In mid-April, Ballantyne Roofing and Gerlach Construction completed the rebuild of the front quadrant of the Turner House roof.
The roof structure has been reinforced and stabilized, the dormer and the eaves were rebuilt, and tiles were replaced where needed. See the slideshow for all whole story. Once again, we'd like to thank our "roof angels" who made this possible: Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League, Shambhala Body Gallery, and the Bishop Arts Merchant's Association. We literally could not have undertaken this critical improvement without your generosity and community spirit. Now, we begin to rebuild our Capital Campaign Fund for the Phase II work, which will be the southern quadrant of the roof. You can be an important part of restoring this valuable Oak Cliff asset by making a donation on this website, or contact us at info@turnerhouse.org.
The Board of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League voted on November 6, 2009 to grant Turner House $10,000 towards the repair of the roof. This is the largest grant in the League's history and it is making it possible for the Society to start on the first phase of the roof rebuild.
The League notes that Turner House is one of the four original estate homes that anchor the Winnetka Heights Historic District and it is hopeful that this grant will demonstrate Oak Cliff's commitment to Turner House's future. It is their wish that Turner House be open and accessible to the community for many years to come.
Ten thousand thank-you's to the board of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League. They have done so much to raise awareness of our beautiful neighborhoods and to support a multitude of improvement projects by neighborhood associations. This commitment to the future of Turner House is deeply appreciated. Go to ooccl.org to learn more about the League.
Shambhala Body Gallery owners Robert Ungemach and Keith Emmons also wanted to help raise funds to repair the Turner House roof, and so they ran a campaign to 'Put a Roof on Turner House', donating 10% of all their home fragrance sales during October, November and December. They have just announced that they will be writing a check for $3000 to the Society. This is great news and also enables us to complete the first phase of repairs.
Be sure to visit Shambhala at their gorgeous new location on Bishop Avenue and support this great Oak Cliff business and these generous entrepreneurs. We love you guys!
The Bishop Arts Merchants' Assoc. started a new program last year to give back to the larger community. Participating merchants donate a portion of their sales from the 1st Thursday events to causes that they feel add to the quality of life in Oak Cliff. Happily, they selected the OCSFA as the beneficiary of December's 1st Thursday. We just learned that the Association will be donating $1000 to our capital campaign fund which will be used for the critical repairs to the roof. We are so grateful for this show of support from the merchants. Be sure to thank the proprietors for their community spirit and generosity when you shop in the Bishop Arts District.