This week’s Highlight Home of the Week, sponsored by Dallas mortgage expert Lisa Peters of Cardinal Financial takes us to Elmwood, one of Oak Cliff’s favorite up-and-coming neighborhoods where you can still find a lovely midcentury home that hasn’t gone sky-high in prices. Do those still exist? They do, according to Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate agent Laura Wiswall.
“We all love Elmwood,” Wiswall says, using the collective “we” as the silent majority here. She’s right, the Elmwood Neighborhood Association loves Elmwood because of its whole-some founding history. Realtors love Elmwood because it’s still an affordable way to move into desirable Oak Cliff. And daltxrealestate.com loves Elmwood because they have a cool neighborhood logo that’s dying to be doodled on a spiral notebook cover like AC/DC. (I mean, am I wrong?)
I italicized the word whole up there, why? The answer is milk wordplay. Elmwood sits on the original site of the Tennessee Dairy Farm in the early 20th century. From 1907 until 1919, Tennessee Dairy delivered the cleanest, tastiest glass bottle of milk their cows could produce. But a fire destroyed the innovative dairy operation and Oak Cliff residents weren’t too keen on waiting a few years for their next milk delivery. Tennessee Dairy moved its operation to Deep Ellum and sold the farm to developer F.G. Jester, who established the Elmwood Addition in 1924.
If that was the ’20s, why was this featured house built in 1949? The answer is slow and steady development over the next three decades. Yes, after the roaring ’20s, we hit the Great Depression of the ’30s when banks weren’t keen to lend for new development. But reading through Oak Cliff news of the time period, it seems this affluent part of town still enjoyed growth when other parts of Dallas were not. Oak Cliff real estate was hot.
As a result of this 30-year span of development, a variety of architectural styles are represented in Elmwood including 1920s Tudor cottages and Craftsman bungalows, 1930s cottages of brick or wood, and 1940s and 1950s Ranch-style homes.
That brings us to this 1949 Midcentury Ranch at 2115 Elmwood Blvd., a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 2,135 square feet on a one-third acre lot. In front, the stacked stone facade wall and box planter will give you clues to its roots, yet it’s neutral enough that even non-fans of midcentury design will think this home is nifty.
Inside, the home has been recently remodeled, boasting new paint and flooring, an updated kitchen, updated bathrooms, and something that many homes in this neighborhood don’t have — a massive primary suite with a large bath and walk-in closet, and a two-car garage.
The best spot in the house? This room off the back of the home that’s surrounded by windows. Call it a sunroom or a home office around adults, but really, it’s a big grown-up treehouse room.
The home is nestled on a peaceful lot backing up to a gentle creek with big lush pecan trees on one-third of an acre.
Of course, the neighborhood is gorgeous, too. It’s lush with a central greenbelt along the limestone banks of Cedar Creek, which provides a peaceful and natural setting for walking, jogging, or playing with dogs. Elmwood also has a dedicated dog park called Elmwoof Park. LOVE!
“The neighborhood is dappled with paved walking trails,” Wiswall said. “And I love that people are always walking their dogs and enjoying the greenbelts.”
Tyler Station is literally within walking distance and there’s a coffee shop, a coworking space, and a brewery. There’s a DART Light Rail station not THAT much farther and there’s the on-its-way-up Wynnewood Village Shopping Center that is currently in the process of a multi-million dollar update. There’s also a multi-mile walking and biking trail right out front, too.
Laura Wiswall of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate has listed 2115 Elmwood Blvd. for $525,000.
