A Neoclassical Revival Of An Old Estate

NAP TIME: Josie and Poppy take a snooze in Cooper’s favorite room in the house. The walls were painstakingly sanded and restored to a smooth, museum finish, as befits the Neoclassical architecture. Paint on the walls is Benjamin Moore eggshell latex in Mannequin Cream (2152-60); the trim is Benjamin Moore Mayonnaise in satin enamel (2152-70); on the floor, an antique Sarouk rug; at far left, a Chinoiserie-style period English Regency chair; and at right, one of a pair of continental walnut chairs with carved lion’s head details.

Old Glory
Daniel Jones Cooper meticulously restores a historic Neoclassical revivalist estate on Gaston Avenue.

TRADITION: “The house is classified as Neoclassical, but it has strong Greek revival influences with a touch of Craftsman,” Cooper says of the exterior architecture.

Layer by layer, Daniel Jones Cooper and a team of preservation experts meticulously stripped 84 years worth of bad taste from the moldings and mantels of this Neoclassical revival. “You could almost see the decades go by as we worked, “says Cooper, who lives in the house with a passel of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which he shows. The base color was a dull, opaque tan, which was popular in the 1920s, when the house was built. Then there was a layer of gold, and there were two shades of purple. You could just see the bong parties happening in here in the ’60s! Add an ’80s-era emerald green to the mad mix of color, and it’s easy to see why restoring a historic house to its original state can be painstaking. When the longleaf pine molding finally emerged from underneath it all, so did the memory and spirit of houses original owner, George W. Owens, Jr.

Owens was a local lumber magnate, and his mills provided the wood for this and many other historically significant houses in Dallas during the 1920s and 30s. Architect J.M. Martin built the residence for Owens, and because it is an outstanding specimen of Neoclassical revival architecture, the house is eligible for historic designation, including the National Register of Historic Places. It had been abandoned for years and then occupied by a hodgepodge of tenants before Cooper bought it in 2003.

PUPPY LOVE: Daniel Jones Cooper (left, with his brood of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels) spent 11 months accurately restoring and historically preserving the interiors of this 1920 estate.

As Cooper restored the near-ruined interiors, Owens seemed to be there right along with him. One day, while working on the electrical wiring in the living room, he found an old bottle in the wall; the bottle’s label read, One pint 100 proof whiskey, medicinal purposes. One tablespoonful. George Owens, Jr., Oct. 20, 1924. Owens had likely stashed his prescription for whiskey in the walls for safekeeping during Prohibition. Cooper called his team into the room when he made the discovery, and they stood in awed silence for a time. “It was a defining moment, a sign,” says Cooper. “It was like Owens was saying ’Hello, I’m here! I like what you’re doing to my house.’” Later, another two dozen bottles were discovered in the walls. If the number of pints equates approval, Owens surely was pleased.

The happy spirit of Owens was consulted on the project as earnestly as the house’s original footprint, discovered on microfiche while researching records. Says Cooper, “I constantly asked myself, ’What would Mr. Owens have done?’ I tried to listen to what the house was telling me.” While Owens provided inspiration, architects and Preservation Park Cities board members Craig Melde and Wilson Fuqua provided accurate historical information and advice. Cooper also diligently researched Neoclassical architecture at the Dallas Library, and he was able to find the house’s various permits for construction and redesign, which helped him return the house to its original state. Cooper’s intellectual muse during the project was Rose Tarlow, whose book, The Private House, he credits with teaching him to think organically. “I love formal things,” he says, “and I’ve always been classic and conservative, but Tarlow has taught me to let the interiors evolve naturally. This house has become a true reflection of me, not what I think somebody else would want to see.”

JUST RIGHT: This intricately carved, circular staircase of quarter-sawn white oak is the house’s most dramatic architectural element. The English banjo-back chair, circa 1920, was passed down from his grandparents.

A good example of this evolution might be the way Cooper comfortably mixes his fine period furniture, much of which he inherited from his grandparents, with the variety of ancient art and artifacts collected during his nine years of travel as a cruise ship director. Now, as a private investor and owner of several show dogs, Cooper spends most of his time working at home, and it was important that the house be more than just historically correct. It needed to be comfortable for both him and his gang of Cavaliers. “I told myself that if the dogs could not live as well as I did, then I wouldn’t do the project,” he says. As a result, the dogs are free to roam and lounge, and a house that might have suffered from stateliness instead feels welcoming and fluid.

Cooper, who previously restored a Colonial Revival house in Highland Park, has put the Neoclassical revival on the market. He plans to return to his Park Cities roots to buy and restore another deserving old house, preferably an English Regency-style cottage, he says. “I’ll know it when I see it,” he says. “It’s like art. If it speaks to you, it’s worth pursuing.” And if it has a kindred spirit inside its walls, here’s hoping that it speaks as eloquently as George Owens, Jr.

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Cooper’s Preservation and Renovation Resources

IT TAKES TWO: Three-month-old Delilah is a bit reluctant for her bath. These deep and wide stainless steel sinks and wood cabinets were custom designed for bathing and grooming many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels at once. A series of bottom cabinets hold dozens of fresh, rolled towels. “Our family is groomed every two weeks; it takes a two of us – a professional groomer and me – working side by side,” says Cooper. “We make quite a day of it!”

Lighting and Furniture Plans
Neal Stewart Designs & Associates
214-748-6541

Painting
Antonio Hernandez Custom Painting
214-460-0021

Interior Design
Scott Lents Associates
214-632-7995

Master Carpentry
Pete Osetek
214-325-2778

Custom Architectural Millwork
AMI/BMCO Custom Millwork
214-637-5045

Hardwood Floor Installation
Scott Lyons Hardwood Flooring Co.
972-668-2362

Handy Man
Refined Design, Bobby Avery
214-823-2130

Historical Marker Consultation
Marcel Quimby
214-343-0011

Mirrors
Alamo Glass & Mirror
214-821-2886

Art Restoration
Art Restoration, Cher Goodson
214-350-0811

Plumbing Services
Dave Byler
972-516-0791

Architectural Fencing
Craftsman Fence & Deck
972-490-4778

Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication
Ken Patton
[email protected]

Marble & Granite
Pinnacle Marble & Granite
214-741-6212