Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Adcock-Smith, Ed Murchison, and Marla Hartsell.
Kathy, Ed, and Marla, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
While the first Modern Mile Dallas home tour was in October of 2015, it had been an idea I developed over a number of years. Each spring I would attend a home tour on the east side of Dallas, the White Rock Home Tour and would compare the MCM homes showcased there with the ones in my own neighborhood. I started compiling a list of the homes that would be interesting to see on a tour as well as some I hoped would be preserved.
As fortune would have it, in the spring of 2014, I attended a meet and greet for the neighbors who live in this square mile. A topic of conversation was the 60th anniversary of the Parade of Homes tour which occurred in our neighborhood in 1964. I learned that some of the homes that were on that tour still stand today. By the end of the meeting, I had a few neighbors committed to having a tour in our square mile bordered by Royal Lane, Midway Rd, Walnut Hill and March Lane. Some wanted the tour to be that fall, but I knew my big picture idea required a lot of research and planning to pull off the experience I imagined.
In early 2015, several key neighbors also joined the committee bringing with them great additional contacts and skill sets. We named the tour, designed the logo and applied for the 501c3 non-profit status and copyrighted the logo utilizing those connections. A board was created and we started soliciting homes for the tour.
Our vice president, Marla Hartsell became the charity liaison and worked very hard with Walnut Hill Elementary and DISD to determine how we could support the school, and determine what the needs were. It was quite an involved process. In the beginning, DISD wanted us to give them the money but we argued that the money was to only go to WHE and we wanted to maintain control of it. We agreed that we would pay for the needed things from our donation account. Marla put together a team to renovate the sad neglected interior courtyard with the goal of creating an outdoor classroom space that would also benefit the Autism unit of the school as a sensory garden.
Ed Murchison, our title sponsor for 2016 and 2017 is a realtor who specializes in MCM homes. He brought many great connections and advice to the tour, as he has worked and sponsored several other home tours over the years. The homes on the tour have been a mix of MCM – some renovated and expanded for today’s lifestyle, some time capsules – and some new build modern homes.
Our first tour featured six homes and was a big hit with the modern community of Dallas as well as our neighborhood. The second tour showcased five homes and received even more attention. WHE was one of the stops on the tour with a party atmosphere with food trucks and vendors, a DJ and where the work in progress of the courtyard could be viewed. The 2017 tour featured four homes in the Modern Mile and one “bonus” home in an adjacent neighborhood. The 95% completed courtyard was also a stop on the tour.
One of the side tracks of the tour is the sale of handmade vintage style wooden Christmas trees strung with vintage lights. The trees are recreated like ones displayed on some of the streets in the 60s and 70s. It has been charming to see several of the streets lit up with the glow of these trees in nearly every yard.
We are looking forward to our 4th tour scheduled for October 6, 2018
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest struggle is always getting qualified homes for the tour. Several homes have been under lengthy renovations and some had setbacks that prevented them being on previous tours. Luckily, convincing the homeowners to participate has become easier with the success of each tour and the knowledge the funds are being put to very good use.
We have had several committee members, myself included who have worn many hats to pull off such a complicated event with so many “moving parts”. We are in the process of streamlining our organization and looking for new committee members to help with some key positions. It is encouraging that some have already been found!
Media coverage has also been a challenge as we have determined to get as much “free publicity” as possible to protect the donated funds. A Media Chair is one of the new positions that will make a big difference.
Our sponsorships make a lot of difference in what the tour earns. While many are eager to sponsor, there is a lot of follow up to get the funds in hand! Last year we set a pretty hefty goal and came very close to it!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Modern Mile Dallas – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Modern Mile Dallas is a 501c3 public charity which has hosted an annual home tour (since 2015) of architecturally significant Mid-Century Modern and 21st Century Modern homes found in the square mile bordered by Royal Lane, Midway Rd, Walnut Hill and March Lane.
The tour has benefited Walnut Hill Elementary, a preschool thru 5th grade elementary located in the neighborhood. To date, we have funded over $76,292 of improvements for the school and provided untold donated landscape and design fees, discounted plant materials and free labor for our courtyard renovation and other improvements. The school is starting to regain neighborhood children and is one of the most successful elementary in the city.
We are gratified that currently many more MCM homes are being renovated and not torn down and the greatest number of new builds in the neighborhood are also modern in design. Tour-goers comment that the tour gives them do-able ideas for their own home improvements and that the homes are “real”. They also like the walkability of the tour.
But the BEST BENEFIT of being involved in the tour is meeting so many fabulous neighbors and developing great friendships with them. A strong sense of community has evolved, as many of our volunteers live in the Modern Mile.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are looking forward to our 4th tour scheduled for October 6, 2018. We are currently curating the list of homes for the next tour. We are planning even more fun activities at WHE which will continue to be a worthy stop on the tour.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10535 Somerton Dr Dallas, TX 75229
- Website: modrenmiledallas.com
- Phone: (972) 584-7688
- Email: info@modernmiledallas.com
- Instagram: @modernmiledallas
- Facebook: facebook.com/modernmiledallas
Image Credit:
Dan Piassick Photography, Aaron Dougherty Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
