Situated in what is arguably one of Fort Worth’s most desirable Southside neighborhoods, this Park Hill time capsule has remained untouched for decades. My heart sinks more at the missed opportunity of a poorly conceived reno than a neglected house with lovely proportioned rooms and potential for grandeur.
The Neo-Tudor exterior still gives an impression of stately elegance with verdant tended gardens providing a lovely setting. The house sits on a large lot — about one-third of one acre —located at 2336 Medford Court E. It offers nearly 5,000 square feet of living with four bedrooms and three-and-one-half baths, all at a desirable address. At $206 per square foot, the house is priced $30 below the median Park Hill average.
That’s the good stuff. Then we enter.
We enter and find the expected, lovely proportioned rooms, winsome arched doors, and high-quality millwork — details typical of Park Hill. Then we notice the wall-to-wall carpet laid in an era when fitted carpets were considered decorative and comfortable. Actually, the carpet is about 90 percent of what’s holding this house back.
Harvest Gold
Even so, the kitchen is a real shocker.
The Harvest Gold deep shag carpet in a kitchen is not only appalling aesthetically, but simply unsanitary.
Alright, let’s calm down.
The $30-per-square-foot differential in price means that you would, in effect, have about a $150,000 budget for renovations and I think it could be pulled off.
First to go — the carpet. The buyer will quite likely discover oak hardwood floors under it in fairly good nick.
The other end of the kitchen has an apse-shaped breakfast nook and a deep pantry with a clerestory window. The kitchen range is electric, which again was a fad in the early ’60s. Remember the all-electric house? Again it’s quite likely there’s a gas hook-up hiding in there somewhere. After all, the vintage baths have gas space heaters.
Again, notice the pleasing proportions of rooms like this large bedroom, and details like the chair molding and ceiling details.
I would mark the principal bath as a gut and redo, but the water closet has a now-fashionable, bidet. The other two bathrooms are charming and I would leave them mostly untouched except for the low pedestal sinks which I would upgrade and I would replace the corner cabinet.
At back, is a large sunroom with a pleasant random rubble floor. Short of a complete redo, unity of space could be achieved by painting brick, frames, and ceilings white. Skylights provide additional light.
The basement is a bit of a head-scratcher. Clearly, the ceilings were dropped, probably to run ducting for HVAC. Mechanicals are behind. Surely a better solution could be worked out. Pity to waste the stone fireplace.
There is a two-car garage and carport at back accommodating up to six cars. The house has been on the market all of seven days and predictably has attracted multiple offers.
Danielle Manzella with 6th Ave Homes has priced 2336 Medford Court E at $995,000.
