It’s My Mansion: A North Oak Cliff Tudor for Under $200K? Yep! It’s In Sunset Hill

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Oak Cliff TudorNorth Oak Cliff is one of the most sought-after areas in the DFW housing market, which makes it hotter than a fur coat in July. Houses regularly go under contract in a matter of days, and prices have increased substantially over the past five years in many of its neighborhoods.

The list of reasons to love North Oak Cliff could be its own blog post, but here are a select few:

  • The huge array of houses, in a variety of architectural styles
  • Unusual topography—actual hills!—and mature trees
  • The kind of neighborhoods where people know the names of the kids two doors down, like Ravinia Heights, West Kessler, and Winnekta Heights
  • Walkable neighborhoods, like Bishop Arts and Trinity Groves
  • An abundance of older homes with character, stories, and distinct looks
  • Proximity to downtown Dallas, Uptown, and other central areas of the city
  • The sense of it being an “up-and-coming” area of Dallas, with charisma and energy

Because so many people have realized the charms of the area, finding a property for under $200K can be a challenge. But there are still neighborhoods in North Oak Cliff where’s that’s possible. Sunset Hill is one of them, where the 2-1 at 2752 Catherine St. is located, near Hampton and 12th Street.

This North Oak Cliff Tudor is 1,263 square feet, updated with a new kitchen, but still retaining wonderful vintage charm, like arched doorways and original light fixtures flanking the fireplace. It is newly listed by Matt Watson with Dallasy.com, LLC for $175,000.

Oak Cliff TudorWalk the wide boulevards of Sunset Hill and you’ll see many different styles of houses, from California Bungalows and Prairie foursquares to Spanish eclectic cottages and Tudors, like this house, which was built in 1927. Full-scale development began in Sunset Hill in 1913, and continued through the 1940s.

The neighborhood is bounded by Jefferson, Hampton, Clarendon, and Waverly.

Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff TudorThe front door leads directly into the living room, which measures 16-by-12. This space feels so lively and fun, from the crisply painted white fireplace mantel to the eclectic staging. Those arched doorways are stunning, and keeping the trim white against the dark gray walls accentuates their unusual top peak. The fireplace is decorative, and adds a focal point to the room.

Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff TudorWow, that color is eye-catching in the dining room, and serves to set off the second arched doorway and wainscoting on the wall. The guideline to “keep it neutral” when showing a house for sale helps buyers better imagine their own tastes and style in a space, but a bright color like this will help them remember it. The whole color palette of this Tudor is memorable and modern, and the refinished original hardwood floors run throughout the front living room, dining room, and bedrooms.

I’m impressed with the way the owners have kept the sense of the era in which this Tudor was built, while adding modern touches in a way that feels coherent and discerning. Examples are the crystal chandelier and contemporary table and chairs in the dining room, and the kitchen updates.

Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff Tudor Oak Cliff Tudor 2752 Catherine LThe galley kitchen eels surprisingly wide for a home of this era, and the flow from the dining room into the second living room is flawless. The update has added a dark tile floor, stainless steel appliances (including a gas range), built-in wine storage, and sleek white cabinets. Note that original door in the photo above, and the built-in shelves, which show how older features in a home can look sleek in a modern decor.

2752 Catherine M 2752 Catherine N 2752 Catherine OThe second living room at the back of the house is a cozy space, measuring 15-by-9, with the same dark tile as the kitchen, lending a sense of one larger space, instead of two separate ones. It is defined by three walls of windows and a door with with a large glass insert, with white fabric Roman shades. So crisp!

2752 Catherine P 2752 Catherine QThe master bedroom is a delight, beautifully staged to make the most of the bright, open feel. It measures 14-by-14 and has a small closet, as it typical of the time it was built

2752 Catherine RThis charming Tudor has one bummer detail, in my opinion: only one bathroom, which is teeny tiny and without much storage. It presents a challenge for couples or families because, well, duh. That said, look how cute the space is, with the pedestal sink and beadboard, an old-fashioned detail that makes the room feel cozy.

2752 Catherine SThe second bedroom is slightly smaller than the master, measuring 14-by-10, and like everything else in the house, is staged with flair and personality.

2752 Catherine T 2752 Catherine U 2752 Catherine V 2752 Catherine WThe backyard of this North Oak Cliff Tudor has a cement slab for a patio area, and raised planter beds for the gardener, as well as a shed for storage. There’s no garage, because when the house was built, cars were a new thing—you don’t start seeing garages regularly added to houses until post-war.

Tell us your thoughts on this Sunset Hill Tudor, and why you love North Oak Cliff, in the comments!

 

 

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Leah Shafer is a content and social media specialist, as well as a Dallas native, who lives in Richardson with her family. In her sixth-grade yearbook, Leah listed "interior designer" as her future profession. Now she writes about them, as well as all things real estate, for CandysDirt.com.

6 Comments

  1. Joanna England on May 18, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    So cute, but I hear you about that bath. It’s adorable, but a total bummer.

  2. Candy Evans on May 18, 2015 at 11:38 pm

    So cute I am literally licking the computer! I mean those archways with peaks! Can you add another bath anywhere, I mean anywhere?

    How the hell did people survive with one bathroom — my grandmother had only one bathroom. I used to hog it.

  3. Adam on May 19, 2015 at 3:29 pm

    Thank you for writing the reviews about my home in Oak Cliff. I’ve had so much fun fixing it up over the past few years. One bathroom is an issue, and the only downfall to living I an old tutor. There is plumbing that runs under the guest room, oddly enough. (Previous owners had a washer and dryer in there) So if someone was ambitious, they could turn the two downstairs bedrooms into a master sweet with a huge bathroom, then turn the attic into another room or two. But it would need larger support beams in the attic for another floor. I’ve thought about it. Also…I didn’t have it staged. I decorated it myself. [patting myself on the back]

    Thanks again!!

    • Joanna England on May 19, 2015 at 4:14 pm

      That’s a great idea, Adam! And you did a fabulous job decorating your home. It is achingly cute!

  4. James Ferrell on October 20, 2020 at 6:41 pm

    I was so excited to see this article! This is the home that I grew up in!! My family lived at 2752 Catherine form 1964 to 1974, and then we moved to Grand Prairie. We were a family of 5 (my mom and dad, me, and my two brothers), and my older half brother lived with us for a while also. He stayed in the back room that was made into the second living room by you. And yes , there was a washer and dryer in there. Is the dirty clothes hamper still in the hallway by the bedrooms? What about the telephone nook that was also in the hallway underneath where the attic is? I still drive by there periodically to check out my old Oak Cliff haunts. This house holds so many memories for me, and will always be my all time favorite house. My earliest memory is getting bathed in the sink by my mother in the kitchen. When we moved, I remember that my father left his acoustic/electric guitar in the attic. It was white with gold specked glitter on it face. I always wondered what happened to that guitar. I didn’t know how to play it, but he let me play with it. So many memories. I often thought about stopping there and knocking on the door to see if whoever lived there would let me come in and check it out, but I never did. You have done a beautiful job on the restoration. Thank you for posting these pictures. It was good for my soul!

    • James Ferrell on October 20, 2020 at 6:47 pm

      Oh, also there was once a garage there but it was a freestanding garage right at the end of the driveway by the backyard, it was a wood , shingled building with two doors that opened from the middle. The right door swung to the right and the left door to the left. I remember my dad had an old whiskey still in there!

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