A Hip Historic Home? This Munger Place Prairie Busts a Few Preservation Myths

This 1912 Munger Place Prairie busts all the myths about living in a historic home. So many people think it must be like living in a museum, or they think there will be enormous maintenance costs. Then there is an absurd misconception that you cannot touch the interior of these homes and the truly crazy myth that they are harder to sell. I say Poppycock, mainly because I can’t use the word I want to use.

Living in a historic home is nothing less than an honor. You are moving into a home with layers, with character, with many previous lives, and with a story to tell. When you can move into one that has already been completely renovated and updated, it’s a real estate home run. 

We wrote about this home in 2019 when it was listed by Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Elizabeth Mast and let’s bust one of those myths right now.  Historic homes are not hard to sell. This home went to contract in two weeks and closed in a month. 

We thought it was pretty darned special in 2019. But now it’s a totally knock-your-socks off property thanks to the buyers and their brilliant choice of Ripley Renovations to bring their vision to life.

The current owners of this Munger Place Prairie had lived in East Dallas for eleven years with little to no intention of moving. They always thought if they did ever move, it would only be to one of three streets and then there were only a couple of houses that could tempt them. Then 5118 Worth hit the market and it was one of those tempting houses.

We had discussed the ideal floor plan for years. When we walked in, we saw the wall of windows on the back of the house and knew we could sit in the family room and see the kids play outside.  You don’t expect to see this in a historic house. We were sold.

Owners of 5118 Worth

The house was double the space of their old home, but when the pandemic hit 13 months later, they were using every inch of the 5,030 square foot, six-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom Munger Place Prairie. There was already a pool and a guest quarters over the garage for an au pair. It was perfect.

In May 2022 the owners were ready to truly make the house their own. Bringing Ripley Renovations on board was a logical move. The company is known for its work on historic homes in East Dallas and how to adapt them to modern lifestyles.

“We were able to work within the home’s footprint,” Travis Ripley said. “We remodeled the principal suite, creating a large closet and added a guest bath. The biggest change was a double kitchen project. In the cooking kitchen, we installed an invisible induction cooking unit. It’s a porcelain counter material with induction burner units underneath. It looks like a big slab of counter, but you can cook on it, and it’s an example of injecting modern technology into a historic home.”

Oh, and don’t worry about the kids touching the surface. It’s the safest cooktop you can install. No direct heat comes from the device and induction is also faster than gas or electric cooktops. 

I know you’re wondering about that second kitchen. It’s not a dirty kitchen like you might expect, but more of an entertaining one with a second island and a bar behind it overlooking the family room and backyard. 

Ripley removed rickety balconies, re-did flooring, added new windows to the third floor, and remodeled the bathrooms. The principal suite was almost 30 x 20 feet, so there was plenty of room to create a huge closet with two windows and a laundry area.

Now I know you are also curious about the colors because that was what stopped me in my tracks. You seldom see a home of any age with rich saturated wall color. That’s down to interior designer Liz Gibson who is one of the most talented and creative people I know. You may remember when we featured The Gaston bed-and-breakfast a few years ago which is run by Liz and her family and for which they won a 2020 Preservation Dallas Achievement Award.

“The wall colors are actually related to the era of the home, and the owners wanted to add personality into the house after the pandemic,” Gibson said.  She used Farrow and Ball’s Brinjal in the dining room, Studio Green on the kitchen cabinets, and Pelt in one of the children’s rooms. It all adds up to one of the loveliest homes in East Dallas.

Compass Realtor Nina Knell Sachse has this move-in-ready Munger Place Prairie at 5118 Worth St. available for $1.499 million.

Open House: Sunday, Jan 26 from 1 to 3 p.m.