The Coolest Forest Hills Midcentury Modern You’ve Ever Seen

From the striking rock and stone embedded facade (the same feature found in the home Elvis and Priscilla honeymooned in) to the unique front gates, this Forest Hills Midcentury Modern home is a testament to timeless design and unparalleled coolness.

Midcentury Modern homes have captured our attention like no other style. They were designed to be timeless and universally appealing, and it’s hard to believe they are now historic. The National Park Service uses the 50-year rule for evaluating eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, so this 1964 Forest Hills Midcentury Modern is indeed historic, and it’s absolute perfection. That’s mainly due to the owner, and to be transparent, I had no idea until eXp Realty’s Lee Lamont arranged a text that I knew her! I have, in fact, known two owners of this home, both of whom I can fully attest to having cutting-edge taste, so this Forest Hills Midcentury Modern has always been in good hands.

Lori Stadig lived in one of the most gorgeous Hutsell Tudor homes in Lakewood for years. As I recall, you could easily spot her house because she had painted the front door purple. Stadig, a Senior Art Director, has always had impeccable taste. So how does a Tudor-loving Lakewood homeowner flip the switch and fall for a Forest Hills Midcentury Modern? Well, she had a friend who bought a Midcentury Modern home and watched her transform it with great furnishings.

“I was enthralled with what she was doing,” Stadig said. “I loved all of her furniture and her aesthetic. I tried to put that look into my Tudor and realized I just needed to buy a Midcentury Modern home!”

This is not your typical 1960s design, which is one of the many things that make it so special. The entry is through a stately double iron gate into a rare courtyard pool. This courtyard design was attributed to real estate developer Joseph Eichler, one of the most influential builders of mid-century modern-style homes. Credit, however, should go to architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons. They designed thousands of Eichler’s homes with an open-air courtyard at the entrance, surrounded by living spaces with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Think about it like an outdoor living room. It was the most dramatic way to create the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that has become a way of life. It quickly became a trademark of Eichler, eventually leading to the introduction of open-roof atriums. Finding one of these in Dallas with a pool is extremely rare, and in fact, this could well be the only one.

The appeal is obvious with style, beautiful light, privacy, and security. Stadig redid the floors, had textured walls smoothed out, updated the kitchen and bathrooms, and restored the decorative beams.

“I love the flow of the open spaces,” Stadig said.

Her son, filmmaker Christian Antonio Salinas, has used the home quite a bit as a location because, as you can imagine, it looks beautiful on film. Don’t be surprised if a movie scout comes knocking on the gate!
 
“We have had a lot of fun with it,” Stadig said. “I wish I could take this house with me to Colorado; the neighborhood is great, I love walking in it and being so close to the White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum.”

What an opportunity to have a one-of-a-kind historic Forest Hills Midcentury Modern that’s been a home to incredible creativity for years!

As listing agent, eXp Realty’s Lee Lamont said. “It’s a unique, hard-to-find product with a long-term value.” And let’s face it, the house is just totally cool!

Lee Lamont of eXp Realty has listed 8243 San Cristobal Dr. for $895,000.