It’s a Wonderful Life on Clover Lane

I had begun preparing a post on a beautiful lock-and-leave townhouse in a quiet circle of Monticello. Sold. Today. More evidence that desirable properties in good locations below $600,000 are still moving quickly. Above $1 million, that is another story. Some houses I have covered in the year or more since I have been writing for CandysDirt.com in that price category are still on the market.

With my house decorated for the season and the Ryan Place Candlelight tour this weekend — I am volunteering — my thoughts began to sentimentally turn towards Christmas and family. Those reveries almost evaporated thanks to my annoyingly slow and uncooperative laptop thwarting my efforts at every turn, with vexing little spinning wheels in lieu of loading web pages. A reboot and a search result began to restore my spirits.

How about writing about the house that your father grew up in? Well almost. A cute cottage at 1301 Clover Lane came on the market this week. It is a mere block from the Clover Lane house that my grandfather bought for $22,000 cash in 1946, the year the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life was released. An inflation calculator tells me that that’s about $300,000 in todays coin. With Clover Lane houses currently selling for 60 percent above that inflation adjusted figure, the street has indeed done well for itself. 

Most Clover Lane cottages are one story with a low-slung, prairie-style profile, and have porches like the one down the street where my father’s terrier, Skippy, waited for him to walk home from nearby Stripling Middle School. Nowadays, the same spacious porches still see life and activity, with parents monitoring playing children on mild days while enjoying a glass of wine. Clover Lane and its perpendicular adjunct, Clarke Avenue, seem to be charmed places, chosen by young professionals on the move for their first houses, where they form lifelong friendships with neighbors. Several of my friends and acquaintances made strong friendships on Clover and Clarke that have endured for decades. Some move on, often to grander digs, but many stay on, content with the inherent charm of the street and the ideal location — sandwiched between Rivercrest and the Cultural District.

With its bold color palette and open airy disposition, 1301 Clover Lane certainly looks younger than its nearly 90 years. Built in 1928, the nearly 2,000-square-foot house boasts two living areas, three bedrooms, and two full bathrooms.

The dining room is open to a rather large kitchen. I like the playfulness of the tangerine pitted against the deep saturated blue of the living room.

The kitchen has been thoroughly reworked and includes a deep sink and updated Stainless steel appliances. Beyond is a full laundry room/hall, which leads to the back.

Bedrooms are generously scaled. Restored, natural hardwood floors give a light contemporary feel throughout the house.

The master bath has also undergone a renovation and reworking, now containing couple-friendly, twin pedestal sinks.

A second living area could be converted into an additional bedroom or home office.

Backyard spaces include a brick terrace and large rock walkways. The house also has a basement. An apartment over the garage could provide income to cover ever escalating property taxes (groan). Risking redundancy, need I say that though this listing is one week old, with the location and pricing, that it won’t languish on the market?

Grady Shropshire of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Fort Worth is offering 1301 Clover Lane for $515,000.00.

Eric Prokesh is an interior designer whose work has appeared on HGTV, and in books and publications including D Home, Southern Accents, House Beautiful, and House and Garden. In January 2005, HG named Eric one of the 50 tastemakers in America and D Home has included him as one of Dallas’ Best Designers for 10 years. Having lived most of his life in Dallas, he now calls Fort Worth home and is one of our experts on beautiful Fort Worth Dirt.