Anton Korn’s Italian Renaissance Masterpiece on Lakeside Drive Can Be Yours!
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This impressive Italian Renaissance villa was designed by architect Anton Korn and completed in 1923 for William P. Head, the chairman of the board of Texas Power and Light, and his wife Lula Rose. In Great American Suburbs, The Homes of The Park Cities, Dallas, the authors describe this home as having “the tantalizing aspect of a bucolic suburban country villa.”
Korn was one of the most important architects of his era. A master of every style, he designed renowned residences in Dallas, iconic homes in Galveston, and many commercial buildings, several of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 6,032-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath villa has been restored and updated to a level I doubt Korn would have ever expected. As you can see from the old Dallas Morning News photos, it’s been, as my dear mother would say, ”gussied up” over the years.
This is definitely a statement house. You can be sure of that, from the sea of marble in the entry to the principal bathroom. The formals have been opulently embellished with gold and marble accents. There is no doubt that these rooms were designed for entertaining on a grand scale. When you consider that entertaining at home was commonplace in the 1920s, it makes perfect sense.
While I think many of the updates are lovely, there are a few I’d like to see returned to their original form. Specifically, the sunroom floor. David Preziosi, the CEO of the Texas Historical Foundation, kindly did some research for me. He found that the original tile, called Block Random, was popular in the 1930s. The hope for any preservationist would be that it’s still there under the granite and that a new owner will restore it.
However, I would not touch those hardwoods. They are all works of art. When the home was on the market in 2011, it was reportedly owned by a Russian cellist, and I believe many of the opulent upgrades were made at that time.
Although I am partial to that sunroom, my favorite room is the library. I’ve always loved the decorative wire grilles on bookshelves, and there’s a good amount of window light here, which creates a lovely ambience seldom seen in a library setting.
I would be remiss to not mention the principal suite. Not only does it have more of those distinctive hardwood floors in the bedroom, but the sculpted marble bathtub is also a work of art.
One of the previous owners had a penchant for all things Moroccan, which is evident in two of the bathrooms, as well as the pool area and pavilion. The pavilion is reminiscent of a British folly, but with an actual purpose. The structures were fanciful and added whimsy to the landscape. The tiled pool has a full guest quarters that include a Moroccan-inspired living space and two guest suites.
The villa sits on an acre in a location offering the best of convenience and scenery. From the front of the house, there is an unimpeded view of Lakeside Park and Turtle Creek. It’s indeed bucolic. The shops and restaurants on Oak Lawn are just behind this block of Lakeside Drive. It has a Walk Score of 76, meaning you can accomplish most errands on foot.
This is a rare opportunity to own one of Dallas’ most historic properties, which has been meticulously cared for over the years.
