If you know the work of architect Clifford Hutsell, you know the homes he designed are architectural works of art with a healthy dose of whimsy. If you don’t know, we’ll give you a quick primer.
Inspired by his 1929 visit to California — specifically by the home of cowboy star Tom Mix — Hutsell returned to Dallas with an exciting new focus on Spanish Eclectic style and whimsical detail. When you spot a home with stained glass, a multicolored tile roof, elaborate decorative ironwork, distinctive chimneys, and perhaps even outdoor curtains, you’ve likely come across a Hutsell. Between 1926 and 1941, he designed and built approximately 50 houses in Lakewood. If you are lucky enough to own one, you stay as long as possible.
The present owner of this 1932 Spanish Eclectic designed by Clifford Hutsell certainly felt that way. The family lived here for 48 years and kept it beautifully intact, with many features we have not seen in other Hutsell homes. Hutsell was known for his quirky embellishments, and this one has elements that are rare finds. The living room is wrapped from floor to ceiling in a distinctive paint treatment with a painted landscape of the same hues, almost concealing doors to the exterior and continuing onto the fireplace.
This house is an example of very sophisticated artistry that almost cannot be replicated now.
Carol Gantt
Carol Gantt of Gantt Design is one of the country’s best designers and preservation construction consultants. She has worked on many Hutsell homes creating seamless additions and updates that I’m certain would receive Hutsell’s stamp of approval.
“This is the best-preserved Hutsell I’ve seen in 35 years,” Gantt said. “To reproduce that amount of ironwork alone at that level of artistic merit would cost over $100,000 today. This is also the best preserved elaborate painting I’ve seen. There’s likely a large mural of trees painted up the staircase wall that needs to be carefully restored.”
Gantt is correct. Former neighbor and Hutsell homeowner Brian Boyd is quite an authority, having lived in multiple Hutsell homes over the years. He’s restored murals in his home and for neighbors. He consulted with the owners about restoring the staircase mural that had long been painted over but unfortunately, the project never got underway. However, the knowledge that a floor-to-ceiling landscape mural exists under a wash of paint and can be recovered sends a chill of excitement up any Hutsell lover’s spine.
The Endless Charm of Clifford Hutsell Designs
Hutsell favored hexagonal breakfast rooms and often embellished them with a painted tent ceiling and painted Asian accents on the cabinetry. He was in an enviable position, working for clients that could afford his designs during the Great Depression. This meant he could employ the most talented artisans in Dallas, who were undoubtedly so grateful for the work that they pulled out all of the stops for him. Potter Metal Art Studios fabricated his ironwork gates, both interior and exterior. Yes, the interior! Hutsell loved installing elaborate interior gates between the formal living and dining rooms.
Remember, not only was the Great Depression in full swing, but so was Prohibition. Hidden bars were a must. This house features one with sliding walls and a trap door in the floor. There’s also an exterior staircase leading directly to the bar with a clever little round window to check out who might be coming up the path.
Hutsell’s granddaughter, Charlotte Walters, lives in Lakewood and recently told me a lot of great stories about Prohibition.
“Hidden bars were popular,” Walters said. “Not only because of Prohibition but also because there were a lot of Baptists, and the preachers would drop by unannounced on Sunday, so you had to be able to hide the liquor quickly.”
A Hutsell bathroom is a fulfilled fantasy. No one was creating a spa tub in the 1930s except Hutsell. Just imagine sinking into a bubble bath surrounded by stained glass, an eclectic array of colorful pillow tile, and a scene of White Rock Lake.
One of the most charming features is the gate to the covered patio on the side of this Spanish Eclectic Hutsell. It’s designed as a giant spider web, complete with bugs and butterflies.
Waters said when her mother was eight, Hutsell asked her to design a duplex gate. She landed on a spider design, and her apparent fondness for them also showed up painted on a beam in Hutsell’s own home. When that house was purchased years later and restored by Boyd, he ensured a painted spider continued to have pride of place on the restored beam. So the fact this Hutsell has a spider gate bodes well for the theory it was from the creative mind of his daughter.
A Gold Mine of a Historic Home
Lakewood was developed by some of America’s most creative architects and craftsmen, and Hutsell homes are major contributors to its visual appeal. An effort begun by local resident Summer Loveland to protect Lakewood’s historic homes is still in process, so this incredible property, one of those that define the very character of Lakewood, is not in a protected area.
This home is a perfect example of the character that exemplifies Lakewood, with the multi-colored tile roof, original brick, stained glass, pillow tile surrounding the front door, and so many mature trees. It has so much potential for restoration and plenty of room for an addition. Most neighbors who attended the Lakewood CD expansion meetings favor regulations allowing for a larger footprint for restored homes instead of new construction. This will hopefully encourage homeowners to remodel versus tear down and, in doing so, maintain the charm of the neighborhood.
Summer Loveland
I asked Boyd how a Hutsell home lives. After all, we are used to a different way of life now, with enormous open-plan family rooms and bathrooms that could accommodate a party.
“Hutsell homes have a soul,” Boyd said. “It’s not like living in a new home. There is history and memory here. You feel it. Updating them is very doable. You hire a good architect and extend the home on the back, following the tile and fireplace styles. With the money I see in Lakewood today, people can certainly afford to do this.”
No one will ever build a house again like this Hutsell at 7226 Lakewood Blvd. because it would be cost-prohibitive. You can toss up a big white box for a fraction of what it would cost to round up the craftsmen it would take even to create a facsimile of this home today. So essentially, in many ways, this house is a goldmine.
David Bush of David Bush Realtors has this rare Spanish Eclectic designed by Clifford Hutsell offered for $2.5 million. Open House Sunday August 13, 1-5 p.m.
