Dallas Looks to Expand Protection of Lake Cliff After Property Demolition Proposal

Mark Crosslin says he doesn't want to be "the villain" of this story."I am just a working guy who was interested in renovating places, did my first year in college in architecture and wanted to be Bob Vila," Crosslin said.But Crosslin plans to tear down his old house, a 92-year-old Lake Cliff property that is part of the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure. And in the building's place, overlooking Lake Cliff on the corner of E. Colorado Boulevard and Blaylock Drive, Crosslin hopes to build new condominiums, which he vows will be tasteful.But preservationists and neighbors were alarmed by the demolition plans and the potential future encroachment on the neighborhood if a company -- such as much-wooed Amazon -- begins to develop a campus on nearby land. The Landmark Commission on Monday initiated a process that could add Crosslin's property and others to the adjacent Lake Cliff Historic District."Lake Cliff Park is a valuable historic asset to Oak Cliff as well as to the entire city," said Landmark Comissioner Michael Amonett, who pushed for the historic expansion. "To compromise that asset is detrimental to the community. The park's perimeter is particularly threatened if these contributing structures are lost."  Continue reading...