Memorable Oak Lawn House Faces Demolition

One of the oldest, largest houses remaining in the gay Mecca of Oak Lawn may soon be razed to make way for new development.

The house that many gay men and lesbians called home during the past three decades may be only a memory because the land has become too valuable for single-family use.

The two-story home near the intersection of Hood and Brown Streets was recently sold to a company listing it for sale.

Once surrounded by smaller bungalows and apartments, it was a centerpiece on a route where cars and pedestrians wandered the streets at all hours of the night since the 70s.

The house can’t be restored as a business like a bed-and-breakfast or a professional office building because the neighborhood is zoned as residential, said David Webb.

Sharon Boyd, publisher of www.dallasarena.com, said she once lived on Hood Street in an apartment near the old house and became friends with the woman who owned it and lived downstairs.

“The house not only paid for itself, but it was her revenue,” she said. “The woman, who was in her 90s in the 1970s, was much more savvy than her tenants suspected. She knew everyone was gay. I’m surprised to hear the house is on the market and sad it might be torn down. There were a bunch of hippy-type people living there. When I first moved into the area in 1976 I was perplexed by all the traffic during the nighttime hours, not understanding that I had moved to a place on the cruise route. After a couple of years it just got to be unbearable for everybody. “

The elderly woman’s son inherited the house sold it and moved to an apartment after living there for many years, according to research.

“Nobody sees a conspiracy after joining it,” said writer Jim Schutze. “Then it’s a project.”

Dallas has many eclectic and vibrant neighborhoods like Oak Lawn. Downtown, the center of the city, and the epicenter of urban revival, coupled with Oak Lawn and Uptown Dallas, the shiny new urban areas thrive with shops, restaurants, and nightlife.

“Each year the city of Dallas loses historic buildings, sites, and places that are significant to its past,” said Rebecca Sherman.
In May Preservation Dallas came out with the Most Endangered List of properties that were in danger of being demolished or abandoned and some areas in Oak Lawn made that list.

Oak Lawn is one of the wealthier parts of Dallas, with many professionals and urban types living in upscale condos, townhouses, apartments, and duplexes.