Why Buy When You Can Look? Owner of Oswald Rental in Oak Cliff Is Giving Tours of Alleged JFK Assassin's Room
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(Photo: Vernon Bryant/DMN)
I understand Pat Hall’s need to pay the bills on the Oak Cliff home where alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald lived, but I doubt opening its doors to tourists will get the house sold. Hall, whose mother rented a room in the Beckley Avenue home to Oswald for $8 a week, is seeking $500,000 for the whole shebang according to DMN reporter Roy Appleton.
But why buy when you can be a looky-loo for $20?
For $20 you can see Oswald’s tiny bedroom and metal-frame bed plus the living room and dining room he shared with others – all with furnishings from his days.
“I’ll answer questions about the house,” Hall said. And “they’re going to be able to touch,” she said, maybe even sit on the bed. But the kitchen and bathroom he used will be off limits.
So, do you think that this is counter-productive for someone who wants to sell a ostensibly historic property? Also, I wonder if this requires some kind of special permit from the city.
Let’s hope she’s able to keep this place from meeting the same fate as the apartment building where Oswald once lived.
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This is the second Lee Harvey Oswald 'residence' that has been for sale this year. If memory serves, the other one ended up being torn down after no one would buy it–but it was in quite a state of disrepair. I am also curious as to why these folks have not worked with the county historical commission to secure an historical marker for this property through the Texas Historical Commission (a subject marker–not RTHL designation, which is related more to significant architecture). Even though that isn't necessarily an event that many would want to remember, it is history. If I owned the house, I'd apply for a marker.
Being a history buff, I'm tempted to call for a tour–but for $20, come on–let people see the bathroom! 🙂
This is the second Lee Harvey Oswald 'residence' that has been for sale this year. If memory serves, the other one ended up being torn down after no one would buy it–but it was in quite a state of disrepair. I am also curious as to why these folks have not worked with the county historical commission to secure an historical marker for this property through the Texas Historical Commission (a subject marker–not RTHL designation, which is related more to significant architecture). Even though that isn't necessarily an event that many would want to remember, it is history. If I owned the house, I'd apply for a marker.
Being a history buff, I'm tempted to call for a tour–but for $20, come on–let people see the bathroom! 🙂