Since I am taking a much needed break in New York, why not write about a Fort Worth listing worthy of the New York Times real estate pages? Well-located, well-priced, and well-appointed 3401 Dorothy Lane has it all. Located across Monticello Park off of White Settlement Road (not to worry, as it’s quiet as a tomb inside) this 1952 Monticello home is the real deal with midcentury design and luxurious finish out.
An open vestibule leads to a breathtaking living area of towering proportions. Every effort has been made to flood the space with light. Skylight seems inadequate to describe the ceiling fenestration. The Spanish tragaluces, which could be translated ‘gulpers of light,’ comes closer to the mark.
Are you beginning to have that eerie feeling of deja vu? Hint. Banana leaf at top right. No? Don’t feel bad. It took me 15 minutes or so to realize we looked-in here over three years ago. And what a difference the years and sensationally bold updates have made. It has undergone a metamorphosis taking it from very good to great. The house has now been given definition by architectural hardscape, and parking has been added. Before, this home seemed a bit retiring and now, if not extroverted, quietly proud.
“This house, with its unique floor plan, has so much versatility in use and could function equally well for family living and entertaining,” says listing agent Ashley Mooring. “I think stager Gemma Hobbs has been very creative in showing the potential of the space,” she observed.
Some have lamented the loss of the original terrazzo floors in the living area, but they were in such poor shape it was begrudgingly decided to replace them. Mourn the loss but do admit that the place has a gleam and polish that is thrilling. It’s as if, like an old painting, a yellow varnish has been removed allowing a new, radiant, life to shine through.
Floors are now a combination of polished concrete in the main living area and pristine bleached oak at the back. Everything else that might have given buyers pause before has been addressed. That oh-so-quirky claustrophobic kitchen we tried to love? It has been made workable and now sports rich and rare Michelangelo Brazilian granite and smart En Pointe cabinetry. Appliances? Wolf, Sub-Zero, Asko.
Two of the four bedrooms look out onto the back deck. The master bath is a modern confection of glass tile and polished concrete. A trapezoidal tub floats in the middle, plumbing in the floor, with an open shower hugging a wall.
If there is an area which should be left un-staged and left blank, it’s the master closet. So much the better for injecting your own life and fantasies into a house.
All four of the baths have been given their own individual, high-end updates. At first, I mistook the above bath with an open shower for the master bath. And if the quality of the finish out doesn’t prevent you from balking at the price change since 2016, you have the hot market to thank for a 20 percent increase in prices within the Monticello area and, doing the math, 3401 Dorothy Lane still prices out at $5 below the average per-square-foot price for the coveted neighborhood.
If any of this has tempted you, or if you are just a house porn addict, you can take it in at the open house, this Sunday from noon until 2 p.m. Salutations from somewhere in SoHo!
Ashley Mooring of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s is listing 3401 Dorothy Lane for the bargain price of $999,000.
Eric Prokesh is an interior designer whose work has appeared on HGTV, and in books and publications including D Home, Southern Accents, House Beautiful, and House and Garden. In January 2005, HGTV named Eric one of the 50 tastemakers in America and D Home has included him as one of Dallas’ Best Designers for 10 years. Having lived most of his life in Dallas, he now calls Fort Worth home and is one of our experts on beautiful Fort Worth Dirt. His own home on historic Elizabeth Boulevard has been featured in 360 West.
