Dines and Kraft Tudor Lakewood Mansion Restored to Perfection by Carol Gantt

The Dines and Kraft Tudor at 6861 Lakewood Boulevard is, without a doubt, one of the most beloved homes in Lakewood — and it’s finally for sale again. It was just listed by Annamari Lannon of Allie Beth Allman for $1.249 million, and that is a great price for a home of this caliber.

Built in 1928, the three-story, 4,160-square-foot home is often referred to by neighbors as “The Ohio House.” Take a look at the first photo, closely. Look to the left, peeking through the leaves of the tree. Let us know in our comments section if you figure out why it’s been given that name!

Albert Dines and Lee Kraft were part of the talented group of builders that were instrumental in developing Lakewood. Their homes are among the most sought after today. Solidly built, architecturally significant, and full of character, Tudors require intelligent, caring, dedicated owners who understand and appreciate their role in the stewardship of these homes.

Fortunately, the present owners, Brian and Jorie Wages, are just the sort of couple that recognize what it is to love and protect an iconic home. The most important thing they did, after purchasing the home years ago, was enlist the stellar services of construction consultant and designer Carol Gantt. Gantt is widely known to be the “go-to” expert on renovating historic homes in Dallas.

“This house is one of my favorites,” Gantt said. “I think it is just gorgeous. My favorite thing about the house is the unique interior, which is not exactly like any other Tudor I have seen in Lakewood. The pristine original baths are very luxurious for the period and in near-perfect condition. There are two beautiful entries — one on Lakeshore and one on Lakewood — and there are two staircases, a formal one in the front and informal in the rear. Of course, there are the neat timbering patterns, wonderful craftsmanship and intricate detailing in the whole house, and the original quarter-sawn parquet flooring as well as the sun porches, the original dark wood trim and paneling. There is just so much to love about the original detailing. I think it is a one-of-a-kind Lakewood house.”

The house was, however, in need of care. “It has suffered over the years,” Lannon said. “The Wages saved it. They did the necessary updates and secured the architectural integrity as well.”

Jorie grew up in Tuxedo Park in New York, one of the first planned subdivisions in the nation, in a similar home. “Tuxedo Park has a strong architectural identity,” Gantt said. “There are lots of Tudor-style homes with white stucco and dark timbers, so part of what we tried to do was to echo that Tuxedo Park style more or less. Our goal was to keep the home as much in period style as we could.”

The kitchen had been refurbished in the 1970s so you can imagine — it was not restored to a period style nor was it particularly useful for a modern family.

“There were vestiges of the original kitchen and we left those as we could,” Gantt said. “The windows, the arches, the fabulous floor in the breakfast room, the original doors and door hardware were all preserved.”

“We were able to get that giant fridge in and a nice pantry, which many of my clients find is one of the most useful improvements you can do for a family,” Gantt said. “The old kitchen did not have an island and that was something we wanted to work in, plus lot of counter space and storage. We also wanted to leave the back entry as a connection to a possible future den or maybe a master suite above on that side of the house, so we made it a bar area.”

This is very much a family home with three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and a powder bath. The third floor is presently being used as a game room, but could easily be a guest suite.  It’s also a home uniquely suited for entertaining with great flow and a dining room that is not one you relegate only to holiday dinners.

Historically, the house has not had much of a backyard, but the Wages actually removed a section of the home to create more yard space. In addition, a next-door neighbor is offering to sell adjacent land to whomever buys the house, should they want a larger yard — so a big win if more yard is part of your dream home image. And really, where else are the neighbors willing to sell you part of their yard? This is something that totally defines living in Lakewood: great, invested neighbors.

This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a home that is not only iconic but is now architecturally sound and serves modern family needs in such an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager for more than 25 years. She’s been a professional writer for 20 years. Karen is the mother of a son who’s studying music at The University of Miami. An ardent animal lover, she doesn’t mind one bit if your fur baby jumps right into her lap. Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com