Rare steel Lustron Home in North Dallas could gain historic landmark status
A rare historic home in the Briarwood neighborhood of North Dallas has been indestructible to nature for decades. Now, there's an effort by preservationists to make it impervious to man-made destruction as well.
What was once billed as the home of the future now sits as a 77-year-old relic in a North Dallas neighborhood. The two-bedroom home built in 1949 was considered a modern metal marvel in newspaper articles and in its instruction manual.
It's almost entirely made of steel and was shipped out in kits by Lustron Homes right after World War II.
"So, this was a company that started after World War II to try and address the shortage of housing," said David Preziosi, the City of Dallas Landmark Commissioner, District 13. "You could almost think of it as a big Lego kit."
There were only three of the 2,000 Lustron Homes built in Texas when the company stopped producing them. It makes the only one in Dallas now an architectural wonder to those like David Preziosi, who are pushing for it to become a historic city landmark, which would preserve it indefinitely.
"Excited to see the house is going to be restored and eventually become a City of Dallas landmark, it's incredibly unique for Dallas," he said.
A fire last year brought more attention to the house with a storied history that some of its nearby neighbors say they were unaware of.
"I think it could be a cool addition to the neighborhood with a historical marker here," said Colleen Kolar, a neighborhood resident. "I'm looking forward to the fire damage being repaired from about 10 months ago. I think they've had to wait on some of the renovations."
The fire didn't do much damage on the outside of the home, or even the inside, we're told, because just about everything in it is made of metal or steel.
Repairs to the house are expected to be completed by the end of the summer. That restoration could coincide with a final decision about whether the home of the future is worth keeping around because of its past.
