A University Park Dilbeck with a Frank Welch Touch, a Ghost Story, and Legendary Owners

Has this historic University Park Dilbeck been blessed with some sort of spell or charm for attracting stylish and discerning buyers? Consider this. Chili’s founder Larry Lavine, jewelry designer Dian Malouf, and society maven Bert de Winter have each called this University Park Dilbeck home. It’s always been a magnet for those with taste, style, and influence.

Let’s dig into the history and see why it may just be a charmed house!

When I feature any home designed by architect Charles Stevens Dilbeck, my first call is to Dilbeck authority Willis Winters. No one knows as much about Dilbeck as Winters, who has spent over a decade researching the man, started the Dilbeck Architecture Conservancy, and is now writing a book about him.   

The interesting thing is that Dilbeck built a patio over the creek, which would NEVER be allowed today. The house is also turned 90 degrees, so the front door is oriented to the patio (with the creek flowing UNDER it!) on the east side. It doesn’t face the street. I would call this house a soft Ranch, the portions of the house that have low-sloped gable roofs, with a Regency-style front entry. 

Willis Winters

So, it’s not your typical Dilbeck. Of course, the home has been sensitively enlarged to 3,858 square feet with three bedrooms, three baths, and a powder bath. The interior has also been completely renovated and updated since the original owner, Burt Ford, commissioned Dilbeck to build it in 1935.

Allie Beth Allman Realtor Buff Amis sent me a treasure trove of information, and by far, the most riveting was about Bert de Winter. First of all, how interesting it is that the home was built for a man named Burt, and a woman named Bert moved in later on? The formidable Ms. de Winter was a force to be reckoned with in society. Dallas’ beloved and prolific author A.C Greene wrote the following in 1979 for D Magazine:

Today, the 1950s linger in many minds as the last Age of Golden Dallas dining. And no hostess was more stylish or elegant than the late Bert de Winter. Bert was head of millinery at Neiman Marcus when women’s hats brought in the kind of money furs bring now. She was a power, both at the store and on the social scene. An exotic lady, she sent her dry cleaning to be done at The Ritz in Paris, and her home on Amherst was color-coordinated from front curb to rear cupboard. 

A.C. Greene

There is a story about one of her dinner guests going into labor and needing to be rushed to the hospital. Bert, looking peeved, said, “Can’t she wait?”  

No one could match her style, whether in home decor, gardening, or fashion. The Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas includes around 160 artifacts donated by Bert de Winter, many of which can be found here. During Bert’s years at this University Park Dilbeck, it twice appeared on the cover of House Beautiful and was featured on the Dallas Garden Tour a few times. You can just imagine the estate sale when she passed. 

The University Park Dilbeck and the Stylish Ghost

While her belongings moved on, did Bert? One family can tell you she certainly did not. During Malouf’s tenure in the house, jewelry would appear that didn’t belong to the owner — and then disappear. Footfalls were heard so regularly that the family investigated. Finally, an expert was called in to perform the appropriate rituals that would allow Bert’s fashionable spirit to move on. 

And move on, she did, as Larry Lavine never reported anything unusual happening after that. 

Lavine tapped another legendary architect, Frank Welch, to design the kitchen and family room, which features a dramatic vaulted skylight ceiling supported by two enormous trusses.

Every inch of this University Park Dilbeck is charming and inviting, from the sun-filled sitting room to the cozy library with original Dilbeck built-in bookcases. Even the dining room, which can seat 14, retains an air of intimacy.

This University Park Dilbeck is not just a home, it’s an experience in gentle, gracious living.

Amis has 3620 Amherst Ave. available for $3.95 million.