The Mediterranean on Buckner Boulevard surrounded by wire fencing has excited imaginations for decades. With stories and lore attached to the home that sits back from the six-lane thoroughfare, it’s a constant source of speculation. But one thing is for sure: The historic estate on 1425 N. Buckner Blvd. just went contingent.
Marketed by Brent King of the Brent King Group, the 5,733-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath mansion was built in 1925 but has remained vacant for 16 years. Dubbed The Buckner House, the mansion first went on the market in April of 2022 to the tune of $3.45 million. It has since been reduced to $2.8 million.
Of course, with the rash of teardowns throughout Dallas, the likelihood that the buyer of this 4.18-acre property will keep the home intact is low. Unfortunately, as preservationists have said until they are blue in the face, these types of estates are impossible to replace and the loss of them is detrimental to the cultural fabric of our city.
People say they cannot fix something because they don’t know how to fix it. I often hear something cannot be fixed, or it’s going to cost too much and is not worth it. If you are not in the restoration and preservation business, you should not be gauging restorability.
No matter how something looks, it’s almost always the case with a residential structure that it is never too far gone to restore. If it has not burned, it’s probably salvageable. Buildings are far more resilient than people give them credit for.
One of the things I encounter with existing buildings that have been allowed to deteriorate is so many people cannot see past that. You have to envision a building as it once was. There is a different approach to economically putting a historic building back. You have to have the skills and know the techniques. We have to look at something and say it has value.
You bring it back, and you will have something greater than a new piece of property. That is why they make TV shows about fixing old houses! Time is not an indicator of salvageability. In Europe, people salvage. They don’t tear down. We struggle with making appropriate decisions about existing buildings. Look at the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, for example. It sat vacant for decades. It’s finally being restored to its former glory and turning Mineral Wells into a destination again.
It’s easy to find someone to tell you to tear a building or a house down, but I think we are finally seeing a cultural awakening to the value of cool buildings from our past.
Norm Alston
