Here’s a Rare Opportunity to Purchase a Landmark Turtle Creek Spanish Revival Mansion

I can count on one hand the homes I’d move into in a hot minute if I won the lottery. This historic Turtle Creek Spanish Revival mansion is at the top of that list. I was fortunate enough to see it in person when it was on the market in 2017, and I fell head over heels because it is absolute perfection.

We often write about how a house can make you feel as if you’d been transported to another country. Sometimes it’s a stretch, but that’s not the case here. Enter those gates, head up the brick road, and you won’t believe you are just five minutes from downtown Dallas. Only four families have ever lived here, and you know by now that is a testament to how well the home functions.

This Turtle Creek Spanish Revival mansion features components of Italian Revival, but don’t be fooled; it’s been documented by the Dallas Landmark Commission as a Spanish Revival. It was built in 1925 by the architectural firm Flint & Broad, which was widely regarded as one of the best of the era.

Businessman Ballard M. Burgher commissioned Lester Flint and Thomas Broad to build him a family home. A fun fact is that the Burghers were living on a farm at Cedar Springs and Oak Lawn. Remember, this was the 1920s, and much of Dallas was still farmland.

Some of the most beautiful and expensive homes in Dallas were built along Turtle Creek in the 1920s. Most of our newcomers probably don’t know that the Mansion on Turtle Creek was once the King Mansion, a single-family residence (also built in 1925) that belonged to oil magnate Shepard W. King and his wife. You can see the same pale pink stucco walls, red tile roof, and wrought iron details on both homes.

Most of the larger Turtle Creek homes remained until the early 1950s when the success of the first high-rise residential building at 3525 Turtle Creek in 1957 led to a decline in their numbers. It was pretty much all downhill for single-family homes from that point. Rapid growth and the siren call of density are nothing new to Dallas, unfortunately.

Enchanting Mediterranean Villa in the Heart of Turtle Creek

Although poor Mr. Burgher died two months shy of the house being finished, his family, which included six children, moved in. There was a family member in residence until 1971. One of the Burgher’s daughters, Laura, was even married on the grounds. When you see it in person, you will understand there is no more magical place for a wedding.

The Wilcox family resided here from 1973 to 2010, followed by Robert and Dannye Thomas from 2011 to 2018, and then Beverly Ray purchased the home. She proved to be the perfect owner since she landmarked the mansion.

The Turtle Creek Spanish Revival mansion was fully renovated in 2010 by Chad Dorsey of More Design + Build, somehow making it even more flawless. If anyone knows how to honor history but create updates that we all need today, it’s Dorsey.

The house is 4,404 square feet, and although it is listed with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, that is fairly meaningless. Remember, this home was built in 1925 for a family of eight. Consider that there are now multiple living areas, dining areas, and sleeping porches that were enclosed. With some thought, you can fit quite a few people into this beauty!

A major renovation in 2013 to the landscape, designed by Robert Bellamy Design, created an even more magical ambiance for the property. As you wander the grounds, you are likely to see the dovecote, numerous areas to sit and ponder, as well as a few charming sculptures hidden in the landscaping. A greenhouse, parterre garden, and hen house (designed to complement the mansion) are only a few steps away in the backyard. There is also a large and gorgeous guest quarters over the three-car garage.

Now, for entertainment and relaxation value, it doesn’t get better than the mansion’s side yard, where a large lawn and pool are located. Sunbathing out here will really have you thinking you are in a villa in southern Spain.

We are fortunate to still have historic properties that have been landmarked and fully updated in Dallas. It takes a sophisticated buyer to fully appreciate the importance of being the next steward of such an important home and that these opportunities seldom come along.

Allie Beth Allman realtor Cameron Williams has this one-of-a-kind historic Turtle Creek Spanish Revival mansion at 4107 Turtle Creek Blvd. available for $4.5 million.