Highland Park Traditional: A Fresh Take on a Classic Look
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Our Inwood Home of the Week, a Highland Park traditional, offers a fresh take on a classic look. Originally built in 1984, Cy Barcus Jr. put his magic touch on the home in 2011. Barcus owns CEB Construction and grew up in the business. His father built many of the most beautiful homes in Dallas, and he continues the family tradition. Known for his attention to detail, the renovations and updates on the 5,192-square-foot, two-story mansion at 3505 Harvard Avenue in Highland Park, are meticulous.Home trends come and go but what never changes is the continued appeal of what we generally refer to as a traditional home. Builders have been extremely successful recasting and reinventing Colonial styles decade after decade. There is a basic instinct of familiarity when you see one of these homes because the style is steeped in history. It’s also further embedded in our hearts because film makers reinforce that emotional connection by selecting these homes for iconic movies that never leave our hearts or our heads.
From Leave it to Beaver to Mad Men to Desperate Housewives, the timeless design and historic roots define “home” to us.
Symmetry is a chief characteristic of these homes. The centered front door and five windows on the second story of the façade are historically accurate. Although the symmetry continues on the bottom level of windows, a modern edge was created with the addition of a bank of triple window on the left instead of what would typically be an exact match to the set on the right side of the door. That’s the beauty of this style. It’s easy to create a personal stamp but retain the familiar historic feel and the appeal is only enhanced.
The house just breathes genteel living. There are five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and two powder baths and the layout is classic. A central staircase divides formal areas on either side of the entry. However, in a practical accommodation to modern day living the formal living room has been banished to make way for the home office.
What is especially appealing is the sellers have carried that symmetry into the interior of the home. They came along just as Barcus was remodeling the home on spec so were able to create that harmony and add their sophisticated and fresh take to the project.
“It’s the intangible little things that make this house such a finished product, so special and so easy to live in,” listing agent Michelle Wood with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s said. “It’s sophisticated but simple, nothing is overdone.”
An open-plan family and oversized gourmet kitchen area were created with a built-in desk and a breakfast banquette. A wall of French doors opens onto the heated back patio. Remember those details we mentioned? The doors have Phantom Screens . They retract completely out-of-sight, into the doorway.
We could linger on the first floor forever but there’s an entire second story to explore. All the bedrooms are on this level, another nod to the tradition of the historic layout. Having bedrooms upstairs creates a defining level of privacy not to mention tree-top views.
The fifth bedroom is being used as a secondary living space.
Heaters are built into the ceiling of the porch to ensure year-round comfort.
Outdoor living areas include a built-in grill, fire pit, and a water feature as well as plenty of room for entertaining.
If we were to start handing out livability scores — and we just might — this house would be off the charts.
The home has only been listed for a few days and we have it on good authority that there are more than a few interested parties. However, there’s not a contract in place yet, so you still have an opportunity to nab this one for $2.15 million.
