Be Still My Heart, PaigeBrooke Is Going To Change Hands

People often ask me what my favorite homes in D-FW are, and I really cannot answer that question. It takes me too long to think about it. But when I heard that PaigeBrooke Farm in Westlake was on the market, it hit me: PaigeBrooke is definitely at the tip-top of my all-time favorites.

It is a beautiful, sprawling home that’s very reflective of pure Texas architecture. It is a Dilbeck, a ranch house originally designed by one of Dallas’ most celebrated architects and commissioned by one of its most important families. And then, in one of the most extraordinary acts of architectural preservation I’ve ever heard of, it was cut into six pieces, wrapped in Tyvek like a giant holiday ornament, and moved on steel beams to its current home on 18 acres in Westlake. There it was reassembled, restored, and perfected. You’d never guess civilization was anywhere nearby. As one writer put it, it’s an “ahhh experience.” I’d go further: it’s practically orgasmic. Who moves homes to preserve them? There’s an answer to that question: Kelly and Scott Bradley.

A Dilbeck Original Like No Other Dilbeck

PaigeBrooke was designed by Charles Dilbeck in 1938 for Ted Dealey, publisher of the Dallas Morning News. The rambling, half-timbered structure is quintessential Dilbeck — romantic, surprising, and full of character. Minutes from D-FW Airport and a short jog from Westlake Academy, it feels like it exists in another world entirely.

Dilbeck was the master of what I’d call Harry Potter architecture before Harry was a Potter: moody Tudor and French country homes scattered through the Park Cities and North Dallas, each built to feel like it had grown organically over centuries. He insisted every room should have a surprise element. He designed without hallways, so you move from room to room as if the house just had one more thing added to it (and no wasted hallway space). And he always believed that in an authentic cottage, you should find the original log cabin it started from.

PaigeBrooke has one.

Dilbeck was also an early eco-architect, favoring salvaged and recycled materials long before green was fashionable. The pinkish stone throughout the house came from a Fort Worth slaughterhouse. The hand-hewn beams were cut from original Union Terminal timbers. Rounded chimneys, overhanging balconies, cupolas, turrets, a bell tower — it’s all here.

The house is so beloved by the Dilbeck family that Pat Dilbeck, the architect’s widow, and her daughter Elaine call PaigeBrooke their favorite of all his designs. It was his favorite, too. A Dilbeck grandson even asked if he could propose to his fiancée on the property, just to connect with a little family history.

Kelly and Scott Bradley

The Bradleys fell in love with the Westlake property at first sight in 1977, despite the fact that it had been vacant for nearly a decade, overrun by raccoons, bobcats, and years of neglect (Kelly recalls pulling off an electrical socket and raccoon dung falling out). They saw something worth saving.

Scott was a successful securities attorney; Kelly, a full-time mom. They were part of the fabric of Westlake. Scott served as mayor. He was re-elected 17 consecutive times. When he took office, the town had $35,000 in the bank. When he left, there was $6.5 million.

At the time, Westlake had about 200 residents. Highway 114 was a two-lane road. Kelly slept with a shotgun next to the bed — not for burglars, but critters. Their neighbor was Nelson Bunker Hunt on his Circle T Ranch. If the Bradleys’ cows got out, Bunker’s cowboys brought them home.

It is interesting how so many developments just outside of Dallas were former ranches. This property had been a 220-acre spread known as the 220 Ranch, where the Dealey family had hosted Dallas’ business and civic elite for hunting weekends. Parcels had been bought and sold off over the years, and the last owner purchased what remained for his wife, a real estate professional who died before they ever moved in. The house sat quietly heartless until the Bradleys arrived with energy, vision, and a lot of love. They named the property for their daughters, Paige and Brooke.

The Move

In 1998, the Bradleys decided to sell a portion of their PaigeBrooke acreage to Fidelity Investments for a regional headquarters — a financially transformative deal for Westlake. The catch: the land Fidelity wanted was exactly where PaigeBrooke sat. Another family might have taken the money and bid a tearful goodbye to the house. Not the Bradleys. Being a lawyer, Scott inserted a clause in the deal: Fidelity must either preserve the house in perpetuity or allow the Bradleys to move it.

And so began one of the most remarkable chapters in D-FW preservation history…

PaigeBrooke was cut into six pieces, wrapped in Tyvek, placed on steel beams, and relocated to its new home on the remaining acreage. The process took 10 years. The Bradleys lived in a trailer on-site for five years, then moved into an adjacent guest house designed by preservation architect Nancy McCoy, who was brought on specifically to extend and honor Dilbeck’s style.

The living room alone weighed 98,000 pounds. McCoy has called the entire endeavor an “architectural marvel.”

The Renovation

While they were moving the house, the Bradleys decided to expand it. Dilbeck, like Frank Lloyd Wright, apparently didn’t believe people needed much in the way of closets, so those were enlarged. A hallway was added. The original 4,500-square-foot structure — designed one room wide to maximize cross-breezes in the pre-AC era — eventually grew to 11,500 square feet plus a 2,200-square-foot guest house. A basement was added using plans Dilbeck’s widow found on three pieces of paper in her attic. The original had never been built.

And the new owner was a man ahead of his time: Scott added geothermal heating and a radiant system. The entire home, including the basement, floats on 276 piers. All walls are thick plaster. The place is built like a bunker.

Inside

A woodworker named Steven Guest spent 10 years on the interior, re-creating and extending Dilbeck’s rustic style with extraordinary craftsmanship. Guest is deaf but an expert lip-reader. His work includes a kitchen pantry with double folding hinged doors that swing open to reveal hidden shelving, vent screens that look like they came from the 18th century, and the 480-pound front door, which was rounded to fit the curved surrounding wall.

Every room in this house is my favorite. But if I had to choose one, it’s the first room I saw: Scott’s library. A portrait of Ted Dealey hangs in the original gun case, which features a leaded glass door with a spiderweb design — possibly the only museum-quality gun case in existence. A cozy corner window where Dealey reportedly used to settle in now holds Scott’s desk. And there’s a bar.

The Listing

PaigeBrooke is now listed with Barbara Pantuso of Keller Williams Realty for … are you sitting down? … $20 million. Back when Maribeth Peters listed it for the Bradleys around 10 years ago, the asking price was $7,900,000. I’m trying to wrap my head around that. The home has more than doubled in value.

There have been updates, but the main house retains that sprawling floor plan, multiple living areas, a library, a private office, and those nine unique fireplaces, and, thankfully, all the original wood and moldings. The kitchen has been significantly updated, equipped with a premium Wolf range, custom cabinetry that looks more like doors than cabinets, and a massive center island of striking stone. Ditto the primary suite with an updated bath, vessel tub, and expansive closet space (finally! Sorry CD!) — and of course, the serene views that have been there for years.

The basement has been remodeled with a home gym, a bonus-craft room, and a temperature-controlled wine cellar with space to entertain, featuring a vaulted brick ceiling and more stunning stone. In addition to the main residence, the estate features a versatile lodge house with a striking stone fireplace and wet bar, an ideal setting for hosting gatherings, relaxing with guests, or a dedicated retreat. A separate two-story guesthouse provides additional accommodations with a full kitchen, dining and living spaces, a bedroom overlooking the peaceful pond, and all that Dilbeck charm. Outdoor amenities include a heated pool, three private ponds, rolling hills, mature trees, and abundant wildlife to sit back and watch from one of several porches or charming stone walkways.

This Westlake home has so much D-FW history packed into it that part of me thinks it should be a museum — an architectural monument to Dilbeck and the warm, beautiful, surprising homes he gave this region.

But I also think it deserves to be lived in, cherished, and passed on.

Barbara Pantuso of Keller Williams Realty has 1 Paigebrooke in Westlake listed for $20 million.