Tuesday Two Hundred: West Kessler Cottage Marries Vintage Charm with Modern Updates

North Oak Cliff is one of Dallas’ oldest established neighborhoods and it’s full of community gems, from multiple annual festivals and historic districts to family friendly outdoor areas and a streetcar system newly revived earlier this month.

Its diversity of architecture is one of its most appealing aspects for those who live there—the range of styles and eras makes for distinct, memorable neighborhoods with a range of options for homeowners.

Today’s Tuesday Two Hundred is a West Kessler cottage at at 638 Tenna Loma Ct.—the neighborhood is bounded by Stevens Park Golf Course on the north, Davis Street on the south, Hampton Road on the west, and the Twelve Hills Nature Center to the east.

West Kessler is one of North Oak Cliff’s marvelous neighborhoods, home to about 150 households. You’ll find lots of late-1930s Tudor cottages, as well as newer Austin stone-and-brick houses in traditional and ranch styles.

This 1941 Tenna Loma cottage has 1,381 square feet with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It harmoniously marries vintage charm, like original light fixtures and stained glass insets, with modern updates, like stainless steel appliances and granite counters in the kitchen.

It is listed by Ged Dipprey at Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate and recently reduced $6,000 to $279,000.

This West Kessler cottage has an inviting front porch, with a flagstone walkup and original ironwork details. The pier-and-beam foundation will tend to offer some protection against interior cracks caused by our ever-shifting soil, and current owners installed a new HVAC, roof, and hot water heater.

Walk inside and take a look at the super-rare entryway with the first of many stained glass insets, windows, and features throughout the house. Those rich hardwood floors run throughout the cottage.

The entryway leads into the living room, which has a large picture window—check it out above.

I am smitten with this living room, with its decorative fireplace and vintage light fixtures flanking the updated mantel. And look at that dramatic archway! It joins the living room to the formal dining room.

The formal living room also has a vintage pendant light fixture and leads to the sunroom.

The large, open kitchen is updated with tile floors, tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and fixtures, a gas range, granite counters, and new drawer pulls and handles. But it retains fantastic charm, with a stained glass window above the sink and in the door, as well as some of the original cabinetry with decorative scalloping. There’s also built-in shelving with glass shelves and plenty of room for a breakfast table.

Pictured above is one of the two bedrooms, the master, which opens onto the sunroom. Both bedrooms have those wonderful hardwoods.

A possible negative consideration for this house is its singular bathroom—a pain-in-the-neck with more two or more people living together, even though it is nicely updated. But there’s the possibility of creating a walk-in closet and expanding the master to create an ensuite bathroom.

At the back of the house, French doors off the dining room open to a sunroom with glass louver windows and views of the expansive backyard.

The back patio is flagstone and the fenced backyard has a mature tree and in-ground sprinkler system.

One thing I haven’t mentioned is the attached one-car garage with front entry. The washer-dryer hookups are located there, which might seem like poor placement, but with the cottage having just over 1,300 square feet, it makes good sense to keep these large appliances out of the house’s interior.

Additionally, there is a large amount of attic space above the garage, with stairs leading up, that could be used for conversion into a home office.

Listing agent Dipprey says they executed a contract on this house Sunday—appealing properties like this are flying off the market almost as fast as they are listed. Leave us a comment with your thoughts!