This Year’s Turtle Creek Tour of Homes is The Hottest One Ever

It’s August and it’s hot, but we all know how time flies. It won’t be long before we will be cool and ready for the grand dame of home tours on beautiful Turtle Creek Boulevard. It’s one of my favorites!

I’m talking about the Turtle Creek Tour of Homes, chaired this year by yours truly, set for Oct. 8 and featuring four of the most stunning mansions in town. A beautiful benefit reception will be held at Perot Companies-Turtle Creek. 

“We are working diligently to make it even more special than it was last year,” says J.D. Trueblood, president and CEO of Turtle Creek Association. 

It was pretty special last year: the Turtle Creek Tour of Homes raised $200,000 and you know how competitive I am. I want more! Proceeds will go to an amazing project Trueblood has been working on for a long time, the clean-up of debris from Turtle Creek. More on that in a bit.

A Jaw-Dropping Collection of Homes

About a week ago, we braved the heat and shot a few of the gorgeous homes that will be featured. Let me tell you, all of the homes gave me dropped jaw — in fact, that jaw only closed long enough to suck down some ice.

(I even took a little dip in one of the swimming pools … tucked away inside one of our jewel box charmers.)

But my biggest shout-out goes to the film crew who has volunteered to film these beautiful homes, recruited of course by the inimitable Kyle Crews of Allie Beth Allman & Associates, a founder of the Turtle Creek Association.

That team is Narr8Media, a group Kyle frequently uses to produce beautiful, professional videos of special listings. (Look here at what they produced for Timber Creek Ranch in Lake Cypress Springs a few years back — a true production!)

The team, which includes Scott Haws and Matthew Rollins, each have extensive backgrounds in media — on air, brand directors, and Emmy award-winning producers. Both are from Salt Lake City, Utah. We were shooting when it was about 108 out and let me tell you, these guys were about to fry like a raw egg on the pavement. But what troopers!

We filmed from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, then they shot some footage with Allie Beth Allman, then hopped a plane to Salt Lake City all gear in tow to enjoy a 10-degree temperature change.

The homes: I’m sworn to secrecy, but one home in the tour sold completely off-market, is a private residence, and will take your breath away with every turn. Preservationists will be cheering this one on, too!

Two homes are in Stonebridge Terrace, and one is … well, just stay tuned!

Turtle Creek offers 90 acres of forest and a beautiful creek, with exciting new luxury development on the horizon: the 240-room Four Seasons plus a blending of upcoming new commercial and residential growth. There are two new towers proposed on the corner of Maple Avenue and Turtle Creek Boulevard. The Hanover Company, a Houston developer, plans a $170 million apartment tower at 2525 Turtle Creek Boulevard, formerly Turtle Creek Gardens. Also in this area: The Terminal at Katy Trail.

A Cleaner Turtle Creek

“We need to be able to enjoy this creek,” says Trueblood. “And If we want to attract businesses and more residential development into this area, we need to keep it up., clean it up.”

Trueblood has launched a complete public education campaign, acquired private funding, and partnered with the city’s Park and Recreation and Public Works departments, to help clean up Turtle Creek not just for once, but forever.

“How do we create a system that filters the water before it hits the creek?” he said. “Well, Hillwood is paying for the engineers to help us find that solution, and we think we have one.” 

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Kalita Humphreys Theater is partnering with the TCA on the master plan. Both groups are laser-focused on the naturalization and health of the creek, implementing anti-erosion procedures, dredging, bank stabilization, and implementing a permanent engineered solution to remove the trash that chokes and clogs the in-city waterway.

All funds raised from the home tour will benefit these efforts and help, says Trueblood, truly preserve one of Dallas’ most vital natural resources.