Clueless Teen’s love of Charles Dilbeck Architecture

October 16, 2023

BY BEVERLY RAY

Growing up in Fort Worth, my friends and I loved to drive around and pick out our favorite houses dreaming of someday owning one like it. Mine was a beautiful limestone home on Simondale Drive on a big lot with a huge oak tree, flagstone walkway and a warm and inviting entry. Lovely diamond-shaped leaded glass windows on one side of the entry added to its charm. There was a big turret that came up the side with a rustic balcony accessed by French doors. The turret and roof were covered in wood shake shingles randomly applied and topped with a copper cone. An outdoor rustic wooden staircase led up to a second floor area that teased the imagination about what would be found at the top. Many, many years later my life moved from Texas to New York and on to California. My new husband and I were looking for a small home in Dallas, and the realtor was urged to show properties similar to that teenage dream house in Fort Worth. That picture in her mind led to finding and falling in love with a house on Lorraine, exactly as we’d described. It turned out to be a 1940’s Charles Dilbeck-designed one-story with the same shake roof, diamond-shaped leaded windows, and built of Texas limestone with heavy wood trim and latticework, screening one side of the porch. The typical Dilbeck round brick pilasters bordered  the steps with flat tops for flower pots full of color. Another front entry was topped with a gabeled roof and the heavy wood columns and brackets typical of Dilbeck designs. Both wood entry doors had black iron decorative hinges and metal peek holes to see who was knocking.


The big hexagonal chimney was magnificent with a round one attached, smaller and stepped down. There was a small iron door to the side for the firewood, just one more fanciful Dilbeck doodad to charm your sox off. Just imagine,  It even has a stylize dovecote in the gable over the garage. Learning finally, that my long-loved teenage dream house was actually the work of noted Architect, Charles Dilbeck was enlightening. Once you learn the unique trademarks  of his designs you will realize this architect’s intent was creating a warm and welcoming aura of hospitality to his homes. You’ll be happy to learn that there will soon be a book of Charles Dilbeck’s Homes by Willis Winters, the true fan and expert on CSD’s work, pointing out the many unique markers of this famed architect’s work. It will be a must-have photographic record and inside knowledge of the remaining Dilbeck Designs for all of us rabid fans to pour over while we continue the dream.

Restoration Stories

September 29, 2023
BY ERIKA HUDDLESTON This Dilbeck house in the Cochran Heights neighborhood was built in 1936. The original brick chimney appeared intact until the decrepit metal chimney cap was removed and suddenly the top line bricks were seen to be loose and were easily knocked off. The Portland Cement mortar had somehow detached from the brick due to moisture over time. To repair the chimney, the mason mixed a wheelbarrow of lime and cement mortar on-site and added shovels full of sand little by little until the mix color-matched the original. Historic bricks were found in the backyard from an old patio and they matched the “Crown” and “Ferris” stamps which were found on the loose chimney bricks. These extra bricks were unneeded because the loose bricks were just relaid on the chimney yet it was nice to know that the chimney could have been repaired with extra historic bricks! Extra old bricks with specific stamp markings can often be located on eBay, Craig’s List, and at Orr-Reed (in Dallas), for example. Charles Dilbeck used “Crown” and “Ferris” bricks to build this house and chimney— and they were dry pressed very close to Dallas in Ferris, Texas! Today, the little town of Ferris still has a small but charming Main Street and is famous for its bluebonnet trail in the spring. In and around the 1930’s, the Ferris Brick Company in Ferris supplied many of Dallas’ new buildings. In 1904, the Dallas Pressed Brick Company was founded in Mesquite… those bricks are found here and there, stamped with “DALLAS”. After a few hours of work, this 87 year old Dilbeck chimney was good as new for another 87 years!”

Notes from Dilbeck's Daughter

September 29, 2023
BY ELAINE MACINTIRE The picture of 7623 Midbury Dr. —pre 2019 tornado, which removed all of the trees—middle windows were my room and right end windows were Dad’s drawing and Mom’s sewing room— a house of much creativity! The first question someone asks me upon finding out that I am Charles Dilbeck’s daughter, is usually , “What was it like growing up in a Dilbeck ?”. In all honesty, I have to say that I was “the cobbler’s kid who had no shoes!”. Dad’s days were very busy designing and drawing many amazing houses, hotels and restaurants. So, we moved into a simple 3 bedroom, mid-century modern house, on Midbury Drive. At that time it was considered far North Dallas and very much a quiet family neighborhood. The plan was for us to live there for a few years until he would be able to create “our Dilbeck”. But the years flew by and the best laid plans were dormant until Dad approached retirement. Finally, he fulfilled a promise made to my Mom by designing the house of her dreams. As life would have it, they moved in the year I graduated from college. So, though I never grew up in “a Dilbeck”, I enjoyed many years of visits and special occasions in our family home. It was finally my dream come true and it was a time filled with memories I’ll always cherish---- memories that were made richer from living in a beautifully designed house made with love by a beautiful man, my Dad.
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