FREEZE FRAME: OAK LAWN

DALLAS-Few sights in Oak Lawn more clearly or sadly exemplify the demise of that graceful old area than the photo above. This beautiful gingerbread house, typical of Oak Lawn’s past, now houses the French bistro Le Boul’ Mich, which was started by local restaurateur Jean-Claude Prevot in 1979. Prevot later sold the restaurant to a friend and then sold the entire block of property at 2811 McKinney and Worthing-ton to the Roblee Corp., but the new restaurant owners refused to move because their lease does not expire for three years. Prevot says he bought back the property because it was then of no use to Roblee and adds that Roblee was forced to design the gray brick low-rise office building around the restaurant. Work on the building began last summer, and the resulting confusion has wreaked havoc on the restaurant’s business, according to restaurant manager Patrick Carter. He says that guests often refuse to sit near the windows on the side of the restaurant that faces the Roblee building, and outdoor dining is out of the question because of the dust and noise from the construction. Prevot says he’s not sure what he’ll do with the property at the end of the three years, but it’s not likely that the house will survive his or anyone’s plans.