There is huge hope for historic homes in Dallas!
First of all, it is seldom if ever that one of these historic State-Thomas Victorians comes on the market. For five of them IN A ROW to be available is highly unusual! They are owned by various very bright owners who hung on during thick and thin. And now buyers cannot seem to get them fast enough!
They are original Victorian two story cottages circa 1890-1930, used as commercial office spaces (hence the photos of the not-so-pretty, real-live-workspaces) but can easily be converted back to real comfy homes, as you can see from the one gussied up here at 2711 Hibernia. The land is just about .16 of an acre, enough for a yard and even a koi pond in one, and the interior square footage ranges from 1300 to 2300 square feet.
“These homes are a joint marketing alliance with our good friend Jack Gosnell, the top retail/commercial broker in Uptown,” says Kyle Crews, who is marketing the properties along with his team, Robin Brock and Mary Alice Garrison. “Jack was instrumental in early days of establishing Uptown as a live-work neighborhood. And he now reps Crescent with the retail leasing of McKinney &Olive.”
Jack Gosnell is pitching these historic homes to the commercial markets while Kyle’s team plus Mary Alice Garrison are offering them as residences – – or live/work properties — or work/live properties, or whatever the buyer fancies.
“They just went into MLS in February, and we are getting calls daily, have already had a very strong offer on one of the Hibernia homes,” says Kyle.
Indeed, I did my due diligence spy job last Wednesday and found a group of lookers trooping through 2711 Hibernia, clipboards in hand.
Four are on Hibernia, one on State, smack in the heart of State Thomas. Feast your eyes:
The cottage at 2711 Hibernia is all residential comfort, with the master down, an updated kitchen with terrazzo countertops, cutie pie front porch, second floor balcony, and even a covered back porch! There are more than 2800 square feet. It was built in 1930 and you did the porch thing back then, sit down with your mint julep, rock and talk! (Today we sit with our mint julep, smartphones, and rock out.) The home has two bedrooms, two full baths and a powder, a koi pond in the backyard, and an enclosed two car garage with gated alley. This home is basically a brand new circa 2012 home with new roof, guts and inners in the shell of the Victorian, 10 foot tall ceilings to boot. Asking is $1,195,000.
John Neely Bryant should be rolling in his grave at these prices!
2600 State Street (above, only one for sale NOT on Hibernia) has spacious formal rooms including original pocket doors, a wood mantle and fireplace, plus ten foot tall ceilings. I’ll put this spacious home up against any Park Cities/Preston Hollow manse: 4371 square feet, which is proof that even in 1879 Dallasites wanted big spaces. Note this home was built two years after John Neely Bryan (he’s considered the founder of Dallas, for the uninitiated) kicked the bucket in the Texas State Lunatic Asylum. The second floor features three bedrooms, spacious formal rooms, a fireplace, plus a beautiful kitchen and full bath. The third floor attic is converted to a bedroom with full bath. Altogether this home has four bedrooms, two full baths and one powder room, not keg. Remember that en suite baths did not exist in 1879: most folks used outhouses. It is a pity, but two bedrooms will have to share one commode. The $2,175,000 price tag includes the 442 square foot shotgun house in the back.
What, you ask, is a shotgun house? Why, it’ a narrow, rectangular residence, usually no more than about 12 feet wide, with rooms arranged one behind the other (think a small Great room) and, doors at each end of the house. It was the most popular style of house in the south from the end of the Civil War through the 1920s. Also known as “shotgun shack”, “shotgun hut”, “shotgun cottage”, or even a multi-family version, the “shotgun apartment”, the name was such because you could “fire a shotgun from one door through the other without hitting a wall.”
In other words, it’s a southern home the size of a Manhattan apartment.
Petite 2701 Hibernia is a one-story, two bedroom, one bath cottage of 1389 square feet currently in office mode. It has an updated kitchen, light filled foyer, and original wood flooring throughout. I love the stained glass accent windows in the living area. There are breezy 10 foot ceilings and the cottage is on a corner lot. It was built in 1909, asking $616,050.
Hang on, John Neely Bryan. No sellers remorse allowed!
2707 Hibernia is the house for you if you have a lot of company, or maybe a lot of visitors in your business: living and dining rooms feature 10 ft ceilings, wood floors, fireplace, and great kitchen updates. More than 2200 square feet total. The second floor has two of the three bedrooms, one bath, with adjoining living area. The attic has been converted to third bedroom with bath. There is a Juliet balcony with direct views of downtown Dallas. As I said, parking for an army (8 vehicles) which is unheard of, and the house was crafted in 1900. So cute and $1,032,300.
Then there is tiny little 2604 Hibernia, coming in at a mere 1368 square feet. This charming circa 1890 bungalow has wood floors throughout and original stained glass front door and fireplace mantle with blue deft tile surround. Be still, my heart. There are two bedrooms, one bath, and this baby was built in 1890. Asking is a mere $675,000.
So what do you think? We are so used to the historic homes of Swiss Avenue and Munger Place, how about some really old homes right here under our nose in Uptown? No wonder they are going, going, gone…
