A Success Worth Celebrating Our bold stand and courageous effort has brought success in saving the Baldwin House at 6015 Bryan Parkway from demolition. And yet, the greater success is having the house fully renovated and, more importantly, retaining the history and fabric that is the Swiss Avenue Historic District. This Craftsman style, four-square house was built in 1915 by Mary Louise and Thomas Benjamin Baldwin, an Assistant Farm News Editor for the Dallas Morning News and Semi-Weekly Farm News. The Baldwins new house was designed to fit a lifestyle of writing and gardening. Espousing the value of gardening, its cost effectiveness, and its great “mental pleasures” Baldwin wrote, “In these strenuous times of high cost of living, anything that tends to solve the problem of making both ends meet is, at least, worthy of investigation.” After the death of Mr. Baldwin, the house was advertised for rent in the Dallas Morning News: “Ten Rooms-All Splendid Condition.” Perhaps due to the tough economic times of the Great Depression,
	the house sat vacant until 1932. That year, Dallas Fire Department Master Mechanic, Loren M. Long and his wife Nellie, moved into the house with their children. By the late 1960’s, the Swiss Avenue neighborhood was in need of revitalizing. In 1973, the Swiss Avenue Historic District was formed, bound by Swiss, Fitzhugh, Sycamore, Live Oak and La Vista. This confirmed this historic and architectural significance of the neighborhood and gave the homeowners the confidence that the historic appearance of the district would be maintained. Since its designation, the neighborhood has been revitalized, becoming the crown jewel of East Dallas. After sitting vacant for years, the Baldwin House was purchased by speculative builders in 2004.	It was slated for demolition but was saved from the bulldozers at the last minute, thanks to the efforts of preservationists and neighborhood residents working alongside Preservation Dallas. Preservation Dallas eventually persuaded the owners to sell the house, beginning a multi-year renovation. Saving the Baldwin House has not been an easy or inexpensive fight but it was well worth it. As we approach the end of this home’s exciting saga, there are innumerable companies, volunteers and private donors to thank. It certainly took the vision, perseverance, initiative, knowledge and creativity of both Preservation Dallas and the Swiss Avenue Historic District’s committee members to see this project all the way to its successful fruition.