Majestic Highland Park Estate With a Fresh New Look

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Highland Park Estate

Photos: Full Package Media

Luxury real estate in Dallas is like musical chairs. No one stays put for long, and if you don’t move fast, someone pulls that chair out from under you. Iconic Highland Park estates like 4412 Lakeside Drive are few and far between. You might think they linger on the market for years, but you’d be wrong. The fact that a property like this doesn’t come along often means if you are in the market, don’t assume it will stay around.

There is frankly not a better location in Highland Park than Lakeside Drive. It overlooks Lakeside Park, and if you have a good throwing arm, you can toss a football into Jerry Jones’ backyard. The Dallas Country Club and Highland Park Village are a few blocks away. You can be in the Arts District and Design District in 10 minutes. If you’re looking for location, it does not get any better than this.Highland Park Estate

Highland Park Estate

This majestic Highland Park estate was designed by architect Hal Thompson. It was one of the first homes built in the Park Cities in 1918. Thompson is also responsible for another iconic Dallas home — The Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue. If you’re into the Who’s Who list of folks that have lived in this beauty, check out Candy’s post when it was for sale in 2013. And note the images. The transformation is nothing short of stunning. It shows what a lot of white paint and superior staging can do to bring out the best in a home. Large kudos to the sellers who knew it needed a fresh new look, and of course to George Bass of George Bass Stage and Design for putting a 21st century face on this historic estate.

“The house was very dark, and we all knew it needed freshening up for a 2017 market, Bass said. “Fresh colors and a crisp look are what the world of design is dictating now. It’s easy to distract with furniture, and in staging, you don’t want to do that. You want to look at the whole silhouette. For a house of this magnitude and scale, I decided on a crisp white foundation with all of the staples. Then I dropped in some unique pieces. It gives the house a completely different story, a wider audience, and a bigger platform to jump off. You still base the design on history, but you take it into the present. It’s majestic but livable.”

Bass and his team spent a month getting the 9,035- square-foot, Highland Park estate ready. He went the extra mile on this project, creating some custom furniture pieces as well as site-specific paintings by artists like Keith Johnson. With five living areas, a library, music room, game room, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, three powder baths, and a 1,025-square-foot guest quarters over the garage, I’m stunned it only took a month!

Taking the plunge and bathing the home in white paint not only lightened it up, but it also allowed the woodwork, materials, and architectural elements to stand out. The staircase and railings are now a focal point of the home, and no doubt exactly what Thompson originally intended. The wide plank Brazilian hardwood floors, exposed wood beams, and four stone fireplaces offer up texture and warmth whereas before they just blended into the dramatic décor of the home. The impeccable craftsmanship can now be fully appreciated.

It goes without saying, but we will — the home has state-of-the-art technology. There is a wine cellar that will fit at least 1,500 bottles, and if you are going to entertain outdoors — of course, you are — you’ll be in heaven.


There’s a little over a half acre of immaculate grounds. Whichever direction you face, there’s a little delight.

“I have to confess, I’m in love with this house,” Dave Perry-Miller listing agent Cindy Bruner said. Bruner and Bo Parker have the estate listed for $9.495 million. “The exterior amenities are unreal. Every single side of the house opens to the outdoors. The front opens to the terrace. The dining room opens onto a pergola and a lounge area. There’s a fire pit lounge with a bocce ball court beyond; then a wraparound screened porch with a fireplace that is fabulous. The back porch opens to the pool. There are fountains, a hot tub, a huge outdoor kitchen, and a dining area. The entire estate is just magical.”

We completely agree. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to own an iconic Highland Park estate.

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

Karen is a senior columnist at Candy’s Media and has been writing stories since she could hold a crayon. She is a globe-trotting, history-loving eternal optimist who would find it impossible to live well without dogs, Tex-Mex, and dark chocolate. She covers luxury properties and historic preservation for Candys Dirt.

2 Comments

  1. KP on September 11, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    I believe this home has been on the market for nearly two years……

    • Cindy Bruner on September 12, 2017 at 9:04 am

      The home was on the market previously but was taken off the market in 2016. Since then, the home has been extensively renovated and refreshed with clean, crisp interiors – a complete transformation.

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