Rare Junius Heights Historic Spanish Eclectic Exemplifies Why Demolition is Never The Answer

Whenever you hear, “That house needs to be demolished,” I offer up this adorable historic Spanish Eclectic as a shining example of, “NO IT DOES NOT!”

Unfortunately, it takes a historic district designation to prevent demolition because most of us are severely under-educated and under-informed when it comes to preserving historic homes.

As one of our favorite preservation architects has said over and over:

For almost any historic building, especially residential, the idea that it cannot be reasonably rehabilitated is not true unless there has been a particular catastrophic event like a major fire or tornado. I’ve seen buildings rehabbed that you’d be afraid to walk into.

Norman Alston

Junius Heights became a historic district in 2006 and is now one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Dallas. It’s like stepping into the past with beautifully maintained Craftsman Bungalows, Folk Victorian cottages, Prairie and Tudor homes, and this rare Spanish Eclectic.

Houses are as sought-after now as they were early Monday morning, September 3, 1906, when half of the lots in the brand-new neighborhood of Junius Heights sold in an hour.

Historic Spanish Eclectic Was a Labor of Love

So now that we have the style and desirability settled, let me tell you this house was an absolute labor of love.

Fortunately, the buyer responsible for the transformation had vision and talent.

Shannon Rae Green is an interior designer from Southern California. Charmed by Dallas on a visit during college, she moved after graduation, gravitating to East Dallas. One night, while scrolling through Zillow, she spotted this 1924 white stucco historic Spanish Eclectic home and decided to take a look.

“I saw a red ‘for sale by owner’ sign,” Green said. “I called, and a builder answered and gave me the lockbox code to go have a look. It was a disaster. The house had been turned into a duplex years ago. The foundation was terrible; one of the bathroom ceilings had fallen through, and there was water damage everywhere, but I knew I had to have it. I called the builder, and he said, ‘Do you know what you are getting yourself into? On a scale of 1-10, this house is a 12!'”

Green was undeterred and determined to create a little gem.

Not only did Green repair all the damage in the home, but she also had it rewired, added new plumbing and HVAC, created an addition on the back, and tore down an old outbuilding to create a garage and a dog room for her two labs.

It took nine months for all the plans to be approved and a year for construction. The results are beyond anyone’s expectations and caught the attention of neighbors and the media.

This adorable historic Spanish Eclectic was featured on the Junius Heights Home Tour in the fall of 2015, and D Magazine featured it on their 2020 list of the “10 Most Charming Homes in Dallas.”

Compass Realtor Kyle Baugh listed this rare historic Spanish Eclectic at 703 N. Glasgow Dr. yesterday for $995,000.