Never Judge a Colonial Revival by Its Facade

This Colonial Revival in the heart of Old Preston Hollow has everything we love about a house, and a lot more! Don’t be fooled by that traditional facade.

Let’s start with the location. Ask around. Most people will tell you there is no better place to live. You have serious privacy and great neighbors. If the names Cuban, Staubach, Warren. and Pearlman ring a bell, you know you are in the right place, and minutes from everything worthwhile.

Then we have style. Colonial Revival is one of the most popular styles in the country and makes us feel instantly at home. Why do you think filmmakers choose this look over and over? “Home Alone” anyone?

Next, we have the size. At 8,051 square feet with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and three powder baths, you have plenty of room for a large family as well as loads of entertaining space.

And there is my favorite characteristic, history. This classic Colonial Revival is one of those original neighborhood estates. This area was the countryside when it was built in 1938. The landscape still offers that woodland look and that’s hard to find in the middle of Dallas.

There have been only a handful of owners over the decades and this always tells the tale of an exceptionally livable home. Each owner put their touch on this classic Colonial Revival, and in 1970 one owner made a very bold move.

Where most folks would simply add on square footage in a similar style, this was a tour de force addition. A 2,400-square-foot, two-story, glass great room was added in the 1970s. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the lush landscape and swimming pool. Without a doubt, this is the centerpiece of the home.

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Realtor Ted Bangs has a special insight into this Colonial Revival. It belongs to his parents.

“My favorite memories of this house revolve around the winter holiday season,” Bangs said. “The great room used to provide the ideal canvas for a winter wonderland. I remember always having the whole family over and everyone taking their spot in the great room. The kids would often sit up close to the 18-foot-tall Christmas tree that towered over the room. My mom would meticulously dress the massive tree and I’d string lights up the spiral staircases and along the railings of the upper balcony that surrounds the room.”

Those two spiral staircases were built in 1836 and have quite the provenance. Their original home was the London Underground. When the subway systems were remodeled with escalators to accommodate a growing population, staircases like these became collector’s items. These are stamped with the mark of St. Pancras Ironworks Company of London.

In 1983 the home was expanded again with attached guest quarters. When Bang’s parents purchased the home, there was a lot to knit together and update, which they did beautifully. They gutted the house and carefully refashioned the interior in a cohesive manner. Electrical and plumbing systems were completely updated. The guest quarters were turned into a first-floor master suite that overlooks a secret garden area with a soothing fountain on one side and a putting green on the other.

“With the Colonial Revival facade playing off the bold transitional glass great room and an incredible wealth of architectural detail, the house offers a poetic juxtaposition of scale and irony that is quite simply gorgeous,” Bangs said.

You won’t find anything like this striking Colonial Revival at 5251 Ravine Drive, anywhere in Dallas. It’s a stunning blend of traditional and contemporary styles in one of the most coveted neighborhoods in the city.

Bangs has the home listed for $3 million. It will be on the Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty Spring Open House Tour on March 28th from 2-4 p.m.