The Growth of Higher Learning Means Graduated Demands For Dallas Housing

As we discussed last week, construction projects abound in North Texas universities. The domino effect will include more educated people, job creation, and, of course, housing demands.

Last week we focused on Fort Worth, but today let’s talk about the housing needs around the Dallas side of university expansions. Work is underway at the University of Texas Dallas for the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, a three-building complex comprised of the Crow Museum of Asian Art, a Latin American art museum, and a performance hall. Southern Methodist University has constructed the Frances Anne Moody Hall, an academic building, and is working toward expanding the Cox School of Business. Then there’s Dallas College doing all sorts of work and planning from a nursing building on its Mountain View campus to a new downtown campus addition.

So we need to think about all those smart people educating ambitious students who will be searching for places to live. Educators, administrators, students, and all their auxiliary cohabitants could be on the hunt for houses, and at CandysDirt.com, we’ll start by checking out Dallas’ open houses this week. One of them might be the solution for any of those people needing housing in Big D.

1227 Ottawa Drive, Richardson

It’s maybe just five or six minutes from this lovely contemporary home to the UTD campus. So this would make a super easy commute from this house suited for a university big wig or maybe one of the corporate lions who regularly partners with the campus.

The contemporary architecture with its glass front exterior of this home mirrors the sleek lines of UTD’s modern architecture. The two-story house with 4,6522 square feet is located in The Reservation in Richardson.

Downstairs includes an open-concept living and dining area where the fireplace serves as the focal point. The modern kitchen features a wonderful pantry and great storage … so perfect to entertain for an off-site faculty meeting. Also on the first level is a home office and a guest suite. Then upstairs all four bedrooms come with their own ensuite bathrooms in this five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home.

The great windows of this home offer a fabulous view of the backyard.  The backyard’s covered patio could serve as an additional living space, too, and the two-car garage is large enough to accommodate SUVs, be used as a workshop, or store a few extra textbooks.

This home, listed by Sergio Manriquez and Sheila Manriquez with Allie Beth Allman & Associates, will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

5542 Emerson Avenue, Dallas

How convenient to be less than two miles from Southern Methodist University?  This gorgeous white house in Dallas’ Greenway Crest neighborhood is a straight shot — under 10 minutes by car — to SMU.

Traditional on the outside and traditional on the inside, this house is an eye-catcher. Walk inside to see hardwood floors and beautiful windows. The open-concept floor plan has the family room leading to the gourmet kitchen and cute breakfast nook, perfect for after-class study sessions.

Listed at $2.099 million, the charming two-story has 3,770 square feet and contains five bedrooms, four full bathrooms, one half-bath, and plenty of room for a student and a few sorority sisters. The primary suite, which is upstairs, offers space to get away from everything with a sitting room and double closets.

There’s even more to like outside. A covered patio, a beautiful pool, and a putting green are there for when college just gets too stressful.

Open from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, this home is listed by Christy Berry with Compass Real Estate.

1005 Haines Avenue, Dallas

By car, it’s less than 20 minutes from this cozy 1920s house to Dallas College Mountain View Campus. And here’s a bonus — there’s a garage apartment, perfect for student quarters. Located over the two-car detached garage, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment was renovated recently. Its 510 square feet contains a full kitchen, a private entrance, and off-street parking. What a find!

The main house’s great front porch features the original moldings, 10-foot ceilings, and hardwood floors. The Craftsman fireplace is the living room’s focal point, and it’s flanked by twin cabinets, perfect for storing textbooks. The kitchen has been updated with granite countertops, and the formal dining room is accented by a bay window with leaded glass.

This two-story features two bedrooms, two baths, and three fireplaces. Both bedrooms are located upstairs, and the primary bedroom comes with a walk-in closet and a renovated bathroom. With living areas located downstairs, study sessions there won’t bother anyone who needs to sleep before a test the next day.

This house, which is listed by Kent Frederick and Mark Lefkin with Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, will be held open from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.