History

In 1899 Henrietta Frichot Wilson and her husband Frederick Wilson built the Wilson House on Swiss Avenue for themselves and their two children. The Wilsons had acquired the entire city block from Henrietta’s uncle, Jacob Nussbaumer and built six more houses on their land. In the early 20th century, the neighborhood had a picturesque, friendly atmosphere. From their front porch, the Wilsons could watch children playing on the lot next door, left vacant especially for that purpose. To the east, neighbors strolled in Central Square Park, the second public park to be built in Dallas. Across Swiss Avenue - formerly Butcher Pen Road, but renamed by Nussbaumer to honor his homeland - more Victorian houses began replacing farmland.

As Dallas grew, families moved away from the central city. Most of the Victorian houses were replaced by commercial buildings or converted for commercial use. Henrietta and Frederick’s son, Laurence Wilson, stayed in the house until the late 1970s. Though in need of repair, the Wilson House and the others on the block survived the urban transformation.

In the process of building new homes in the inner city in the mid 1970s, developer Fox and Jacobs acquired the Wilson block. The company recognized the block’s cultural value and made it available to the Historic Preservation League, the organization that later became Preservation Dallas. With abundant support from the Meadows Foundation, the League restored the Wilson House and the other buildings on the block.

In 1993, the Historic Preservation League moved into the Wilson House. As a remarkable example of adaptive reuse, the League developed the Preservation Center and the Intown Living Center in the Wilson House. Both resources provide comprehensive research to potential residents, homeowners and developers to assist them in buying, maintaining and restoring intown buildings and revitalizing intown neighborhoods.

About the Architecture

The Wilson House exemplifies the elegance of Queen Anne architecture, which dominated American house design from about 1880 until 1910. Mirroring many of the architectural characteristics of the Queen Anne design, the Wilson House has an asymmetrical façade and a front porch that wraps around one side of the house. Areas of patterned wooden shingles decorate the gables and walls. The Wilson House also has a turret - found in only the most elaborate Queen Anne designs and on no other houses on the Wilson Block. The exterior of the turret is covered with wood shingles cut in a fish-scale pattern. The Wilson House is the only house on the block that was built with a Servants Quarters and a Carriage House.

Tour Information

The Wilson House tour begins in the Carriage House with an 11-minute video, "Echoes History of the Wilson Historic District". A guided tour of the downstairs of the Wilson House follows, with an insider view of the Preservation Center and the Intown Living Center. Visitors learn about the architectural details of the Wilson House and its adaptation from residential to institutional use.

Tours are free and available Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is necessary, but groups are encouraged to make advance reservations. To arrange special custom tours or schedule a group, please call Preservation Dallas at (214) 821-3290.