I love how Realtor Loren Hall describes the homeowners of a Victorian on Victor Street that she’s listing today: “They’re not investors. They’re a couple that purchases homes that need love, and this home needed love.”
The Victorian home at 5320 Victor Street is this week’s Highlight Home of the Week, sponsored by Dallas mortgage expert Lisa Peters of Cardinal Financial.
The homeowners are Heidi Ellsworth and Blake Iwaniw, a young couple who just welcomed a new baby into the world. They need some more space, so they’re selling their beloved home here in Junius Heights and are headed to the M Streets, where they found a home that, too, needed love. That sounded very HGTV House Hunter-esque, my apologies. Let’s flip back to Loren on the phone.
“Sometimes I’ll suggest a home, and she’ll say it’s too nice and decline,” Hall says, I think. I was looking up whether this Junius Heights home is in a protected historic district while talking to Loren on the phone, and I’m now remembering that detail she might have said in passing.
But I know she said this: “They’re not afraid of big projects. They’re just so passionate about restoring homes.” Loren definitely said our homeowners are passionate about renovations a few times.
They had passion when they purchased this 2,452-square-foot three-bedroom in June 2021. Only three days on the market so it’s safe to say it was love at first sight. Or site?
The couple renovated the 1930 Victorian-style home to offer a spacious and comfortable living space that preserves the original architectural features and details.
“We tried to stick with era-appropriate details like the Victorian picture rail trim we added in the bedrooms.” [Seen above.] “Also the tile in the kitchen was sourced from Riad, which is a local Dallas tile shop on Grand Ave. that specializes in handmade Zellige tile,” [Seen below] the homeowner Heidi says. To Loren.
I was on the phone with Loren as she texted Heidi with the important question I called Loren about.
This reporter: “In their renovation, did they come across anything that led them to believe their home was older than 1930? An anachronistic fixture or feature of the home? Because in my research, I’m coming across references to the home as early as 1913.”
Heidi to Loren: “Ooooh 1913 is cool, but no, nothing we’ve seen.”
If online news sites had sidebars like newspapers do, the following information would be there: On NTREIS listings, you’ll find the legal description of a home and the subdivision it is located in. In previous listings, this home’s subdivision is listed as Berthrum and the legal description is Bethurum Block B/1488 Lot 10. Typos happen.
A quick newspaper archives search reveals that the Bethurum family owned about 400-600 acres here in East Dallas, and from approximately the 1900s to 1930s, they began splicing off several acres at a time as new residential additions. By coincidence, in 1930 Mr. and Mrs. Murl Bethurum lived across the street at 5321 Victor, where they welcomed a little girl born on Dec. 25, 1930.
And that’s where my lead ended because I couldn’t access the plat maps I’ve heard so much about. But I did come across this real estate listing for 5320 Victor Street in a May 1913 edition of the Dallas Morning News. Does that mean this home is more than a century old? Is that 3 really an 8? Does 5820 Victor exist?
[Cue dramatic radio music. VOG: Find out next time on …]
But getting back to the matter at hand, this Victorian-style home — whenever it was built — is a perfect blend of historic home with modern conveniences. A well-staged home that’s actually lived in.
As such, the first floor has plenty of flexible space to live in. The formal living room up front has a fireplace on one side and the former formal dining room now has a bay window library on the other side. Loren calls it the Zen Den and is flexible with pocket doors for whatever space you need. Still, the home has a third living space, a step-down family room located next to the kitchen.
The kitchen features an 11-foot quartz island and countertops, new Z-line appliances, custom shelving, and a coffee station. I already mentioned the Zellige tile backsplash from Riad Tile on Grand Avenue, which adds a touch of color and texture to the space. The kitchen has a large window that overlooks the backyard and offers scenic views of the mature trees.
The second floor has three bedrooms, including a primary suite that has an en-suite closet that was once an enclosed sun porch. The closet is 17×7 feet and has large windows, a custom closet system, a shiplap ceiling, and a mini split AC and heat system. The primary suite also has an attached bathroom with a clawfoot tub and a separate shower.
The backyard patio, too, is a well-loved outdoor living space with a landscaped yard full of mature trees and plants. The yard has a patio area, a fire pit, a storage shed, and a grassy yard that’s perfectly shaded.
Coming back to my conversation with Loren, we ended the call with almost more questions than answers really. Loren passed me Junius Heights maps and ordinances as we went further down the rabbit hole of discovering more about this lovely Victorian home on Victor Street.
Did we solve the mystery? No. Did we get a good start? Maybe. Did we find this home’s story and illustrate its 100 years — give or take — with words? I think so.
Loren Hall of Compass RE Texas just listed 5320 Victor Street for $699,900.
This listing is sponsored by Dallas mortgage broker Lisa Peters at Cardinal Financial. Get started on your home loan for 5320 Victor by reaching out to her at [email protected].
