Cornell Centennial Celebration Shows Beauty of Restoration
In a community known for tearing down old houses and replacing them with modern mansions, Cornell Avenue residents signaled there is another way.
With their homes turning 100 or more, residents of the 3400 to 3600 blocks of Cornell Avenue held a party and made a statement about the value of historic preservation.
“Help us spread the message that our historic and significant homes of the Park Cities can last centuries,” said Jana Paul, one of the hosts of the Cornell Centennial Celebration block party. “No need to raze!”
Her home in the 3400 block, which turns 100 this year, belonged to former Dallas mayor R.L. Thornton and still has a “T” in the ironwork railing of the front porch.
The Pauls, along with the Moores, Holloways, Woodwards, and Kerseys, hosted the Oct. 22 affair to celebrate “the homes on our blocks that are turning 100 this year (and a few that are even older).”
They blocked off Cornell between Byron and Hillcrest avenues and drew more than 110 RSVPs for the party and “mini home tour.”
Paul explained that owners of some of the oldest homes opened “our first floors for people to walk through and see how beautifully restored 100-year-old homes can be for modern families – and not torn down!”
