Rise from the rubble

How This Architect Is Rebuilding Home

Story by JEHADU ABSHIRO

Bruce and Cindy Bernbaum were sheltering in the center hall bathroom of their Preston Hollow home when the tornado hit. At first, all was quiet. Then they heard glass breaking, smashing sounds and the power went out.

“We really had no time to panic,” Bruce says.

Leaves and insulation quickly covered the bathroom floor. When it was over, some of their home’s walls were missing, windows were destroyed, and debris from the storm covered the front lawn.

“Do you think we’ll get new floors?” Cindy asked.

“I think we might get a new house!” Bruce told her.

The couple had lived in their 1954 midcentury modern Northaven Road home since 1995.

It was one of over a 1,000 homes that were damaged or destroyed in the Oct. 2019 tornado. Their neighborhood includes other homes Bruce’s architecture firm Bernbaum-Magadini designed; some of those were damaged, too.

The tornado caused more than $38 million in damage that was mostly concentrated in Preston Hollow. The City’s request for FEMA aid was denied.

The Bernbaums’ experience rebuilding their home is similar to many Preston Hollow neighbors. Finalizing insurance settlements have been slow and the pandemic is an additional hiccup in getting the work started.

The Bernbaums recently received their insurance settlement and are now starting construction on their property. The construction should be complete by April or May 2021.

Their new home will be a nod to midcentury modern.

“We developed a slightly bigger footprint for better entertaining and a covered terrace to take advantage of the outdoors,” Bruce says.

The new design includes a bedroom closet that doubles as a storm shelter.

The exterior will have two colors and sizes of brick, board-and-batten siding, and a standingseam metal roof. The interior will bring in one brick treatment for accent walls and includes a white oak floor, stain grade cabinets, various types of stone countertops and porcelain tile in bathrooms and utility room.

KIDS LUV TREES: A YEAR LATER

Large looming trees that shade Preston Hollow is why many people love the neighborhood; however, as everyone knows, the October tornado last year uprooted many of them. During the pandemic, Kids Luv Trees had to pause its fundraising and replanting efforts.

But that hasn’t stopped the group from trying to reach its goal.

“We haven’t done much, but we’ve raised just over $49,000,” neighbor Brian Smith said. Approximately half of the money acquired came from individual and business contributions primarily through a website, and funds generated by lemonade stands; the stands were paused during the pandemic.

In addition, Kids Luv Trees got a grant from the McFarland Foundation in Dallas for $25,000. It received another $2,000 from St. Monica’s Church’s Junior Catholic Daughters of America, which held a fundraiser, and the girls voted to give what they raised to Kids Luv Trees.

“That was really exciting,” Smith said. “We’re happy to say that other young ladies got that this was a worthy cause and they were willing to put their money they raised to help us.”

“I get to make a difference in the world with the help of my friends,” Smith’s 7-year-old daughter Brinley said.

Kids Luv Trees partnered with Texas Trees Foundation and RETREET to form the North Texas Tree Campaign to replant 3,500 trees in neighborhoods affected by the storm.

Kids Luv Trees’ portion of that goal is 500 trees. With the money it currently has, it can plant 165 depending on the size and type. That’s about 30 % of the goal right now.

It is planning to revamp lemonade stand enterprises in October - once following the latest CDC guidelines can be ensured - and start replanting trees on the anniversary of the tornado.

“We expect this will take a few years,” Smith said. “We’re optimistic that once we have a team event, it’ll generate a lot more interest and support.”