An Unplanned Morning Run Brought This Swiss Avenue Beauty a Buyer

If anyone knows historic homes — especially on Swiss Avenue — it’s Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Realtor Elizabeth Mast. She told me this Italianate Mission mansion would move quickly because it’s not only beautiful but also in flawless condition. It’s been on the Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home Tour, was named one of D Magazine’s 10 Most Beautiful Homes in Dallas, and won a Restoration House of the Year Award. So, it’s quite a catch!

Mast was right, of course. It had multiple offers and sold at lightning speed,

Finding Buyers Who ‘Get it’

Whenever a great historic home hits the market, I’m always apprehensive that the new owners will get it.

We saw so much destruction last year, with the Mediterranean mansion on Buckner Blvd. and the beloved Hutsell on Lakewood Blvd. being razed. Now, there is controversy about the Lakewood Conservation District expansion. So many people simply don’t get it. They don’t understand these homes are impossible to replicate, built better than any construction you can find today, and have irreplaceable character. Historic homes provide a sense of identity and permanency.

Some people do get it, such as Davis and Elizabeth Prescott.  

Elizabeth didn’t grow up in a historic home, but she thinks possibly living in a historic old hotel turned apartment house in college may have been instrumental in creating her love of architecture and historic homes. Her husband, fortunately, has the same attitude, and they have lived in wonderful historic homes since they were married. 

“We were in Baton Rouge before Dallas, so we had the French influence and the old architecture, “ Elizabeth said. “I’m sure that experience also played a role in my love for older homes. We had a Tudor in the garden district of Baton Rouge on close to an acre.”

When her husband’s job relocated the family to Dallas, they gravitated to a Craftsman cottage on Palo Pinto, which they have called home for the past two years. They had just begun discussions with an architect about building a garage with a studio above it when Davis went on a fateful run down Swiss Avenue.

“Davis almost didn’t go for a run that morning,“ Elizabeth said. “When he came home, he said I had to go look at this house immediately.” They hopped in the car and headed to Swiss Avenue. 

“It took my breath away,” Elizabeth said. “There is a level of fine detail you can’t see from the street. Think about the love that was put into the construction of this home at a time when American cities were seeing a massive influx of people. Dallas was getting its start and it just gave me goosebumps. I fell in love.”

Now remember the Prescotts were not looking to move. They loved their Craftsman. But the Swiss Avenue Italianate Mission architecture was on another level.

“I never thought this style existed,” Elizabeth said. “The combination made it a dream home for us. Houses are built differently today than they were in the 1910s and 1920s. They tell a story that new construction cannot. They are beautifully and solidly constructed and come with unrivaled character. It’s just tragic to me that people don’t understand that, especially when you tear down in neighborhood of character. The new homes look so out of place.”

The Prescotts have found their dream home at 5611 Swiss Avenue. It’s a legacy we can carry on and share with our kids. I’m so happy Davis got up early and ran that day!