MAPS’ Playhouse ‘More Than Just a Jungle Gym’
Environmental architecture students’ project will benefit Dallas CASA
Yvette Hightower’s Moody Advanced Professional Studies environmental architecture class at Highland Park High School is closing the academic year by building a playhouse for Dallas CASA’s Parade of Playhouses.
Their playhouse is inspired by the historic Mouzon-Wise House located on University Drive, which was built in 1916 by one of the SMU’s founders and is the oldest home in University Park.
The playhouse, along with 15 others, will be on display and raffled off at NorthPark Center from June 14 through 30.
The class of 19 students split into two groups — builders and painters — to complete the playhouse during their daily class period.
The build, under construction beneath the bleachers at Highlander Stadium, started with student groups creating their own interpretations of the historic home. A panel of architects selected the design proposed by 11th-grade trio August Lazzaro, Hopper Williamson, and Avery Gibbons.
“We wanted our design to stick out because we knew that probably a lot of the other students would do a similar design,” Williamson said. “The house is pretty boxy, so we tried to do as unique of a shape as we could (while) still looking like the house.”
Playhouse highlights include a ladder that leads to a balcony, two porch columns, a tic-tac-toe board, a chalkboard fireplace, and a shop-like window with an awning. The students’ goal was to incorporate childlike elements while preserving the original home’s design.
Williamson said the home’s realistic design will allow children to learn chores in a fun way.
“We want the kids to learn to be a homeowner and get experience playing but still (learn), this is how you clean up; this is how you cook,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons described the build as “more than just a jungle gym.”
“I love designing houses; I love architecture,” Gibbons said. “Having our design chosen to be built is a really cool thing because we worked really hard to finish this project.”
Project manager and junior Sohrob Amirdelfan is responsible for keeping his classmates on task and sticking to the timeline.
“I’ve learned that it’s a lot harder than it looks to build a little house,” he said. “It’s very time consuming, and using power tools is a very important skill. … It’s a big group effort to get this done in time.”
Professional home builder David Espedal has been on-site with the class daily to work alongside the students and mentor them.
“I’ve mentored high school kids before, so I came into it thinking, ‘OK, this is going to be quite a bit of hand holding,’ but these kids have been great,” he said. “They’re knowledgeable. There’s been a couple of kids who have come and taken the lead and helped the other kids.”
Preservation Park Cities is the project’s sponsor.
“The combination of celebrating a historically significant house, educating students pursuing architecture, and supporting Dallas CASA’s mission is a win-win-win for us,” president Amy Beale said.
