Villa Munger Brings a Rare Condo Opportunity to Buyers in a Historic Neighborhood

This Spanish Mission Revival condo is in the Munger Place historic neighborhood and is a rarity on many levels. It was originally built as an investment property in 1910 by entrepreneur T.A. Manning. Manning founded the largest insurance company in Texas, the Southwestern Fire and Casualty Co.

In 1905, Munger Place was developed by Robert S. Munger and his brother Collette, who were cotton gin entrepreneurs. It was the first deed-restricted neighborhood in Texas. So it’s interesting that Manning was allowed to construct a multi-family building here just a few years after the restrictions were put in place. The Munger brothers may have been convinced because it was designed to be a luxury property, built with the highest quality materials, grand ceiling heights, and 18 Craftsman-style windows in each of the four units.

It was as rare in the 1900s as it is today.

As we all know, the real estate market exploded in 2020. Although the steam is no longer rising, it is still a piping hot market. Finding a property under $1 million in a historic neighborhood is a tall order.

When the opportunity to purchase this beautiful building came along, Clint Murchison was the lucky buyer, which is extremely fitting because the Murchison family’s Dallas roots run almost as deep as the Mungers. It’s like the passing of the torch from one family dedicated to creating beauty to another intent on saving it.

It Takes a Village to Preserve a Historic Building

The old African proverb “It takes a village” is as true for historic real estate as for child-rearing. When it comes to reinvigorating a property in a historic neighborhood, you can’t do it properly without a village.

Fortunately, we have excellent resources in Dallas who understand historic buildings and how to bring them into this century gracefully while still honoring their past.

This was an extraordinary effort executed by an incredible team of professionals brought together by Murchison’s listing agent, Allie Beth Allman & Associates’ Pete Livingston. Livingston is the go-to Realtor for historic properties. He won a Preservation Dallas achievement award for a 1918 home he purchased — a speculative restoration — at 3900 Mockingbird. His depth of knowledge is unparalleled.

I’ve always been passionate about architecture and beauty in the built world. I’d walked down this block many times and had been thinking about the burgeoning housing market pricing people out. I had friends that could no longer afford single-family homes, so when this property became available, I decided to invest and offer people an option to get in on some equity.

The key motivation was to respect the building. I wanted to bring it back to life and maintain its integrity and beauty. So many renovations end up losing the soul of the building. Finding contractors who understand how to work on these homes is hard. It’s like a vintage car. A lot can go wrong if they don’t know what they are doing.

I also got to work with my friend Scott Parks. We wanted to respect history but apply artistry and ride the balance of the two. We had fun with the different colors. The entry color was all Scott. We go way back and are really in line with aesthetics. I’m proud of the underlying quality and beauty of the property. The floorplan flows so well, and they are great units. We hope other people appreciate what we’ve done here.

Clint Murchison, Owner

I had an immediate fondness for the building when Clint showed it to me. It’s very charming. We felt a sense quickly of what we wanted to do. The unit layouts were beautiful and generous, so it was a lot of trying to see past people’s previous poor choices. It takes some time to get down to the essence of the building and see what to bring back. We added a little more functionality to the kitchens. The floors are beautiful and part of the home’s history, so we did not need to change them. The back staircases are my favorite parts. I put a lot of love into that area and wanted to make it exciting. We added the stained glass on the side entry because you park around the back.

I feel like some people get into historic properties and are afraid of color. They imagine a property through a sepia lens. I wanted to see the building in full vivid color. I was thinking about creating contrast as you progress through a unit. The door is a vibrant blue with a rich pink terracotta through the center of the building. In some ways, it’s a primary color scheme, but they are interesting shades of primary colors. It feels exciting like you’ve entered something different and special. We wanted the community that would develop between the four units to be unique and feel exuberant and celebratory. Clint was trying to do something interesting, and I think we accomplished that. We were able to create an interesting design on a budget. To be able to live on this street at this price point is a win.

Scott Parks, Scott Parks Studio

I moved into this historic neighborhood in 2012. My wife and I bought a house in rough shape on Victor Street, so I learned how to restore historic homes. Now I specialize in renovating in historic districts.

I knew this property well because I’d considered purchasing it myself. I knew the bones were good. Masonry is excellent for longevity but a challenge to remodel. The structural component was great, but the systems could have been better as landlords had done the bare minimum over the years to keep plumbing and electrical up to date. It all had to be replaced. We redid ducting and took the ceilings back up to their original height. Fortunately, the molding was in good shape, so we just stripped, sanded, and restored sections. It took the better part of a year to restore. These are now grand units.

Travis Ripley, Ripley Renovations

We had worked on a project in the Belmont Addition. Clint lived nearby and one day struck up a conversation with me. He’s very eco-conscious. We always encourage native landscaping to bring back the ecosystems into eco-depleted neighborhoods. When he presented his project to us, he wanted a new way of looking at the landscape.

It’s challenging because historic district rules apply to landscaping as well as buildings. A Certificate of Appropriateness has to be issued. Of course, the times change, and rules to be updated to be responsible with landscaping today. For instance, we put in Mexican Plum ornamental trees. They were not on the list, so we are trying to amend the rules because they are native and look beautiful with the home. Small ornamental trees don’t take away from the architecture. We added Redbud trees to the back, so the ground-level units look out on something attractive rather than just the parking lot. We put a lot of thought into creating the right environment to enhance and not overpower the architecture in this historic neighborhood.

Derek Carroll, Native Gardeners

The village for this Munger Place condo was much larger, but you get the idea. When you are working on a historic home or building, put the right people in place and have a plan not just for the renovation but for the future of the property.

Livingston has the four one-bedroom, one-bath condos at 5004 Worth Street listed for $465,000 each. This opportunity to live in a condo in a historic neighborhood is unprecedented.

Open House: From noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12