Lakewood’s Lacy Estate is Available For The First Time in 50 Years

The Lacy estate is on the market, providing one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to purchase an iconic historic home. Only two families have owned this French Eclectic mansion since 1929. Honestly, that tells you all you need to know.

An Iconic Estate For a Prominent Family

There is so much about this home that is significant, but let’s start with the gentleman that had it built. Lester (L.H.) Lacy majored in civil engineering at The University of Texas and began his career in 1907 when he joined the Cotton Belt Railroad’s engineering department.

His experience in concrete engineering led to work with the United States shipbuilding efforts in World War I. He moved to Dallas in 1919 and opened L.H. Lacy Co., a residential construction company, rapidly expanding into commercial construction and then into highways by 1930.

To give you an idea of how important Lacy was in the industry, he’s the man who was entrusted to build Woodrow Wilson High School and pave Love Field when it was constructed.

Mr. Lacy and his wife, Nina, built their first home on Bryan Parkway in 1920. By 1929 they were ready for something larger, so the Lacys hired architect Vern E. Shanklin. There is speculation that Shanklin had been involved when the Lacys built their Munger Place bungalow. Shanklin had opened his architecture firm around 1922. He was known for designing commercial buildings but he also designed several homes in Dallas, including 4331 Beverly Drive and 6223 La Vista Drive. However, the Lacy home at 7030 Tokalon Drive was his most substantial residential project.

So, Lacy was a rare owner, an authority on engineering and building. He knew just how much support a home of this size needed and was well-versed in collaborating with architects. There is possibly not another home in Dallas that is built this well.

Brilliant research on the Lacy estate and its surrounding area was done only a few weeks ago by Carol Roark for Preservation Dallas.

Dallas developer Albert Dines opened Westlake Park in May 1925. Westlake Park was marketed as “a natural park” with “hills, valleys, and winding avenues” and definitely “not an ordinary parcel of land cut up into square blocks and straight streets.” Tokalon Drive (or, as the map on April 3, 1925, an advertisement for Westlake Park referred to it as “Tokalone”) was the “estate section” with slightly larger lots and restrictions requiring two story houses with slate or tile roofs. The street name was apparently taken from the Greek phrase “To kalon,” which meant highest or greatest beauty.

Annexation to the City of Dallas took place at about the same time as the construction of the home, but the Lacy House apparently “beat” annexation, as there is no building permit record for it. The City of Dallas voted to annex the White Rock area on December 1, 1929, and the neighborhoods became part of the City on January 1, 1930, just in time for the 1930 census.

Passing The Baton

The Lacys lived in this beautiful home for 42 years, raising three children — Jeanne, Julia, and Jerry. They were extremely involved in the community, and there are scores of newspaper clippings detailing teas, meetings, and parties at the house. In 1972 they sold their home to Sandra and Herbert Steinbach, the current owners, who have treasured and preserved this stunning French Eclectic.

The Lacy estate is such an essential part of Lakewood’s history that Preservation Dallas is holding a members-only event there this Thursday evening.

“It’s an incredible home,” Preservation Dallas Executive Director David Preziosi said. “It’s unusual with its exterior stone and Ludowici tile roof because you don’t see a lot of that in Lakewood, and the entrance and the turret with the balcony are so charming. The house is incredibly intact from when it was originally built. It has amazing trim detail and appliques over the wood. Even the colorful tile bathrooms are still there.”

Anyone with vision will appreciate what the Lacy estate offers and understand how to make appropriate updates. It is currently 4,744 square feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, a game room, den, solarium, and a wonderful library housed in the turret.

The 1.07-acre lot includes a massive greenhouse. It is such a deep lot that it would be straightforward to add on to the back of the house, put in a pool, update the 1,284-square-foot cottage, and still have extensive private grounds.

The Lacy estate will easily continue to be one of the grandest residences in Dallas if it finds the right owner. To get a peek at this beauty, simply become a member of Preservation Dallas and sign up for their Thursday In-Town Outing event.

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate listing agent Rob Elmore has 7030 Tokalon listed for $2.5 million.