Could This Magnificent Hal Thomson Colonial Mean The Tide is Turning in The Park Cities?
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We may have reached the tipping point in the Park Cities as signs of momentum against demolishing history in the area are budding.
Case in point: This 1926 Colonial designed by Hal Thomson stands as evidence that preservation works and is now a hot commodity. We’ve seen so many historic homes come down that those left are becoming more valuable.
This Hal Thomson Colonial exemplifies a classic historic home, yet it is the perfect canvas for traditional or contemporary taste.
Think for a moment about the great cities of the world. Look at any Parisian chateau, London townhome, or Roman villa. There is never a thought about demolition, regardless of the condition.
Peek inside Mansion Global magazine or watch “The Parisian Agency” series, and you will see historic homes with gorgeous deep baseboards, deeply carved ceiling moldings, and incredible paneling. Yet, they are often filled with ultra-modern artwork and furnishings.
These homes work because they were designed by the best architects to live in, not constructed to maximize lot value and create a great deal of ROI for a builder.
A Hal Thomson Colonial For a New Generation
Christina Dandar keeps up with all things Park Cities on her Instagram page The Potted Boxwood, and has noticed that the tide is turning.
“There have been so many historic homes this year that have been beautifully remodeled,” Dandar said. “A younger generation is beginning to appreciate them, and we are hearing an outrage from them because they want history to be preserved.”
If any historic home can show us preservation matters, it’s this one.
On the market for the first time in two decades, the house was originally built for Robert K. Gaston, the son of Captain William H. Gaston. Captain Gaston founded the first bank in Dallas and was affectionately known as the father of the State Fair of Texas.
Thomson was not the average architect. He had the good fortune to be born to wealthy parents in Austin and received an excellent education at The University of Texas and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Thomson later married the daughter of a Dallas bank president. Obtaining large architectural commissions was never an issue, and it meant many of his biggest homes remained with us, such as this 9,039-square-foot Colonial on almost half an acre.
Living a Modern Life in a Historic Home
What’s the secret to living in a historic home? It generally needs the help of another excellent architect and involves adding on square footage.
As much as we love a historic home, we must be sensible about how we live today. A great architect will seldom advocate for the demolition of a historic home. Instead, they deftly and seamlessly add that sizable family room that flows to the kitchen. They will figure out a way to get you the primary suite with a sitting area, fabulous walk-in closet, and the bathroom of your dreams.
Of course, that is precisely what architect Wilson Fuqua accomplished in this Hal Thompson Colonial. Fuqua knows the Park Cities’ architecture better than anyone I’ve ever met, and if anyone can save a historic home, he can.
“We added about 4,000 square feet to the existing home to create the kitchen, family room, and principal suite,” Fuqua said. “We kept the front rooms the same and the staircase with the big landing.”
I was thrilled that Fuqua echoed sentiments I’ve heard from Preservation Park Cities president Amy Beale and Dandar that the tide is shifting in preserving historic homes.
“I met with another client today who bought a 1920s house, and they are excited to renovate, update, and keep the historic character intact. People in their 30s with toddlers and babies on the way are purchasing historic homes with every intention of keeping them intact, updating, and adding on.”
“The home is a unique blend of historical charm and modern elegance,” Briggs Freeman Sotehby’s listing agent, Caroline Summers, said. “It’s a jewel in the heart of Highland Park.”
Summers and Bradley Huff have this once-in-a-lifetime Hal Thomson Colonial available at 4226 Arcady Ave. in Highland Park for $13.9 million.
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Karen, it’s great to see an old house preserved, but I confess I have little faith that there’s a trend afoot. And adding a 4,000 sq ft addition to a classic house is almost as bad…..not very different from the King Charles quote to describe some modern architecture as like “seeing a carbuncle on the face of an old friend.”
I understand, but Wilson does these renovations and additions to be as seamless as possible, and it’s much better than tearing down a home that we could never build again. These original homes have wood you can’t even find today and craftsmanship you cannot duplicate.
Great Piece Karen, as always, your attention to detail and fact finding is bar none!
Thank you, Caroline! This was a treat to feature!
This is a superlative 1920s center hall colonial revival home with an ideally integrated addition. I would bifurcate the laundry adjacent closet to introduce storage capacity to the smallest bedroom. Karen, would you please lend me $13.9 million?
Rabbi! I was counting on you to lend it to me!
What a beautiful home and I think the addition works. I like most don’t like seeing the older beautiful homes torn down but I do understand that a buyer has the right. Was there always this much concern over tare downs? Through the years in the areas of HP that had the smaller original houses almost all been torn down and a huge house was built. Most of these “new” houses look great, except the white boxes IMO. I love driving around and seeing that one survivor every so often. There are several original bungalows that I would much rather have than a huge mansion. I guess my question is, did people care when all the smaller houses were torn down or did they start to care when the bigger beautiful original houses started getting torn down? I would guess by driving around and looking at google satellite view that 75% of the original homes in HP have tore down. Curious if y’all agree. Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for the long post, Chris! We love them! Here’s a long answer! It’s actually a fairly recent trend to tear down homes of any size. They became victims of the rising cost of the dirt they sat on. When there is more demand than supply and changing tastes, smaller homes are demolished for larger ones. Builders maximize the structure on a lot, sacrificing green space, so sadly, there is no longer a sympathetic relationship between the residence and the landscape. In the past few years, we began to see the larger, more historic homes demolished. That drew attention because they were designed by the architects who built this city. It was simply a case of a buyer saying I want what I want, where I want it. If there are no protections in a neighborhood like conservation or historic designations or if a house is not deed restricted, then it’s considered fair game for builders. The loss is enormous. Our iconic historic neighborhoods could soon look like anywhere USA. However, we are already seeing things turning around, as everything does, and now the remaining historic homes are once again becoming valued by a new generation.
My dad was born in 1907. He remembers cave dwellings cut into the sides of depressions or hills in down town Dallas Can you imagine the history we have lost? I’m glad for any kind of preservation.
Gene, that is amazing! You are right. We are losing so much, and it’s so important we get those memories down in writing.