Last year The Glam Pad bemoaned the demolition of several of Dallas’ most beautiful and iconic historic homes. The uproar has drawn attention to the need for more stringent preservation laws, but it has also motivated some, like Jamie Singer of Crown Control Homes, to step in and renovate historic homes on the market to save them from the wrecking ball. You can read about her most recent endeavor here.
In the prestigious Highland Park suburb of Dallas, you will still see home after home on the MLS advertised for lot value with no interior pictures even posted. Such is the case of this 1925 home on Shannon Lane in Highland Park, built by noted Dallas architect David R Williams. Out of curiosity, I called my dear friend Tara McGraw, a local realtor, to take us on a tour.
Situated on a .224 square-foot lot and with just over 4,000 square-feet, 3916 Shannon Lane features 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. It is loaded with old school charm and exudes a delightfully warm and cozy family-house feel. From the listing…
One of only five properties overlooking the 4th golf hole of the Dallas Country Club is tucked away in one of the quietest neighborhoods (Windsor Place) in the Park Cities. This home built in 1925 by renowned architect David R Williams is ready for renovation or could be the perfect building site for your future home on this 61 x 160 lot. New survey is available. Seller’s Disclosure not available or required. PROPERTY TO BE SOLD AS-IS.
Priced at $4 million, this house will most likely end up demolished with a soulless white box, double in size, constructed in its place. We feel it deserves to be saved and would love to know your thoughts! Note… sale is pending, so we shall see soon enough. In the meantime, take a look inside and let us know your thoughts.
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Absolutely SAVE this house! It has tremendous charm, all those wonderful fireplaces, and lots of square footage that can be opened up and repurposed for 21st century living. The corridor-like entry doesn’t do it justice, but simply removing the wall between the foyer and formal living space would make this area welcoming. It’s impossible to fully assess the home’s potential without seeing a proper floorplan, but with 4,000 square feet to work with, I’d think there’d be options to reconfigure and update to meet today’s standards. Would be a shame to see this lost and replaced by a plastic McMansion. That can be done elsewhere and this gem could live on.
I want that house. As is. Don’t want to live in or look at residences that look like an Irvine law firm.
Definitely looks worth saving! Rooms were large spaces, wood floors may even be okay. Thought narrow front entrance “hall” along exterior wall was weird. Would like to rethink stairs. Probably relocate and make centered grand entrance—possibly bump it out from flat front facade. Need a more open gourmet kitchen with big island. Liked all the fireplaces and red library (I think). Secondary bedrooms need closet rethinking and all bathrooms need updating…love his/her master. Fixing damaged plaster could be costly depending on source, add a matching garage — most everything else is cosmetic updating, although costly, not near the cost of starting over and losing all the charm.
Love it.
This house definitely should be saved. I’m from Massachusetts, and currently live in Houston, and am appalled at the number of fine houses that are torn down. This house has fine bones and should be restored. I lust after the four fireplaces!
That is a beautiful home with such great potential to be a truly charming home. I love French Country and could definitely see the transformation of a gorgeous and comfortable family home in that design. It also appears to be the right size home for the lot. It’s a keeper!!!!
I hate to tear down but I am afraid this would be a down to the studs (and beyond) renovation that would cost a lot of money. Most people who can afford this home expect top of the line everything. The location certainly is perfection (I live in Ohio and not familiar with Dallas). We have a lot of historic mansions in the Cincinnati area that resemble this home but have been maintained.
Thanks for the tour!
It definitely needs a full renovation to help with some of the flow. I always think if there are good bones try to save it. New bath rooms and I am sure a new kitchen.
I did find the video difficult to see it properly. Well. We shall see what happens.
Would really appreciate receiving still photos. Thanks.
So sad to see homes like these torn down. I use to live in Fort Worth and we would drive in Highland Park when we went to Dallas and admire the old historic homes. Now Highland Park might as well be Southlake with nothing but big oversized ugly houses.
Soon there will be no character left in these neighborhoods. It will no doubt require some extensive and expensive remolding but in the end you will have a beautiful home.
They should not tear it down!! Also, I tried watching your videos but the narrow screen is terrible and I won’t be back going for any more of those.
It needs a lot of work on a small lot just because DCC is across the street doesn’t cut it. We’ve renovated 2 homes before 1927 Tudor 1940 Santa Barbara and it costs more sometimes to renovate and restore than scrape it. It was a very close call for us.
Save this house … just remodel… there is charm here you’ll never get in a new house
Sorry, guys, this one is a tear down. Especially in Dallas, with all the hot weather.
Save it!!! There is so much charm in old houses and the craftsmanship alone can not be replicated not matter how much you try to. It is easy to say tear it down, than to put the love and work required but such as life and see where it has lead us (hint, hint,hint). Those that wish to tear it down can never understand through the lens they see life, what other people see and their wish to save it, so why try, save your breath and some day maybe by the grace of what ever you believe in, you will learn to appreciate life as it is and understand you can not go thru live trying to take everything you do not like down, because it is yourself you are tearing down in the end. Best of luck to this house and what the future of it may be. Hope it is SAVE.