There are those days when I scroll through listings, swoon, and think … if only. If only I’d seen this iconic Lakewood Spanish Eclectic Hutsell on day one. If only I had the means to make it my own. If only it had not blown off the market due to the incredible skills of Compass Real Estate’s talented listing agent, Nancy Johnson.
I knew the moment I spotted our Inwood Home of the Week, this gem would sell immediately. These iconic Lakewood Spanish Eclectic Hutsell properties don’t come along often. When they do, you hope and pray whoever made the purchase is worthy of the home. And I mean that. You do not, and I repeat DO NOT tear these homes down.
Clifford Hutsell built homes for people that appreciated art, character, style, and quality. To own a Hutsell is to own a piece of Dallas history. It’s the antithesis of the white box. It’s eclectic. It’s cool, and these homes are meant to be owned by people that are equally eclectic and cool. At the unbelievable price of $1.399 million, is it any wonder that at seven days on market, this Spanish Eclectic Hutsell at 7218 Lakewood Boulevard is already pending?
“You cannot get that quality of construction anymore,” Carol Gantt said.
Gantt is the savant of getting it right when it comes to dealing with accurate historical remodeling in Dallas. She’s been a construction consultant and designer for over 30 years, and her work has been featured in every magazine worth reading. She’s also won the Preservation Achievement Award from Preservation Dallas. Yep, she knows a thing or two, and she is my go-to expert for all things Hutsell. I’ve seen her remodel, update, and blend in additions to historical properties so seamlessly you can’t tell where the old ends and the new begins. Of course, I rang her up to get insight into this stunning 3,114-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom Spanish Eclectic Hutsell that sits on half an acre of land.
“Hutsell built his homes according to the golden ratio,” Gantt said. “That’s why they feel so good — the proportions are right. He put in elements he loved. For instance, the frieze in the living room is painted with images of trees. Hutsell added frieze elements into his homes from 1928 to 1933. Remember, these were the Great Depression years, and there were a lot of unemployed artisans, so the quality of work on these homes is spectacular.”
This Lakewood Spanish Eclectic Hutsell has all elements that define the work of this incredible architect. There is the amusing bell in the front exterior arch, a Batchelder fireplace in the living room, and corner cabinets with stained glass in the breakfast room. The breakfast room also has an absolutely incredible decorative umbrella painted on the ceiling. There is an original arched mirror in the dining room. Many of the light fixtures are original, irreplaceable, and incredibly valuable. The house even has an original pillow tile bathroom. “These bathrooms are so rare now that soon a home that has an original tile bathroom will be worth a ton of money because there won’t be any left,” Gantt said.
“It would be obscene to tear down this Spanish Eclectic Hutsell because there is a way of saving it,” Gantt said. “Hutsell had so much abandon, he was free, and I think that sense of freedom might make people uncomfortable if they don’t understand his style. It’s an amazing house.”
It certainly is, and if you think we are in a soft selling market right now, let this be a lesson to you. If you have a great home, with character, in a great location, and a rock star agent, there is no such thing as a soft market!
Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager and writer for over 25 years. Karen teaches the popular Staging to Sell class and is the creator of the online course, The Beginners Guide to Buying Wholesale. Her love of dogs, international travel, history, white paint, champagne, artificial turf, Tudor Midcentury Modern and any house designed by Clifford Hutsell, knows no bounds. Her father was a spy, so she keeps secrets very well! Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com
