Not All Who Wander Are Lost, Especially on Shorecrest on a Lazy Sunday Afternoon

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My parents were fond of the Sunday afternoon drive — an aimless wander done well before cell phones and Google Maps. This was the ‘70s. It was a vehicular form of people-watching, with interesting landscapes and pretty homes. Years later, my dad and I took similar aimless drives around town, meandering over to Bachman Lake and listening to Depeche Mode in his Toyota Celica. This was the ‘90s. This week’s Highlight Home of the Week, sponsored by mortgage expert Lisa Peters at Cardinal Financial, takes us to a great street for wandering near the lake in Northwest Dallas’ Bluffview neighborhood.

Wandering is how my late dad and I came across Shorecrest Drive, a lengthy country-like road that runs from Bachman Lake to Bluffview. Here century-old tree branches gently lean over the road, tipping their cap to you as they shade your afternoon drive. Or at least, that’s how I saw it. That’s where you’ll find 4104 Shorecrest Drive, a lovely midcentury home on a quarter-acre, listed by David Griffin of David Griffin and Company Realtors.

“Shorecrest is one of Dallas’ most beautiful streets, ranking up there with Tokalon, Cochran Chapel, and many scenic streets throughout Bluffview,” Griffin says. “I think of Bluffview as a magic little island of beauty in the city.”

That’s a pretty perfect way of describing this area of town. Back in the ‘90s, there was such a dichotomy between the gentlemen’s clubs located along Northwest Highway and this inner-city lake park that it was hard to believe such a bucolic pocket of modest homes was tucked away behind these busy streets.

Today, Northwest Highway looks sparkling and practically new as development like new upscale residential, retail, restaurants, and Central Market have come in and transformed the area in the past decade or two.

The same goes for Shorecrest Drive, which has attracted some fantastic, newly-built modern homes that are brimming with Midcentury Modern inspiration.

“From Midway on, there’s one gorgeous new house after the next,” Griffin says.

But these are not big white box tear-downs that are shoehorned into a grid-like neighborhood. I mean, yes they are built on torn-down lots, but these homes seem to fit the land so well, you have to believe that’s only done by painstaking design.

“I think the homes stand out because they’ve incorporated the natural landscape around them,” Griffin says. “They’re building the home around Mother Nature.”

That beautiful blend of indoor and outdoor living is possible at 4104 Shorecrest Drive.

“The location and lot are great because there are so many creeks and dales throughout this wooded area that nothing feels stark and gridded,” Griffin says. “It’s just gorgeous trees, gorgeous views, and a gorgeous neighborhood.”

Indeed, I can practically smell the fragrant blooms emerging from that mammoth Magnolia tree in front, and the Cedar Elms and mighty century-old Oaks that blanket the 0.25 acre lot.

The home’s interior story is just as inviting as you can see from the listing’s photos. It’s all open rooms, oversize windows, and wonderful natural light.

From the listing:

Wonderfully well located home on one of Bluffview’s best streets, this three bedroom, two bath ranch has lots of nice updates. Located at the corner of Shorecrest and Labron on a street with many newer multi-million dollar homes, this property is a great opportunity to get into an estate neighborhood for under $1 million. Steps from Bachman Creek Greenbelt, the highly wooded location is retreat-like yet only minutes to Love Field and Inwood Village shopping. Live in the home or enlarge or build your dream home, this unique opportunity checks all the boxes.

The interior has been updated over the years, so the home feels very current and transitional. But there’s one fun remnant of the times — this original 1953 seafoam green bathroom that features pastel green tile plastered practically from floor to ceiling with a matching bathtub, vanity counter with sink, and an in-wall bathroom heater. This bath is a great reminder of the home’s midcentury origins.

When this home and other nearby homes were individually built in the 1950s, Shorecrest Drive was already known as one of the city’s most picturesque streets. Decades before in the 1930s, the 3400 block of Shorecrest — where a hodge podge of residential-looking office buildings now sit — was populated by large, architect-designed homes that fronted pristine Bachman Lake. They touted the “new trend” of emphasizing outdoor living in the home.

“Floor-length windows facing out in all directions, a patio, an orchard, and garden are among the inducements to outdoor fun,” an April 1938 Dallas Morning News article says about the nationwide trend.

It all comes full circle with this 2,126-square-foot home you can make your own, or build a brand new masterpiece on this verdant quarter-acre lot. It seems everything comes full circle eventually.

David Griffin of David Griffin and Company Realtors has listed 4104 Shorecrest Drive for $995,000.


This listing is sponsored by Dallas mortgage broker Lisa Peters at Cardinal Financial. Get started on your home loan for 4104 Shorecrest Drive by reaching out to her at [email protected].

Shelby is Associate Editor of CandysDirt.com, where she writes and produces the Dallas Dirt podcast. She loves covering estate sales and murder homes, not necessarily related. As a lifelong Dallas native, she's been an Eagle, Charger, Wildcat, and a Comet.

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