Few architectural styles convert easily to today’s tastes and preferences. The Midcentury Ranch is a popular one, mostly because it is like a blank canvas. However, as more and more 1970s contemporary homes hit the market, their popularity with renovation-minded buyers has grown likewise. This particular listing in Oak Cliff is no exception.
Because of its potential, this incredible Oak Park Estates 1970s contemporary is this week’s Highlight Home of The Week sponsored by Senior Loan Officer Lisa Peters of First Horizon
According to “A Field Guide to American Houses” by Virginia Savage McAlester, the homes we consider 1970s Contemporary are often referred to as “shed-style” architecture. The style uses broad, slanting roofs, clerestory windows in ribbon formation, and multidirectional wood wall cladding.
If you feel like you’re having déjà vu, the seller of this shed-style home was an antique dealer and the home was the site of a very well-attended estate sale last summer. “Almost every other person who asks about this property mentions that estate sale,” said listing agent Katrina Whatley of Ultima Real Estate.
While that’s fascinating, this particular shed-style home has an interesting architectural provenance. According to Whatley’s research, the 1971-built home was designed by David Atteberry.
“The current owners bought the house 30 years ago directly from the architect’s wife,” Whatley told daltxrealestate.com. “David Atteberry designed another home on the same street that sold in 2021.”
The Oak Park Estates home has the hallmarks of the era’s shed-style home, right down to the clerestory windows and exposed chimney flue. And it’s a true time capsule.
“When I walked into this house, it was an instant jaw drop for me,” Whatley said. “First I saw that fireplace, then the soaring ceiling, then the wall of windows, and then I noticed the second-floor loft. Each time I said to myself, ‘You have to be kidding me!’ with my jaw still on the floor.”
And then, after all of that, Whatley learned that the home had a basement. “Just wow!”
The floor plan of this Oak Park Estates home is pretty unique, as it’s a two-story house but there are four levels. Whatley says that from the bottom up, there’s a basement, a living/dining/kitchen area, a bedroom with a bath, and then there is a second living area as well as two bedrooms on the fourth floor. Many of the rooms have views of the backyard, which borders a tributary of Five Mile Creek.
The home is a hit with buyers, especially those with vision. Whatley is already asking for highest and best offers after just a few days on the market.
Katrina Whatley of Ultima Real Estate has listed the shed-style 1970s Contemporary at 3974 Lost Creek Drive in Oak Park Estates for $335,000.
