A Hundred Years Ago East Dallas’ Parks Estates Was Ahead of Its Time

This week’s Inwood Home of the Week, sponsored by Inwood National Bank, takes us to the East Dallas neighborhood of Parks Estates and takes us back about 100 years.

On Thanksgiving Day 1924, eager sales agents paced the freshly paved streets of Tremont and Largent in East Dallas’s newest residential addition, Parks Estates. The addition that neighbored Lakewood Country Club was touted as “One of the most unusual real estate opportunities offered in Dallas in recent years.”

This new neighborhood at Junius and present-day Abrams offered improved lots with features that many other new neighborhoods didn’t have: master-planned streets and underground utilities. The street design here discouraged passthrough traffic. “The beautiful site is laid out in a manner to avoid excessive traffic, reducing noise and traffic nuisances to a minimum,” a 1924 Dallas Morning News ad promised. And better yet, the neighborhood had no power or telephone poles cluttering the landscape. They were buried deep underground and aesthetically set Parks Estates apart from the rest.

The Parks family settled the neighborhood in the early 1920s and in 1926, a Dallasite selected this prime lot at 6306 Tremont to build their new home. Other homes in Parks Estates were designed by Dines and Kraft, Cliff Hutsell, and David R. Williams, archives show, but this spacious Tudor had something special: a small park across the street.

Wanting to emphasize the area’s natural beauty, the developer Sam G. Hines & Co. built four triangular parks that intersect the principal streets of the addition. They planted 100 10-year-old hackberry trees in the parks and planted other mature trees on every single lot in the neighborhood.

Today, the home has four bedrooms, three baths, and 2,548 square feet, set over one and a half-stories. Set deep into the lot, the Tudor stands out with an unusually large wrap-around porch with terrace seating. Lounge in the covered porch to the side, or enter through the arched doorway with original stained, leaded glass.

Through the arched entry, find a large living room with hardwoods, wooden shutters, and the original 1926 Batchelder tile fireplace, listing agent Mary Perry notes. Throughout Parks Estates and other new neighborhoods of the 1920s, you’ll find an assortment of Batchelder- and Rookwood-brand tiles used in these Tudors and Craftsman. The tile became highly sought-after decorations in fashionable ’20s homes. Original leaded glass windows with small accents of stained glass flank the fireplace.

A flattened Gothic arch, sometimes called a Tudor arch, frames the transition from formal living room to formal dining room. The large space has plentiful windows with wood swing shutters and crown molding and offers some wonderful soft, filtered sunlight.

A tastefully updated eat-in kitchen off the dining room is perfect for entertaining and offers ample storage and counter space. The breakfast room and original butler’s pantry have built-ins with leaded glass cabinet doors. The kitchen features a farmhouse sink, subway tile backsplash, a small breakfast bar, an instant hot water pot filler, and stainless steel appliances.

The primary and guest rooms are located downstairs and two bedrooms are located upstairs. The three bathrooms do well to blend some of the original tile with modern bath convenience.

Then you come to two surprising pops of color: This beautifully appointed bathroom and the children’s room with bold maize stripes painted on the ten-foot ceilings. The nursery has wood deck access via French doors. A wooden deck and grassy backyard are the perfect sanctuary to relax in privacy.

This stunner is zoned for sought-after Lakewood elementary and is located steps from Lakewood Country Club, Whole Foods, and many popular area restaurants. Discover this tucked-away neighborhood where a rolling terrain, majestic trees and a quaint park offer peace and tranquility amongst the hustle and bustle of city life. Downtown commutes are a breeze just 4 miles away.

Mary Perry of Compass RE Texas has listed 6306 Tremont St. for $1.199 million.