I Dreamed That Paigebrooke, My Favorite Home in Tarrant County*, Was Reduced to $4,999,000…

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This reminds me of those Maidenform Bra commercials I recall from my childhood: but I really DID dream they reduced the price on Paigebrook. (Yes, I actually dream about listings.) Imagine my delight when I was tootling on Allie Beth Allman’s website today, looking at Troy’s house, daydreaming about Mt. Vernon, and I saw that Paigebrook, the former ranch designed by Charles Dilbeck for Ted Dealey, a publisher of the Dallas Morning News and member of a Dallas publishing family dynasty, is now priced at $4,999,000. It has been reduced from a whopping $7,900,000. Now before you say, oh geeze Louise Candy, eight million buckeroos, go prance in your Maidenform, let me explain this is not just a house, it is a piece of art, a piece of North Texas history that was cultivated, preserved and moved like a delicate ornament. Also, the home is  11,500 square feet plus and comes with 14 plus acres in the heart of Westlake with lakes!

Now you see what I mean: at $4,999,000, this house is the bargain of the century.

PaigeBrooke is classic Dilbeck, built with rustic brick, stone, tile and wood. There are those signature Dilbeck features such as rounded chimneys, overhanging balconies, cupolas and turrets — even a bell tower. Dilbeck was an eco-friendly architect before green was vogue. He favored salvaged and recycled materials. Hence, the pinkish stone throughout this house came from an old slaughterhouse in Fort Worth, and the handhewn beams were made from original Union Terminal timbers in Fort Worth. PaigeBrooke is minutes from D/FW Airport and a brief jog from Westlake Academy. The rambling, half-timbered structure was designed by Charles Dilbeck in 1938, and is chock full of artisian handiwork and delightful surprises in almost every room — VERY Dilbeck,  who said each room in a home should have a surprise element. There are surprises, and Dallas history everywhere.

But the story gets better: Paigebrooke, named for the owners’ two daughters, was lovingly restored in 1977 after it was wrapped and moved in six pieces to its present land location – that’s right! This house was wrapped up like a delicate holiday ornament in Tyvek and moved on steel beams where it was put back together, melded, enhanced, and perfected in a beautiful, country like setting on 18 acres. You have no idea you are near civilization. As one writer described the setting: it’s an “ahhh experience”.

Anyhoo, here’s the whole story. I’m probably not supposed to tell you this, but there is a special Realtor event at Paigebrook today with a presentation by Scott Burdette, who is the DW Skelton/Brad Edgar equivalent in Tarrant County, I’m told. It’s worth the drive just to see the Aga stove! We also filmed the sizzle reel for Real Deal Dallas here. Addy is One Paigebrooke, of course, in Westlake. If you cannot make it, tune in to Daybreak with Ron Corning on April 26. He’s sending out a camera crew to get some mighty nice photos and we will tell ALL on Daybreak! *Truth be told, every home is my favorite home but this one… tops the list!

 

 

 

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

14 Comments

  1. Lesley Henry on April 19, 2012 at 2:28 am

    You should link your original write up about Paigebrooke to this one. The one we needed to sit down with a glass of wine to read. Loved it so much I remember reading it in the car on a drive, ride rather, to Abilene. No wine on that ride. The history is phenominal…

  2. Lesley Henry on April 19, 2012 at 2:28 am

    You should link your original write up about Paigebrooke to this one. The one we needed to sit down with a glass of wine to read. Loved it so much I remember reading it in the car on a drive, ride rather, to Abilene. No wine on that ride. The history is phenominal…

  3. Candy Evans on April 19, 2012 at 3:20 am

    Yikes! Lesley, I had gone to bed but saw your comment, popped back to the computer! Thanks for the reminder!

  4. Candy Evans on April 19, 2012 at 3:20 am

    Yikes! Lesley, I had gone to bed but saw your comment, popped back to the computer! Thanks for the reminder!

  5. Alex Roostaei on April 19, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    what a kitchen….the cabinets are great…and the stove, even better.

  6. Alex Roostaei on April 19, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    what a kitchen….the cabinets are great…and the stove, even better.

  7. MonkeyFoot on June 15, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    heyy nice peice

  8. MonkeyFoot on June 15, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    heyy nice peice

  9. […] I wrote about this ranch in December of 2011, but the price was reduced from $7,900,000 in April 2012 to just under $5 million in 2012. That is what I call a SERIOUS price change!  And totally worthy of […]

  10. […] I wrote about this ranch in December of 2011, but the price was reduced from $7,900,000 in April 2012 to just under $5 million in 2012. That is what I call a SERIOUS price change!  And totally worthy of […]

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