing the founding Winnetka Heights members to branch off and create the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association. These neighbors had a new name and an old dream. It finally came true in 1981.

Griffith: We just barely got that PD approved. Barely. But, by the time we got to having a historic zoning, the council members were loving us. I mean, that was a unanimous decision. They couldn’t wait to give us historic zoning, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have to work hard to show that we wanted it. We still did. I don’t want to take away from that, but there was a different mood by that time.

Sherman: That was back when we didn’t have email. We had phones tethered to the wall. Not everybody had a computer, and if you had one, most people didn’t know how to work [it]. So it was crude.

“Sharing life”

Winnetka Heights reigned as the city’s largest historic district until Junius Heights in Old East Dallas, with more than 800 residences, joined the ranks in 2005. A few years later, one of Winnekta Heights’ key preservationists, Ruth Chenoweth, who passed away in 2006, created a brochure to tell the neighborhood’s story.

Chenoweth co-founded the OOCCL with Griffith, and many years later, when Griffith voluntarily fazed herself out of most neighborhood leadership roles, Chenoweth remained a formidable neighborhood activist. The Historic Preservation League, now Preservation Dallas, awarded her the Lantern Service Award and the Dorothy Savage Award for outstanding achievement in historic preservation. Because she could not contribute her crucial voice to this story, it seems fitting that it ends with an excerpt from her own version:

“Many original front porch swings attest to the close neighborhood ambiance that was generated through sharing life in this very special place.”

On the wide, wooden porch of Griffith’s 99-year-old home, a front porch swing still sways, echoing her dear friend’s words.n

This home at 203

N. Willlomet is an example of historic restoration in Winnetka Heights. Contributed photos

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to LIVELOCAL@ADVOCATEMAG.COM

New mixed-use development for West Davis

Oak Cliff resident Rick Garza has unveiled his plans for a mixed-use development he calls Kings Way. Garza, an architect who owns several rental properties in the neighborhood, bought the 1.75-acre tract on West Davis at Vernon, across the street from Sweet 200, in 2008. “I live here, and I wanted to see something good happen to it,” Garza says. He is planning Kings Way as three five-story buildings with 43,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level. The second story would comprise 43,000 square feet of office space. And the top three stories would contain 145 apartments. Garza also wants to build a two-level underground parking garage that would hold 400 cars. There would be a driveway through two of the buildings, from West Davis to Fouraker, with a few parking spaces. In another space between the buildings, Garza is planning a green space with wider, shaded sidewalks and no driveway. He doesn’t have funding for the project yet, but Garza says he thinks construction could be underway within the next year and a half. Garza was a leader in the Bishop Davis Land Use Study, which resulted in a major rezoning of the West Davis corridor last year.

Bolsa restaurant opens local market

Scheduled to open its doors this month in the former Kemp Garage space, BolsaMercado is the café/market sister restaurant to Bolsa. The small grocery store/café will sell honey, olive oil, chocolates, homemade pastas and breads, beer and wine, cheeses, meats, produce and more from local vendors. Guests can pick up prepared meals and dinners for two or four, fresh sandwiches and salads, homemade kolaches, granola, smoothies,

More business bits

hand-pressed fruit juices and coffee drinks. “Bolsa Mercado is the full realization of the original Bolsa concept,” owner Chris Zielke says. “When we opened Bolsa, we had a market section, but we removed it to make space for more tables. Bolsa Mercado is that market component.” The store will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m., but hours will evolve based on the community’s feedback. “We want our customers to tell us when they need for us to be open, what they like, what they don’t like, etc., and we’ll make improvements based on that,” Zielke says.

—Edited by Meghan Riney

Campo Modern Country Bistro is now open for dinner Monday through Wednesday in the former La Carreta Argentina space. The retail space at the southwest corner of West Davis and Polk posted a sign that stated, “Beer store coming soon.” This is the building that used to be painted blue with a sign that announced antiques and tobacco. The old house at West Davis and Madison that is being converted into a restaurant with a large patio will be 303 Bar & Grill and will feature upscale bar food. Cretia’s, the bakery that took over the old Nodding Dog space at Bishop and Seventh almost three years ago, has moved to a smaller space across the street, near LockhartSmokehouse. Cretia’s vacated the larger space so that it could be turned into a wine bar with outdoor seating and TVs for watching sports. A new restaurant called LeftBank is expected to open in the former Decanter space on Eighth at Bishop in late February or early March. Driftwood, a seafood restaurant concept described as “The Hamptons meet Oak Cliff,” is planned for the former ConFusion space at 642 W. Davis.

Bolsa, known for its fancy cocktails, opens Bolsa Mercado this month. Photo by Mark Davis

Band hall dedication

The band hall at Bishop Dunne High School was dedicated to former band director Bob Parsons last month.

Photo by Can Türkyilmaz

VIDEO

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community

Aviation Cinemas will host the inaugural Oak Cliff Film Festival June 14-17 at the Texas Theatre, the Kessler Theater, Bishop Arts Theater and the Belmont Hotel. Sponsors include Bolsa, Mesa, Eno’s, Oddfellows, Oak Cliff Bicycle Co. and the Belmont The festival accepts local, regional, national and international films. Follow updates on Twitter (@filmoakcliff) and Facebook (Oak Cliff Film Festival page).

Artwork from 60 Kessler School children is on display at the Oak Cliff Bank Tower, 400 S. Zang, through the end of December. The office building’s managing partner, Ralph Isenberg, is an art collector and invited the students to create work for the building’s lobby.

education

Uplift Education opened a new charter school in Oak Cliff this school year. Pinnacle Prep is at 753 W. Illinois and serves students in kindergarten and first grade. It will grow to be a K-5 school that feeds into a planned Uplift Education upper school in downtown Dallas. The school received financial donations from Harold Simmons and the Rees-Jones Foundation.

A THIEF CLEANED OUT THE GARAGE.

Miguel Lopez works in construction, an industry that has been suffering nationwide as part of the poor economy. Luckily for Lopez, his company has managed to attract several projects, and he is staying busy.

Along with his regular job, Lopez does tree work on the side.

“A little extra cash doesn’t hurt,” he says of his extra work.

Lopez kept a large collection of tools for his tree work and other projects in a detached garage at his home, where he has lived for 17 years. The garage had a few damaged exterior wooden panels, and a thief recently took advantage —removing the panels and making off with at least

The Victim: Miguel Lopez

The Crime: Burglary

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 12

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: 1000 block of Marlborough

$3,000 worth of tools.

“They got me pretty good. I was pretty pissed off,” he says. “They took a lot of stuff.”

pez has been so busy working that a few weeks after the crime, he still had not had time to take inventory all of the stolen tools to give to his insurance company.

The entire episode has been a huge frustration for him. Lopez has never before been a victim of crime, but now he feels like it’s happening all around him.

“I really have noticed that there has been a lot of crime in this area lately,” he says.

Dallas Police Lt. Gil Garza of the Southwest Patrol Division says that sheds and detached garages are prime targets for criminals.

“Unfortunately, this type of crime is common because sheds and detached garages are away from the home and easy access for thieves. People also use locks that are easily broken,” he says. “It’s easy money for people taking property.”

He recommends residents keep more expensive items only in garages attached to homes, and use heavy-duty locks on detached structures.

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Among the missing tools were several saws, an air compressor and a router. Lo-

Keeping serial numbers and photos of expensive items can help police identify stolen property, Garza adds. Residents also can register and invoice their property at leadsonline.com, which has become a helpful tool to police tracking stolen goods, he says.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and editor of pokertraditions.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

DREAMING OF A LIGHT CHRISTMAS

Organ-playing Santas and rooftop cars marked past Oak Cliff Christmases

READ THIS ON YOUR PHONE. This column, plus vintage Oak Cliff Christmas photos, are on oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

In the ’50s and ’60s, when the Oak Cliff Bank Tower (now the Bank of America on Twelfth and Zang) began beaming the building’s iconic, red- and green-lit NOEL message, Cliffites knew the Christmas season had arrived. But the real holiday tradition happened after that, when Oak Cliff families piled into their Fords, Studebakers and Pontiacs and cruised our side of the river to view the different neighborhoods’ Christmas lights!

And the two best places around? Kessler-Stevens and later Glen Oaks, further south off Polk.

In the ’50s, Kessler-Stevens was famous for then-new “luminaries” — sand-in-the-bottom paper sacks holding small candles — lining sidewalks and walkways throughout the neighborhood. In those days they were dazzling, modern, ahead of the times!

Through the use of outdoor speakers, some houses piped Christmas music out to their front yards, and in those days neighboring homes tolerated the noise

in the “Christmas spirit,” it seems. (As long as the music didn’t continue too far into the night, I assume.)

One house in particular became a drive-by magnet. It was magical. Well, at least we thought so.

This home, on Sylvan, amazed everyone with an electric organ perched in its large front picture window ... with Santa at the console! Cars piled up along the street, as children (and adults alike) stretched their ears to hear Santa playing Christmas tunes. If a slot became available, dads parked their cars, and everyone jumped out for a better view of the “show.”

But, after its development in the late ’50s and early ’60s, Glen Oaks was the Christmastime place to be.

Sidewalks, walkways and rooflines were trimmed with strings of the newer, smaller lights, and yard after yard featured seasonal figures and Nativity scenes — anything “holiday.” Family sedans trailed each other like a modernday wagon train through the subdivision’s illuminated wonderland.

Not every house on every street participated, but certain blocks were spectacular. But the Glen Oaks house that topped them all was 618 Brook Valley the home of Snuffy Smith.

The owner of several car dealerships around Dallas, Smith used his inventory to his advantage. Every year, along with his light-trimmed home and yard, Smith placed an actual automobile on top of his house, positioning reindeer figures in front that appeared to be pulling the vehicle — just like Santa’s sleigh.

“He loved doing it,” says Smith’s daughter, Toni Smith Ross (Kimball ’67).

“We have old videos of the children’s faces seeing Santa and getting candy canes — priceless!” As to the “sleigh” make and model, “it was a Renault Caravelle,” she says, “and it was put on the

house every year with a crane. And it wasn’t Daddy as Santa, but an off-duty police officer/friend.”

Cheri Toogood (Carter ’71) recalls “fond memories of freezing and passing out candy canes, dressed as elves with my best friend, Gayle Fleming Lemmons [Kimball ’71], who lived across the street [from Smith] and got us the gig. The entire street was a showcase. It was the early Interlochen.”

“Toni’s dad let some of the neighbor kids be elves,” Lemmons explains. “We had little hats and, I think, a shirt. I just remember how much fun we had!”

Toogood also points out that Glen Oaks had its own organist-in-the-window, young Kathy Meier, playing holiday music on an organ atop a rotating platform at her family’s home on Meadow Heath Lane.

“Cars were lined up everywhere,” says Sondra Lawrence Hay (Kimball ‘68). “I lived on Oak Trail, exactly between Snuffy Smith’s house and the girl playing the organ (just two blocks apart). The traffic was amazing. I thought I lived in Disneyland.”

These days, luminaries, though nice, are now considered old-school. And neither organists playing Christmas music behind large picture windows nor cars on top of houses seem that exciting these days. To me, however, the memories of Oak Cliff Christmases in the ’50s and ’60s remain sweet.

Toni Smith Ross shows us a 1960s video of her family’s Glen Oaks home decked out for the holidays. Watch it at oakcliff.advocatemag.com/video or scan this code to watch it on your mobile.

“The traffic was amazing. I thought I lived in Disneyland.”

Gayla Brooks Kokel can date her neighborhood heritage back to 1918, when her father was born in what was then called Eagle Ford. She was born at Methodist Hospital and graduated from Kimball High School. Kokel is one of three co-authors of the recently published book, “Images of America: Oak Cliff”, and writes a monthly history column for the Oak Cliff Advocate Send her feedback and ideas to gkokel@advocatemag.com.

We gave Coach new knees and lowered his handicap.

When old knee injuries began threatening Bob’s golf game, the retired football coach teamed up with Methodist Health System to devise an offensive strategy. Coach first attended the Methodist Joint Academy, where the game plan was to mentally and physically prepare him for the best possible results and a faster return to the links. He then underwent minimally invasive joint replacement procedures on both knees at Methodist. Immediately following surgery he was back on his feet, and after minor rehabilitation, Coach’s life has been all fairways and greens.