Wonderful things happen in August, don’t they? Jane McGarry moved to Dallas from her beloved Fort Worth now that she is the sizzling star of Good Morning Texas on WFAA-TV’s Channel 8, every day at 9 a.m. Let’s face it, she could have moved anywhere in Dallas. I myself would have guessed Uptown, or downtown, or something snazzy on Turtle Creek Blvd.
But no, Jane chose (wisely, in my opinion) to live in a Preston Hollow pied a terre BEHIND THE PINK WALL! And not just any pied a terre, she chose the elegant Imperial House which was designed by George Dahl…
I wonder how she discovered this fab un-condo-like condo (ahem ahem)?
CD: So Jane, how did you find out about Imperial House and this wonderful nook on Northwest Highway at Preston?
Jane: daltxrealestate.com! I read your blog daily and I had never heard of Imperial House until I saw your “Tuesday Two Hundred” last February. By the time I got to Imperial House (a few hours later) five potential buyers were already booked to see the unit you featured. I fell in love with the property when I walked in the front door. The foyer looked like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”!
CD: We love to hear that, and we hear it A LOT! Yeah! What were you seeking in your house hunt?
Jane: I like one story living and I really wanted first floor, within 15 minutes of Victory Plaza where I need to be every morning at 6:30 am to start my day on “Good Morning Texas”. I also wanted spacious rooms, a property that “lived like a house”, but that I could lock and leave. What I’ve realized after a few weeks at Imperial House is that these units are actually like “flats” you might find in Paris or London, very special properties among what I saw in the city of Dallas.
CD: Tell me some of the ‘hoods and homes you scoured…
Jane: I looked at condos in Oak Lawn, cottages in Lakewood, “ranch” homes in Preston Hollow, a fabulous Dilbeck in Kessler Park; every time you featured a property within my price range on Candysdirt.com I went to see it! Can I please give a shout out here to my Dave Perry-Miller Realtors Ryan Streiff and Carmen DiPenti? Carmen is one of the most courteous, professional, thorough and hungry young agents I have ever worked with. Ryan knows property in Dallas like the back of his hand. Most important, I trusted both of them; both advised me when NOT to buy a property as well as when we had hit one they liked. Had it not been for their determined hard work, I would not have found a home I am thrilled with.
CD: And I understand you never buy so much as a thread without checking first with your fabulous interior designer, who I had the pleasure of meeting at The Greenbrier, Ken Blasingame?
Jane: Well yes, that cheetah carpet I’m sitting on in the picture at the top is pretty fabulous! Ken’s rooms are always beautiful, and completely livable. My turquoise kitchen, coral dining room and yellow family room in Ft. Worth that were featured in several magazines made me smile every time I walked through them.
CD: Love that! Isn’t Ken also Laura Bush’s interior designer?
Jane: Yes, Ken was working with Mrs. Bush when I first met her. She and Governor Elect George W. Bush and their family lived on Del Norte, just around the corner from Imperial House. Ken worked with Mrs. Bush on the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, the private and public spaces in the Bush White House, and later the Bush “ranch” at Prairie Chapel that was featured in Architectural Digest. And of course, he has worked on the interiors of the Bush Presidential Library.
CD: And Daria. How did you two meet?
Jane: I pulled up to the shop he had on Camp Bowie in Ft. Worth in my hot pink Porsche 911 with the lime green laundry basket in the back and he discovered I liked color, a lot.
CD: Lilly Pulitzer colors! Love it! So what do you love about Imperial House?
Jane: It truly feels and lives like a pied a terre. I’m in the center of the city, in a sophisticated one floor flat, with fabulous living spaces (2500 square feet plus copious storage). It’s unique in the city. The bathroom marble is original from 1961, beautifully restored, something you just can’t buy now. The closets are enormous, particularly for the era; the people who lived here were obviously well heeled. I look out on an interior courtyard where rumor has it some of the most glamorous people in Dallas talked on their phones poolside (the “jack” that made it possible is still on the kitchen wall).
Several other units in the two Imperial House buildings are currently being beautifully restored with gorgeous period marbles and gilt finishes. I just feel lucky I got in on the ground floor, so to speak!
CD: You sure did! And you like the “Behind the Pink Wall” area? Full disclosure, I have a little place across the street from you…
Jane: I love “Behind the Pink Wall”! In addition to the romance of it, there’s the marvelous convenience. It’s truly one of those rare “walkable” neighborhoods in Dallas. I’ve been jogging over to “Sprinkles” in Preston Center every night with my chocolate lab, Addy, and the sugar in the cupcakes is about as dangerous as it gets.
CD: Ha! And you are doing a bit of remodeling? That we are going to chronicle on CandysDirt?
Jane: Yes! I’m doing a lot of remodeling. When I took possession the unit had been taken down to the studs, with wood floors and painted a lovely shade of white. But I love color and I have Italian, French and Spanish antiques that we’re going to freshen with some great modern pieces. I hope it’s going to be very glamorous, in keeping with the property, and I’m so thrilled you are going to give me the opportunity to share the progress on daltxrealestate.com!
CD: We are thrilled and cannot wait to see what you and Ken create!
