Say Hello to "The Ghost of Goodnight Lane"

We realize it's unbecoming to brag, but we've never been good about doing what we're supposed to. We're psyched about playing a part in an independent feature film called The Ghost of Goodnight Lane. It stars Billy Zane, at right, (so gorgeously creepy in Dead Calm and, admittedly, less exciting in Titanic) and Lacey Chabert, who's been in tons of things but whose biggest movie was probably Mean Girls. Producer/director/writer Alin Bijan is directing and co-wrote the film, which is being shot in Dallas. The movie is -- get this -- based on real paranormal events that have taken place for years at Bijan's production company, Media World Studios in Dallas. Apparently, paranormal investigators have confirmed the hauntings. This is serious, people. But back to us. Actually, the furniture, linens and housewares that we sell at RetroMania appear in the movie -- we don't. (Though our little Fort Worth shop was promised a mention in the film credits.) We've had a blast with our cinematic foray and made some new friends, like the movie's production designer, Adam Dietrich. There was one casualty during filming: the side table that was part of the Tropitan set we wrote about in our last post. The good news is that our two chairs and ottoman are fine and dandy and the price of the now-three-piece set is $295. We gladly suffer for art.

The Saga of Our Mid-Century Sleepy Hollow Chair

This spring, we found ourselves a tad flush, which meant, of course, that the money must be spent ASAP. We decided to restore some mid-century pieces, one of which was this chair (the cat stayed home). Apparently, this is what's known as a "Sleepy Hollow" chair. Here's one definition: "An armchair of the mid-19th century, sometimes on rockers, having a single piece forming a high upholstered back and a concave upholstered seat." While it's clearly more from the mid-20th century, it's definitely got that cool "single piece" aspect going for it.

I'm showing it off because its fantastic looks are a stark contrast to the way it looked when we first saw it: The poor chair had sat out in the middle of a courtyard at an antiques shop, in the midsummer sun and through several rainy days and nights. Because it isn't an Eastlake or a Duncan Phyfe, the shop owners held it in such low regard that they wouldn't even bring it indoors.

Our furniture doctor of choice is always Hank Tosh of Tosh Mahal (see my earlier post to learn more about Hank and what he does). Taking stuff to Hank may seem like a weird way to get your kicks, but nothing is more fun than bringing a thing of beauty back to its glory. And Hank seems to feel the same way, because he is truly a master at it. And he's intrepid.

He had to be, as it turned out. He does a much better job at explaining exactly what had to be done to restore this chair on his blog. Check out the before pics and read Hank's blow-by-blow account of the surgery, if you're like us and you love to geek out on this kind of stuff.

Wayne Grubb and "The Brown Trail House"

Does the name Wayne Grubb ring a bell? I mentioned him in a previous post, the one about the fantastic pink enamel kitchen appliances. As cool as the appliances are, the real story turned out to be Wayne -- a local genius who in 1957 designed and built the home the appliances came from, this googie-licious house on Brown Trail in Hurst. The bad news: It is NOT on the market. The good news: The fourth generation of this WWII veteran's family lives there, and I'm told they've adhered to MCM style.

Wayne, who was also a philosopher and inventor, worked as a general contractor on large custom homes in North Texas until his death, in 1997. His daughter, a graphic artist named Revis Grubb Plemmons, has been extremely generous with text and photos so that I can share information about her father and the fantastic house she grew up in. "Inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, especially Fallingwater, my dad used various woods and crabstone to give the house an organic ambience," she says. I'd never heard of crabstone before, but it apparently has gorgeous coloration and texture.

The house also wreaked havoc with visitors' internal compasses: There are no square rooms in the 2,600-square-foot house except for the two bathrooms. "Dad told me that he would decide the square footage for a room, start with conventional right-angled shapes, then skew the shape," Revis says, recalling that it wasn't uncommon for people to forget which way the street was after stepping 15 or 20 feet into the house. The house is as dazzling and disorienting, says one of Wayne's bios, as a philosophy discussion with the man himself.

Wayne, a native of Bangs, Texas, had tinkered with objects ever since he was able to walk. His earnings from "Solar Windows," which he invented and patented, enabled him to build the house. The design featured screens and movable panes, which could be opened to various degrees to control airflow. They can still be seen in homes and businesses throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. Revis says she remembers her dad bringing home the prototype to the family's tiny duplex apartment in Fort Worth when she was about 4. (Later, Wayne invented a machine that automated the task of prepping doors for hanging. It's been estimated that at one time, 85% of all doors produced worldwide were cut on his machinery.)

People started talking about "the Brown Trail House." It wasn't unusual for strangers to pull into the driveway and get out of their car to look around, Revis says. Once, her mother opened the front door and sort of jokingly offered the visitors a tour, which they immediately took her up on! Photos that Revis sent me include these images of the interior, taken in 1959. Oh yum. Wanna take a tour, too? Let's go, kids! (This is a baby Sputnik light fixture in the living room.)

At left is the living room. When you look at touches like this divider, you can really see what a labor of love the home was.


Just off the living room is the dining room. Looks like grass-cloth wallpaper, which looks so smart and is so hot again. (On a TV redesign show a couple of years ago, I watched as designer Kenneth Brown suggested grass-cloth wallpaper to a well-heeled couple, who recoiled in horror -- bet they'd like a do-over on that one ...)



The kitchen is so stream-lined. Really well-done. Wayne designed special cabinets for maximum efficiency. The upper cabinets operate on a weights and pulley system. The lower area conceals drawers and cabinets. Many of the drawers and cabinets have spring-open catches.

















And, of course, there are those fantastic pink enamel appliances.









At the back of the house is the den, which sported a long, low, lovely custom sofa. The Scandinavian look of the sofa along with the natural elements of the plants and all the stone ... good lord, what's not to love??
Behind the curtains are doors leading to the patio. The tray ceiling is really something special.
(Cool bottles -- and great chair!)










Isn't this the kind of image we conjure when we think about a tall stacked stone fireplace in a really fabulous, well-designed midcentury ranch house?
Lucky children!

7270 Baxtershire Drive, Dallas 75230 $799K

When you talk about mid-century modern neighborhoods in Dallas, the houses on the Disney streets usually come up first, and they certainly are among the googiest. However, I have a special place in my heart for the majestic, rambling ranches in the neighborhoods between Forest and Royal, between Preston and 75. Many of these houses were custom-built, high-quality homes in their time. Many of them have enjoyed a fantastic second life in the hands of owners who respect their heritage.

A great example: 7270 Baxtershire. This house was designed by Fred Tycher in 1961 for himself and his family. It's got great curb appeal and the inside features soaring vaulted ceilings with full length architectural beams. The current owners completed a major renovation and restoration in 2007. The results are stunning.

7341 Malabar Lane Dallas, 75230 $520K

Here's a very cool looking MCM built in 1958 that appears mostly undisturbed in a neat little mid-century neighborhood off Forest Lane and Central. Great lot and trees, lots of windows, washed wood paneling and brick floors. Is that a St. Charles kitchen? The deets and the pix are here.

The Graf Residence in Dallas

I picked up a fascinating book at an estate sale in Fort Worth recently -- The Super-Americans by John Bainbridge. Bainbridge was a writer for The New Yorker who moved to Texas for nine months in the early 1960s and produced a sociological portrait of Texas at mid-century that outraged many Texans at the time but still makes for interesting reading.

As I thumbed through the book in search of good Fort Worth stories, I found an interesting passage about Mrs. Josephine Herbert Graf, the heiress to a Fort Worth oil fortune that built the house pictured above in the Preston Hollow section of Dallas. The house, which was designed by Edward D. Stone, who also designed Fort Worth's current city hall building and the U.S. Embassy in New Dehli, has been meticulously renovated by current owners John and Jennifer Eagle and Dallas architect Russell Buchanan and earned an award in 2008 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Mrs. Graf's back story is interesting reading. She married the son of a New York millionaire, John W. Herbert III, who came to Texas to get into the oil industry in the 1920s and succeeded quite nicely. The couple eventually settled in Fort Worth after a stint traveling in Europe, but with the outbreak of World War II, John Herbert enlisted in the Army Air Force at the age of 42. With her husband away, Josephine set about learning how to run the business in his absence. Unfortunately, she found out on Christmas Eve 1942 that her husband was lost on a combat mission over New Guinea. With that, Mrs. Herbert became principal owner of the Herbert Oil Company.

After the war, Josephine married again, a European by the name of Bruno Graf, and eventually moved from Fort Worth to Switzerland for several years before moving back to Texas and settling in Dallas and beginning construction on this house as a way to avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of her $450,000 Fort Worth residence.

Stone's design was modern yet ornate and five to six dozen artisans working on the job steadily because everything is custom-made, including 54-inch squares of white marble veined with gold, seventy walnut doors and custom furnishings from T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings among other touches. The coolest feature: a white marble island above a swimming pool where the dining area is located. Said Mrs. Graf in Bainbridge's book: "When you go into the pool, you push a button and the water level goes down six inches -- that's so it doesn't splash." Yeah, just like at my house.

Over the top? Yes. Accessible modern design? Not hardly. Cool as all get-out. You bet. I'm just glad that as we seem MCM landmarks going the way of the wrecking ball in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, some people have the commitment and the money to preserve some of the landmarks. I hope more people follow their lead.

Hank Tosh, MCM Furniture Savior

Because we're coco-poofs crazy about MCM furniture, we've had Hank Tosh on our radar for some time. Hank owns and operates Toshmahal on Hampton Road in Dallas, where he restores and refinishes furniture and also does custom framing. This man truly appreciates midcentury and deco furniture and is an artist at what he does. Hank says he's been restoring and refinishing furniture for about as long as he has owned furniture, about 18 years. He's serious about his craft, but he's also one of the nicest guys on the planet (just don't tell him you own a sander!). Hank was kind enough to answer our gajillion questions, some sillier than others (Does he watch Mad Men? Um, no.)

Why such an interest in midcentury pieces?
I have been into midcentury-era things as long as I can remember and had collected and fixed up many things of my own (plus I had a little background in finishing and woodworking from working in other mediums) before I started doing it for a living. I do work on earlier pieces as well, just normally, since I do work for a lot of dealers around town, this ends up being the majority of what I work on.

We'd love to restore every MCM piece in RetroMania. How did you learn how to do it?
I started many years ago when I first moved to Dallas, doing gruntwork like sanding, and stripping -- a little staining -- at Lakewood Furniture under the tutelage of Billy Keith Leatherwood (RIP). he taught me quite a bit. The rest I have learned by reading everything I can get my hands on, lots of trial and error, experimentation, and my trusty friend and mentor, Rik Wood, who is a 3rd generation craftsman and worked in Dallas for many years with his father.

How come so many people buy great midcentury pieces and then "ebonize" them? What's up with that?
There are a lot of designers out there who seem to know more than their refinishers and like to do bad things to good furniture. It is unfortunate but true. Sometimes it is just because they want to match everything so badly, but other times it is because the piece may have been damaged and just looks better that way. I think ebonizing is still a good look, sometimes. Fortunately, I think a lot of designers are coming around to the idea that it is not necessarily a bad thing to have many different natural woods in the same house or the same room, so hopefully it will make for less of this. I really don't like to ruin good furniture. I am in the 'restoration' business and it hurts me a little to 'paint' something or to make something a white laquer that should be a light mahogany or a light walnut.

Can you give us a little insight into some of those old finishes that we see on midcentury furniture and nowhere else -- stuff like the dark-gray/light-black stain that shows the wood grain, and also the yellowish brown that resembles spicy mustard)?
Most of this is done with oak or ash because they have a very open and deep grain to them. They will rub a glaze or a mixture of color
into the grain and then use a stain or a toner over that and then clear it. (this is a very simplified description, but it is all based on
the fact that the deep grain holds the color of whatever you rub into it when you wipe it). The lighter finish you are referring to has many
names, but many people did it: One is called the 'limed oak' finish. The darker is just a variation of this. There are also finishes that
were done with mahogany (called a white mahogany, or a bleached mahogany) that are also quite a process. It also takes a lot of work
to restore these pieces. Somehow, in the late '60s I think, faux finishing got really big and people started hiding beautiful wood grains.
I say, if you want plastic or fiberglass, then buy it and don't ruin the look of a beautiful wood grain. I think today, more people are wanting to see the wood grain and the natural color of the wood.

Is Heywood Wakefield the "gateway drug" of midcentury furniture? (As in: You start there and the next thing you know, you're into the heavy stuff.)
Well, there is a lot of Wakefield out there. The great thing about the early Wakefield is that some of it is actually just on the verge of
deco and entering into the modern realm, which I love. Another thing is that (and there are also many misconceptions about this) it is
made of solid maple (not birch. Only the newer stuff is made of birch), so you can literally bring some of this stuff back from the grave.
It definitely leads to other stuff ... Conant Ball, Paul McCobb -- also all solid maple. I have done many Wakefield pieces and am actually one of
the only people around who knows these finishes. It took me a little while to perfect the recipes, but I have them, for both the Wheat and
the Champagne (there are, even from the factory, about 3 different variations on each finish).

As a refinisher, what pieces are your favorite projects?
All of the Danish walnut stuff. A beautiful Walter Kagan chair was definitely one of my favorites. And, of course, all of the Heywood Wakefield stuff, because I really love both deco and modern.

You've got such an interesting niche here in DFW: How did you become the go-to restorer/refinisher for area midcentury dealers like Sputnik Modern?
Most of these clients hear about me word-of-mouth. It is the best way to get business and the only way to survive as a small-business person. It boggles the mind, how some businesses can get away with some of the travesties I've witnessed. It just makes my head spin.

If you could recommend one product for keeping wood furniture looking nice, what would it be?
I always top everything off with a good coat of carnuba wax. I don't get the beeswax because it is usually cut with some chemical. I use one that has a good, thick feel to it. (Trewax) The one I use has enough carnuba in it that it acts as a great cleaning agent as well as adding a little extra protection to the finish against some of the moisture it might encounter.

Another Cliff May house in Dallas

The Andrea Lane area in Dallas (north of I-30, west of I-635) is lousy with Cliff May houses, it seems. The latest one to come to our attention is at 2651 Andrea Lane with a price of $146,000 for 1,291 square feet. There's been some updating, but from what we can tell, nothing that looks too egregious.

"This is a crime scene"

Another MCM landmark bites the dust in Dallas. Click thru for the after pictures -- they'll make you sick. Sez Unfair Park:

"The neighbors knew something was up yesterday: Workers were in and out of the building, removing whatever they could salvage. But no way did they ever imagine that come 8 a.m. today that 2505 Turtle Creek Boulevard would be only an address -- a patch of land atop which now sits a pile of twisted metal and busted bricks that used to be an office building designed by the late Harwood K. Smith. "It's a crime scene," said one devastated neighbor this morning, surveying the wreckage cordoned off by yellow 'Caution' tape."

I keep thinking that one day people will wake up to how they are cavalierly destroying America's Mid-Century architectural heritage. But when they do, how much will we have lost?

MCM Estate Sale in Dallas

Looks like a good one at 5210 Pershing Street, Dallas, 75206 (Dallas Mapsco 35V). Russel Wright dining suite, Vladimir Kagan coffee table and end table, Samson Burman credenza, a pair of Baughman tub chairs, Heywood Wakefield chest and end tables.

Times are Friday & Saturday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Out of the Attic sales take cash, checks and credit cards (for purchases over $50.) And if you want the cool stuff, be there early Friday and be prepared to fight for it -- which is why I probably won't be there.

For a map, click here. For pictures, click here.

Cliff May House in East Dallas

2519 Andrea, Dallas, 75228 -- $175k! Fabulous 50's Mid-Century Modern California Ranch by famous Architect Cliff May, one of only 45 in Dallas. Open floorplan,tons of windows,waterfall in fireplace,remodeled kitchen and baths, great pool, 4 houses from park. For more information, go to www.ranchostyle.com.

Craigslist Furniture Update

Danish Modern Broyhill "Brasillia" Credenza (pictured) - $350: I'm nuts about the Brasilia line. I'd snap this up in a second.

Sears Mid Century Danish Modern HiFi Sterio - $450: Cool, but too expensive.

Classic 1950's "Baumritter" Mid Century Swivel Chairs! - $495: Very cool and would play nice in an eclectic interior.

Sunshine Yellow Broyhill Mid Century Dining Room Set - $2195: Someone call The Brady Bunch. We know who stole their furniture.

1535 Junior Drive, Oak Cliff - $775k

A nicely updated ranch in the 75208. EXCELLENT kitchen update! Sea grass wallpaper! Lots of original details! Bravo!

10315 Gooding, Dallas - $359,900

A bit of a re-muddle, but still kind of cool.

Dallas Craigslist Furniture Update

I haven't done one of these in a while and there's tons of cool stuff available:

Heywood Wakefield rattan set (pictured above), $225: Very cool! This four-piece set has a sofa, loveseat, and a chair set. Original cushions do need to be reupholstered but rattan is strong and sturdy and in good shape. Popular low style seating..very comfortable. Bottom seat supports are in place and still strong and sturdy.

MCM Bedroom set, $800: Set seems overpriced, but has a dresser with double mirror, nightstand and full-size bed (headboard/footboard/metal rails/wooden slats). Appears good condition.

MCM Dresser and Chest of Drawers: This is an antique mall thing: a dresser for $195 and a chest of drawers for $150. Kind of Danish Moderny.

Fun 50s Lamp: Great base and shade. A steal for $35.

Lamp with light in base, $80: I own a lamp very similar to this and I love it!

Danish Modern Lane Table, $50: I love this thing. I had Lane tables from this series in my house growing up. I may just buy this myself.

A Couple of MCM Redos

I'm kind of on the fence about these, but I'm leaning toward kind of liking them. I prefer a little more toward the purist aesthetic, but I know some people need the stainless.

This one is 4202 Royal and I kind of dig it. One of the things I wonder: whither the backsplash? Half a mil and I want a flippin backsplash.


This one is is 3780 Vinecrest, a little more granite and stainless than I prefer, but they kept the bones intact. A nice house.

Craigslist Furniture Update

George Mulhauser Plycraft Chair with Ottoman: $325 in downtown Fort Worth. I love this chair. I have one like it in black vinyl.

Noguchi Coffee Table: $495 in North Oak Cliff

A boatload of Wormley: I wonder if this was from the same estate sale. There is a pair of end tables, a lamp table, a dining table, some dining chairs, and a desk.

Two Landmark MCM Signs

Dahlia Woods Fine Arts is featuring the drawings of Peter Ligon, including these two jewels from Dallas' MCM past: the recently demolished Circle Inn at Spur 482 and Northwest Highway and the Sigels at Lemmon and Inwood. Awesome!

Dallas' Mid-Century Heritage At Risk

Preservation Dallas released its list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and there are several Mid-Century gems on the list, including:

Midway Hollow Neighborhood: Between Walnut Hill, Northwest Highway, Marsh, and Midway. The Threat: Teardowns and Incompatible New Construction. Sez Preservation Dallas: "Midway Hollow consists of several developments built following World War II with mostly Minimal Traditional and Ranch houses made of wood or brick siding making up the neighborhood. The area is characterized by its large lots, tree-shaded streets, and generous front-yard setbacks. Area values are increasing and demolitions are occurring at a rapid rate. New houses are much larger in scale, constructed of different materials and exhibit garish stylistic details, diminishing the neighborhood’s economic and social diversity. A stabilization overlay or conservation district may be an option to control new development."

Ft. Worth Avenue’s motor-court motels: Including the Alamo Plaza Courts Motel (pictured above), The Mission Motel, The Ranch Motel. Location: 712 Ft. Worth Avenue, 514 W. Commerce, 1839 Ft. Worth Avenue. Threat: Neglect and Development Pressure. Sez Preservation Dallas: America’s motor-court motels became increasingly popular following World War II when roadway travel soared. Gas stations, cafes, and motor-court motels — collectively known as roadside architecture — were built along major transportation routes to accommodate the traveler. Ft. Worth Avenue, the former turnpike between Dallas and Ft. Worth, was lined with such roadside architecture like the recently restored Art-Deco Belmont Hotel by Charles Dilbeck. Route 66 is an example of turning roadside architecture into a major asset for the country, just as Ft. Worth Avenue is, for the forward thinking, an asset for the City. That commercial real estate developers see opportunity here is not surprising. There are many opportunities for renewal along Ft. Worth Avenue, from the most glaring to the very subtle. The question is, what is good for Dallas? Unfortunately roadside architecture is presently underappreciated and at least three motor-court motels are imminently in danger of being demolished. Property owners and developers are encouraged to revitalize Ft. Worth Avenue’s motor-court motels.

I appreciate Preservation Dallas' efforts to raise these issues, but is anyone listening? How have Mid-Century gems from years past fared? The Wynnewood Shopping Village, one of the first great postwar malls, continues to be threatened. And the old Kip's at Northwest Highway and Hillcrest? See the picture below. Ugh.

Thanks to Robert at Unfair Park for the story tip.