A century-old historic home in Highland Park that's been magnificently preserved is on the market. Located at 4712 Lakeside Dr., the Cary estate is a 7,643-square-foot home with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, two powder baths, a cabana, putting green, and tennis court, for sale for $12.5 million.
Dr. Edward Henry Cary built the home as a wedding present for his bride, Georgia Schneider. Construction began around 1910 and was completed in 1912 by C.W. Bulger and Son. The finest craftsmen were brought over from Europe to create the woodwork, lay the imported Italian tile, and install the leaded glass windows. It was, and continues to be, a showplace.
Dr. Cary was one of the most prominent figures in Dallas history. He made certain that Dallas would be the medical center of the Southwest. You may not be familiar with his name, but you may have heard of his close friends W. H. Flippen, Karl Hoblitzelle, and Murrell Buckner. No doubt, you’ve seen the buildings, roads, parks, and hospitals that are named after them.
Dr. Cary's desire to get big things done seems to have been inherited. His grandfather was Jules Edouard Schneider, a founder of the Dallas Gas Company and the Dallas Public Library. He was one of the gentlemen who brought railroads and electric lights to Dallas.
In 1949, Dr. Cary told the Dallas Morning News he envisioned the rolling green hills of Harry Hines as a new home for a great medical center that would compete with The Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. The land had already been secured for that purpose. He would live to see the beginnings of what is now one of the most important medical centers in America — his dream come true.
The Cary family lived in this house until Mrs. Cary's death in 1970. The home was briefly in the hands of the T.C Stricklin family and Mrs. Viva Ellison, and then the Al Hill family purchased it in the 1970s, and it's been in their family for over 40 years.
It's a testament to the quality of a home when two families have found it suited their needs perfectly for decades. The Hills did the necessary updating, of course, but Al Hill also got permission to install the first tennis court in a Highland Park residence.
The Cary estate is one of those rare Dallas properties that has it all: A historic home engineered with quality craftsmanship and materials that could never be replicated today.
"It’s built like a rock," says Allie Beth Allman listing agent David Nichols. "It's in tremendous shape and has been perfectly maintained. It has the highest elevation on Lakeside Drive with a beautiful view of the water and park. It’s the last great estate on Lakeside and rare to find 1.3 acres here."
The Cary estate is truly one of the most significant homes in Dallas. We hope the next owner is smart enough and has an appreciation for history to keep it intact.
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A version of this story originally was published on CandysDirt.com.
The house was the first in Highland Park to have a tennis court.
