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still rural and years away from being annexed to Dallas. In 1941, Dilbeck drafted expansion plans for a subsequent owner, although it's not clear if those were made. The house was enlarged at least twice, most recently in the early 2000s, according to author and researcher Willis Winters, an expert on all things Dilbeck, who toured it in 1997. "It was a memorable house, just very special, with an extraordinary feeling inside," Winters says. He was struck by Dilbeck's complex interiors, including a bi-level living room with staircase, 20-foot-high vaulted ceiling, wood beams, massive stone fireplace, and an expansive window overlooking the natural setting. Changes made over the years include the addition of a primary bedroom wing, which was later remodeled by architect Ralph Duesing and builder Randy Clowdus, both known for historic renovations. "A significant portion of the original house has been retained and incorporated into a much larger residence, with many key Dilbeck features intact," Winters says. This house, along with Dilbeck's full body of work, will be included in a book he's writing, slated for publication in 2026. The current owners — a couple with two grown kids — had been living in the house for a decade before taking the plunge in 2021 to preserve and refresh it. "She wanted to be respectful of its history, but it also needed to be functional for the family — it was about balancing the two," says Vanderford, principal and founder of interior design firm Studio Thomas James. The kitchen and bathrooms hadn't been updated in decades, while other rooms had never been touched — some with the original wiring inside the walls. Vanderford enlisted Grant Lloyd of Lloyd Construction Consultants to help modernize the house while also rejuvenating Dilbeck's original design elements including plaster walls. The timber ceiling beams, faux-finished some 15 years earlier, were sanded down to reveal the original white oak. They built new doors, molding, and hardware using an original Dilbeck door as a model, and they were careful to restore the study's massive limestone fireplace with similar stone. "It doesn't feel like a house that's been redone — you can't tell what is old and what is new," Vanderford says. Architect Charles Dilbeck originally designed the split-level space as a living area with bedrooms upstairs. It's now a dining room, with custom table by Philip Thomas Vanderford and McGuire chairs. (Continued) 77